Senior Thesis
Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, Global Affairs majors will have three options to fulfill the senior requirement: They may complete a capstone project, write a senior thesis in a substantive seminar, or write a senior thesis in the global affairs senior thesis course.
The Global Affairs senior thesis course will be taught each spring, beginning in Spring 2026. Students may also write a senior thesis in a substantive seminar, in the fall or spring semester. In either case, students select their own academic advisor, as well as a secondary reader and may choose from any current faculty with an appointment at Yale.
The creation of a formal senior thesis option in Global Affairs has been driven by students in the major who have already conducted original research as part of a seminar or as an independent project. The option to write a senior thesis also gives students more flexibility in the timing and format of their senior project.
Global Affairs provides resources to support undergraduate research, whether for senior theses or other individual research projects. The Jackson School Undergraduate Research Award has two application rounds annually to facilitate student research throughout the entire year. Students conducting original research, including for senior theses, are also encouraged to share their work at any stage of progress in the Student Academic Workshop Series at Jackson.
Undergraduate Research Award
The Jackson School Undergraduate Research Award supports Global Affairs students’ research (up to $1,000) and participation in academic conferences or workshops related to global affairs (up to $500). This award does not support other programs such as internships and coursework.
Recipients of the award are encouraged and expected to present their work in The Jackson School of Global Affairs Student Academic Workshop Series.
There are two application deadlines each year— October and March—for research or travel to be conducted within six months of receiving the award. (Applicants cannot receive funding more than once per academic year.) Students intending to conduct research over winter break or spring break should apply for the October deadline. Students intending to conduct research over summer break should apply for the March deadline.
For students conducting research involving human subjects, the protocol must be reviewed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and documentation must be attached to the Jackson Undergraduate Research Award proposal showing that the process has begun. Please refer to this guide before submitting a project for IRB review; if the project involves travel, please refer to the Yale Travel Policy.
Applications for Summer 2025 must be submitted online by 5:00pm on Friday, March 28, 2025. Applicants will be notified of award decisions by April 18, 2025. Apply now
Student Academic Workshop Series
The Student Academic Workshop Series at the Jackson School of Global Affairs is a bi-weekly forum in which advanced undergraduate and graduate students can present their research projects and receive constructive feedback from their peers. This is an excellent opportunity for students to get feedback on independent research projects or their theses, even at a preliminary stage. They can present fieldwork or other research from the summer and bring together a group of interested fellows to shape their analyses and advise on next steps. Advisors and faculty are also welcome to attend and/or participate.
The workshop series is a forum for students with a range of interests, including global health, history, political science, and economics.
See the full schedule below or register to attend a workshop via Yale Connect (CAS login required).
Current Yale undergraduate and graduate students can sign up to present their research on a first-come, first-served basis for the available dates using this form.
For further information, please contact Teresa Delgado at mariateresa.delgado@yale.edu.
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