Bachelor of Humanities at Yale University

Yale University

United States of America, New Haven

University Rank:#21

The Humanities is a Bachelor degree offered by Yale University at its main campus in New Haven , United States of America. The program is delivered on campus as a Full Time course in English and requires approximately 4 years to complete. Students study at the university's main campus while gaining the knowledge and practical experience expected for this area of study. The next intake is available from August 31, 2027.

About Bachelor of Humanities

Director of undergraduate studies: Paul Grimstad, HQ, 320 York St.; chair: Francesco Casetti, HQ, 320 York St.

The undergraduate program in Humanities provides students the opportunity to integrate courses from across the humanistic disciplines into intellectually coherent and personally meaningful courses of study. Works of literature, music, history, philosophy, and the visual arts are brought into conversation with one another and with the history of ideas. The major offers both interdisciplinary breadth and intellectual depth.

The major in Humanities asks students to begin with broad surveys of foundational works in at least two different cultural traditions, including at least one course on classical Western European texts. All majors take two specially commissioned core seminars, one on the question of what "modernity" is, another spending a whole term interpreting a single work (or small corpus of works) in great depth. Students then devise an area of concentration according to their interests and with the help of appropriate faculty members.

Courses for Nonmajors

Students in all classes can find options in the varied course offerings, from special seminars for first-year students to the Franke and Shulman Seminars for seniors. Many courses are open to nonmajors.

Requirements of the Major

Fourteen term courses are required for the major, including three "foundational works" surveys, two core seminars, one course in each of four areas of study in the humanities (which may include the Franke and Shulman Seminars), four additional electives selected to complement the student's area of concentration and approved by the director of undergraduate studies (DUS), and a one- or two-term senior essay. Majors are also required to keep an intellectual journal and are strongly encouraged to enroll in at least one term course in literature in a foreign language.

FoundationsThree broad surveys of foundational works in any cultural tradition are required, such as HIST 280, EALL 200, or RLST 189. One or two foundations courses must be in the classical tradition of Western Europe, such as Directed Studies, or ENGL 129 or CLCV 256.

Core seminarsThe major requires two core seminars, one in "Modernities" and one in "Interpretations." Core seminars typically are taught by a pair of faculty members from complementary disciplines. The two broad themes of the seminars remain consistent from year to year, but the material studied and the faculty members teaching change, allowing each class of students to explore the themes in different ways.

Areas of study in the humanitiesOne course is required in each of four areas: literature; visual, musical, or dramatic arts; science in the humanities; and intellectual history and historical analysis. Courses may be drawn from any department or program in Yale College, with the approval of the DUS.

Intellectual journal Students are encouraged to log entries outlining particularly striking moments in their intellectual lives, whether in courses or outside of them, and to keep track of questions they would like to pursue in their studies, including possible senior essay topics. Students submit a minimum of one journal entry each semester to the DUS.

Credit/D/Fail For students in the Class of 2025 and subsequent classes, a maximum of two courses taken Credit/D/Fail may count toward the major.

Roadmap See visual roadmap of the requirements.

Senior Requirement

A one- or two-term senior essay is required (HUMS 491).

Advising

Students are expected to declare their intent to major in Humanities in a meeting with the DUS before their junior year.

Unique to the Major

The Franke Seminar and the Shulman SeminarSponsored by the Whitney Humanities Center and designed to speak across disciplinary lines to broad public and intellectual issues, the Franke Seminar and the Shulman Seminar each include a series of coordinated public lectures. The seminars are for enrolled students; the lecture series are open to the Yale and local communities. Humanities majors may enroll in a Franke or a Shulman Seminar with permission of the DUS and the instructor.

Summer program in RomeHumanities majors who take the course HUMS 444, The City of Rome (or its equivalent, with instructor approval), and develop individual research topics to be pursued in Rome, may apply for enrollment in a two-credit summer course offered by Yale Summer Session. Museums, archaeological sites, churches, piazzas, libraries, and the city itself are part of the classroom for the summer course. Further information is available on the Humanities program website and the Yale Summer Session website.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

PrerequisitesNone

Number of courses14 term courses (incl senior essay)

Distribution of courses3 foundations courses, as specified; 2 core sems, as specified; 1 course in each of 4 disciplinary areas; 4 electives in concentration

Senior requirementSenior essay (HUMS 491)

Intellectual journal A minimum of one journal entry every term

Disciplines

FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM OF HUMANITIES

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Humanities at Yale University

Entry Requirements

$80 application fee or fee waiver
Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor
School Report with transcript
Standardized test results (ACT or SAT) - not required for fall 2023 admission. (See below)
English proficiency test results - required for non-native English-speakers (See below)
Mid-Year Report & Final Report

See additional details about these required application components below.

