MA in Medieval Studies

The MA in Medieval Studies is a one-year terminal degree which gives students the opportunity to spend a year developing their expertise in one or more areas of Medieval Studies, through coursework at Yale and (if desired) a substantial research project. Our program places strong emphasis on working directly with primary materials, and the MA is particularly suitable for those who wish to develop additional skills in reading medieval languages and in using documents and/or artifacts from the period.

Requirements for the degree

I.     Seven term courses, or six term courses plus a special project.

a.     Of these, two consecutive term courses must be in a language relevant to the study of the medieval period, and related to the student’s field of special interest.

b.     One course must have a focus on the study of original manuscripts or documents.

c.     Students must achieve an overall average of High Pass, with at least one grade of Honors and no more than one Pass. (See further the GSAS degree requirements.)

II.         Students must demonstrate knowledge of one or more of medieval Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Chinese or Arabic, either via formal enrollment in courses (which may qualify for requirement I(a) above), or by substantial use of these languages in other coursework, as attested by the course instructor.

III.         The optional special project will normally take the form of a publishable article-length work of original scholarship, although other formats (for example, editorial work or digital projects) may also be accepted.

a.      Each special project will have a faculty adviser, as agreed between the adviser and the student.

b.     Project proposals, signed and approved by the faculty adviser, will be due to the Medieval Studies office by the end of the week before Reading Week in the Fall semester.

c.     Projects will be assessed by the faculty adviser and a second Medieval Studies faculty member, assigned by the DGS. For the purposes of the degree, the project will be assessed as “Approved” or “Not Approved,” with narrative feedback provided directly to the student.

d.     Final approval of project will be by the Medieval Studies executive committee in a vote at the end of the Spring semester, either in person or electronically.

Applying for the MA

The MA in Medieval Studies is open to all students who have, or expect to have, a BA (or its equivalent) by the time they begin study. Application is through the GSAS web portal.

  • In addition to the universal GSAS requirements of a statement of research interests, three letters of recommendation, all relevant academic transcripts, and a diversity statement, applicants should submit a writing sample of 10 to 20 pages.
  • Ideally, the writing sample should be relevant to the student’s proposed interests in Medieval Studies.
  • The GRE is not required.

Funding for the MA

At present, students will be expected to self-fund the MA in Medieval Studies. For current tuition and fees, as well as potential funding sources, see the GSAS website.