Most Ph.D. programs at Yale are structured such that students transition from a coursework focus to independent research in years 2-4. This is typically a difficult transition to make, and the Deans of the Graduate School have long suspected that time-to-degree delays lie primarily in years 2-4.

In 2006, Jon Butler, Dean of the Graduate School, initiated the 2-4 Project, consisting of internal evaluations by students and faculty within all Yale's Ph.D. programs, in an effort to understand what practices and policies help and hinder students' transition to independent research. The Dean promised to publish the evaluations on the web, in order to foster accountability to the voiced concerns.

To further our own mission of advocating for better academic, social, and living experiences at Yale and in New Haven, GSA volunteered to facilitate internal reviews among students in each Ph.D. program. GSA reps consolidated student feedback and delivered student ideas to the Directors of Graduate Studies (DGSs) of each department. In turn, DGSs of most departments discussed student feedback with faculty and published a report including both student and faculty views.

GSA is pleased to announce that the Dean has finally published these reports on the web: http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/academics/2-4project.html.

It's important that these reports be available to all members of the Grad School, as a vehicle for accountability. Students and GSA representatives invested great risk and energy in critically evaluating their own faculty and departments. In addition students invest 4-7 years of their lives in their Ph.D. programs, and many have constructive suggestions for improving their experiences at Yale. The 2-4 Project reports not only hold departments accountable to students, by acknowledging their receipt of student feedback, but also may inspire departments to adopt each others' best practices, and holds departments accountable to each other.