An extended degree program is offered for selected students in the concentrated M.A.R. program. This allows students planning to apply for doctoral programs to strengthen their preparation through an additional year of academic study.
Each year, the number of openings available for the extended year is determined in late August/early September. The selection committee can fill no more than this number of openings but may develop a waiting list if warranted. There may be two selection rounds, the first in the fall term and a possible second round in the spring term. If students are not selected in the fall, they may reapply in the spring, if there are spaces available, along with students who did not submit their applications for the fall-term selection round.
Applications in the fall term are due by October 15; notifications are sent by November 15. Students must notify the YDS Admissions Office of their decision by March 20. Applications in the spring term are due by March 1; notifications are sent by March 26. Students must notify the YDS Admissions Office of their decision by April 15. Current ISM M.A.R. students interested in applying for the third year should contact the ISM Office of Admissions for details.
Students must include the following items in their applications: (1) address and email address; (2) area of concentration; (3) whether the student is or is not an ISM student; (4) a completed M.A.R. course plan (blank copies are downloadable online), with current/anticipated fourth-term courses included; (5) a statement explaining why the student wishes to extend the concentrated M.A.R. program, including the planned course of study for the third year (ordinarily, it is expected that students will pursue full-time study during the third year; if a student wishes to study part-time, the application must indicate how many courses will be taken); (6) a description of the doctoral program to which the student will be applying and how it fits into the statement of interest above; and (7) two letters of recommendation from Yale faculty. One of these letters must be from a faculty member in the area of concentration. These letters should be sent directly to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Students receiving financial aid who are accepted into the extended degree program must submit a new financial aid application for their additional year of study. In their extended year, students are eligible for the same level of need-based YDS scholarship funding and federal loans as other MAR students, provided that Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is maintained.