Yale History Dissertations

The dissertation represents the culmination of years of graduate training. For many, the pages of the dissertation are stained with blood, sweat and tears. And coffee. And more tears. Since 1882, when the first dissertation was presented to the history department for doctoral qualification at Yale, hundreds of scholars have since followed that same path, dedicating themselves to countless hours of research, reading, and writing. And begging for more grant money.

During the late 1800’s, only a trickle of dissertations were submitted annually, but today, the department averages about 25 per year. See who some of those intrepid scholars were and what they wrote about by clicking on any of the years listed below.