Courses

Coursework plays an important role in every graduate student’s time at Yale. In addition to being one of the core Ph.D. requirements, courses allow students to prepare for qualifying exams, to explore new areas of mathematics, and to be exposed to the frontiers of research.

As the only required courses are Ethical Conduct of Research (Math 991, taken in the fall of the first year) and the Lang Teaching Seminar (Math 827, taken in the spring of the second year), students have a great deal of flexibility in what courses they choose to take. 

Adding to this flexibility, each spring students suggest courses to the DGS for the upcoming year; these courses are approved at the discretion of the DGS and the faculty.


View the currrent course catalog here


Every year, the department offers introductory courses in Algebraic Topology (Math 544), Modern Algebra (Math 500/501), and Measure Theory, Complex, and Functional Analysis (Math 520, 515, and 525, respectively). These courses are designed to help students solidify their mathematical foundations and to prepare for their qualifying exams. Students can also attend undergraduate classes to fill in any gaps in their mathematical knowledge.

Intermediate–level courses exposit an area of mathematics and allow students to build the foundations for their research. These offerings vary from year to year and depend on student interests and faculty availability.

Starting in their first semester and continuing through their last, students also have the opportunity to take topics courses. Generally much more informal, these courses are meant to expose students to the cutting edge of research. Other faculty members also often sit in these classes. Since topics courses allow for a more thorough exploration into a field of mathematics, they can be an invaluable tool in helping students to pick a research area, and ultimately, an advisor.