Please note that if your application materials include any documents that are not in English, you must provide an official English translation in addition to the original documents.

$80 application fee or fee waiver

Applicants should pay the $80 application fee via the Common Application or Coalition Application website.

Applicants using the Common Application or Coalition Application may request that the application fee be waived. Learn more on the fee waiver page. The fee waiver scale is based on family size and income in US dollars but is applicable to all international students.

Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor

Request recommendations from two teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects (e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is preferable, but not required, that recommendations come from teachers who have taught you during your final or next-to-final year of secondary school.

Also request a recommendation from your school’s college counselor. If your counselor does not know you well, the recommendation may still provide helpful contextual information about your school and its academic programs. If your school does not have someone serving as a college counselor, please request a recommendation from a school administrator such as a house master, principal, or academic advisor.

School Report with transcript

Your counselor or other school official should submit a School Report with an official transcript that includes all your secondary school courses. If a question on the School Report form is not applicable to your secondary school, leave it blank.

Recommendations and transcripts should be submitted electronically through the Common Application or Coalition Application website. If necessary, teachers and counselors may also submit their recommendations and transcripts via mail or digital upload. Recommendations may be sent before or after you submit your application; materials that arrive before your application will be kept on file. The admissions office will make reasonable allowances for late school documents in situations where it is not possible for teachers and counselors to meet the application deadlines.

Standardized test results

In response to the extraordinary circumstances associated with the pandemic, Yale has temporarily suspended its requirement that first-year and transfer applicants submit results from the ACT or SAT. The change will be in effect during the 2022-23 admissions cycles for applicants who intend to matriculate in fall 2023.

More information on Yale’s test policies is available on the standardized testing page. Standardized tests are just one component of a student’s application and are viewed within the context of the student’s entire file. There is no minimum score required for admission, nor is there a score that will guarantee admission.

English proficiency exams

Yale requires that non-native English-speakers who have not taken at least two years of secondary education where English is the medium of instruction submit the results from any of the proficiency tests listed below.

The TOEFL requires pre-registration for available testing dates. Yale’s most competitive applicants have scores of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL.

The IELTS offers proficiency tests in locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have IELTS scores of 7 or higher.

Cambridge English exams are available at testing locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have Cambridge English scores of 185 or higher on the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency, or B2 First exams.

Applicants may submit the Duolingo English Test (DET), which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Duolingo’s technology and format allows applicants to complete the test at any time or place with internet access. Yale’s most competitive applicants have DET scores of at least 120.

InitialView provides live, unscripted video interviews that candidates may submit to colleges for consideration with other application materials. Interview times must be reserved in advance. There is no scoring associated with these interviews.

Mid-Year Report & Final Report

Students who do not receive new secondary school grades by February 1, including students who have already completed secondary school, are not required to submit a Mid-Year Report. This includes many international students. Applicants who receive new grades by February 1 should submit a Mid-Year Report.

Only admitted students are required to submit the Final Report, which provides final secondary school grades and examination marks. Admitted students submit the Final Report in the summer before fall matriculation.

If your secondary school provides predicted results for external exams such as A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, and other international or national testing organizations, they should be submitted by your school alongside your transcript or Mid-Year Report.

Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Humanities at Yale University

Application Fee 80

How to Apply for Bachelor of Humanities at Yale University

All applicants for first-year admission must submit one of the following:

The Coalition Application with Yale-Specific Questions
The Common Application with Yale-Specific Questions
The QuestBridge National College Match Application

Yale will accept any one of these applications, without preference for one over another. Students should submit one—and only one—application per admissions cycle.

Bachelor of Humanities at Yale University

Yale University

United States of America, New Haven