Are you a recent college graduate from a traditionally underrepresented background who is highly motivated to pursue a research career? See if one of our post-baccalaureate programs is right for you.
To participate in the Yale National Institutes of Health Post-Bac Research Education Program (NIH PREP), or the Emerging Scholars Initiative Post-Bac Research Education Program (ESI PREP), or the Cultural Heritage Research and Practice Post-Bac Program:
- You must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
- You have earned your bachelor’s degree in a relevant field prior to the start of the program, but no more than three years before you apply to the program.
Application
Funding & Benefits
Post-Bac participants receive a stipend of $32,000 over 12 months for living expenses. Participants also receive financial support that covers tuition for one or more courses per semester during the academic year, health insurance, GRE preparation material provided by Kaplan Review, a new laptop computer, and travel-related expenses to attend one national conference.
Participants live in New Haven and use a portion of their stipend to cover housing and other living expenses.
Program Schedule
The NIH PREP and ESI PREP are one-year programs that run from mid-June to the end of May. The Cultural Heritage Research and Practice Post-Bac is a two-year program that begins mid-June. NIH PREP participants spend 75% of their time conducting independent research, supervised by a faculty mentor, and the balance devoted to the activities listed below. ESI PREP participants may devote less time to research and more time to coursework based on an individual assessment. Cultural Heritage Research and Practice Post-Bac participant’s experience will be similar to NIH PREP and ESI PREP participants for the first year and as described below for the second year. Each participant’s schedule will be created in collaboration with the director and faculty mentors.
Summer:
- GRE Preparation Boot Camp
- Graduate Workshop I
- Research Literature Seminar
Fall semester:
- Yale course(s)
- Graduate Workshop II
- Research Presentations (Research-in-Progress)
Spring semester:
- Yale course(s)
- Career Workshop
- Journal Club
- Research Presentations (PREP Symposium)
NIH PREP (Biological and Biomedical Sciences)
The NIH Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (NIH PREP) at Yale is a program that helps recent bachelor’s degree recipients gain the research skills and academic credentials needed to become competitive applicants to, and successful students in, highly selective doctoral programs in the biological and biomedical sciences. NIH PREP participants conduct independent laboratory research under the supervision of a faculty mentor, who is selected from among 350 faculty members in the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Yale. NIH PREP participants also take Yale courses and participate in program-specific seminars and workshops as well as institutional training activities with beginning graduate students in the BBS. All NIH PREP participants are expected to apply to Ph.D. programs for admission to begin graduate study following successful completion of the program.
Note: The NIH PREP is intended to be a one-year program and is primarily for participants interested in pursuing a PhD. If you plan to pursue an MD, you are not eligible to participate. If you plan to pursue an MD/PhD, at the mid-June start of the Yale NIH PREP you must have completed the MCAT exam with a competitive score.
ESI PREP (Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering)
The ESI PREP program gives participants the knowledge and skills necessary for success in graduate school.
Participants experience life as graduate students at a major research university, taking courses, doing research and receiving mentoring alongside first year Ph.D. students.
This initiative is open to recent college graduates in all divisions (e.g. humanities, social sciences, physical sciences and engineering) who have a strong desire to pursue a Ph.D. If you are from a background that has been underrepresented in your chosen field of study, you are strongly encouraged to apply. This includes historically underrepresented students, first-generation college graduates, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and women in some STEM fields.
Cultural Heritage Research and Practice Two-Year Post-Baccalaureate Program (Arts, Humanities, and Sciences)
Yale University announces the creation of two post-baccalaureate positions for participants from underrepresented groups intending to pursue careers as cultural heritage professionals. These two-year positions are designed to prepare participants for graduate school in fields relating to cultural heritage research and practice. Administered by the Office for Graduate Student Development and Diversity, the first year builds on its successful NIH PREP and ESI PREP programs that focus on GRE preparation, research and library skills, and coursework at Yale, designed to strengthen transcripts and help ensure the completion of graduate school prerequisites. The second year of the program is a practicum in which students will work with specific museum and library collections based on their interest, aptitude, and career goals. During this year, participants would be mentored by Yale’s expert staff including, conservators, curators, and scientists to ensure that academic achievement is balanced with practical experience. The knowledge and skills that participants develop during this two-year program will prepare them for success in graduate school programs in fields that span the arts, humanities, and sciences, including art history, conservation, library science and chemistry.
Faculty Mentors
NIH PREP participants choose their faculty mentors, in collaboration with the program directors, from among 350 faculty members in the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).
ESI PREP participants choose a mentor, in collaboration with the program director, from the faculty within their department or program. Consult the department or program website for information about faculty members and their research interests.
Cultural Heritage Research and Practice Post-Bac participants choose their faculty mentor, in collaboration with the program director, from the faculty within their department or program during year one. During year two, participants will be mentored by conservators, curators, and scientists, as determined by the program director based on interests, aptitude, and career goals.
Current Participants:
2023-2024
- Monica Argumedo Rendon, Austin College
- Nathalie Barrios, Clarkson University
- Brazil Bartholomew, University of California, Los Angeles
- Ana Betancourt, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
- Julian Brice Buchanan, Morehouse College
- Alison Carranza, Vassar College
- Anthony Coelho, Yale University
- Rivka Farrell, New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Sebastian Franck Love, Georgia State University
- Nicole García Tubéns, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
- Rachael Hatchett, University of Texas, Austin
- Beamlak Kuma, Emory University
2022-2023
- Keilah Avery, University of North Carolina, Asheville
- Valerie Ebenki, Univeristy of Mary Washington
- Kiara Mallory, Washington University, St. Louis
- Niles Marthone, CUNY Brooklyn College
- Antonia Oduguwa, Howard University
- Stacey Oxendine, North Carolina A & T State University
- Hanin Sarhan, Michigan State University
- Daphne Simo, Baylor University
- Amiya Tucker, Spelman College
Past Participants:
2021-2022
- Andrea Argueta, New York University
- Dana Harris, Princeton University
- Christopher Jenkins, Andrews University
- Vanessa Llamas, University of California, Irvine
- Marisa Norzagaray, University of Central Florida
- Brianna Sarcos, University of California, Irvine
2020-2021
- Adriana Ceron, Pitzer College
- Jessica Cruz, Barnard College
- Jordan Foster, Sarah Lawrence College
- Jaylin Lugardo, Princeton University
- Dominique Sparks-Stokes, University of Cincinnati
2019-2020
- Antonio Bandoo, Arizona State University
- Adela DePavia, Yale University
- Decory Edwards, Trinity University
- Shelby Mack, University of California, Berkeley
- Katrina Martinez, Williams College
- Eric Medina, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Demi Moore, Hunter College
- Darla Quijada, University of Vermont
2018-2019
- Natalie Alvarez, Clemson University
- Kohar Avakian, Dartmouth College
- Maria Brouard, Harvard University
- Jordan Cardenas, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Patricia Colosi, Seattle Univeristy
- Brittany Gardner, Jefferson-East Fall University
- Max Jefferson, Westminster Choir College
- Andres Mejia, Bard College
- Breana Rucker, Alabama State University
- Courtney Watson, Texas A&M University
2017-2018
- Olamide Adeniyi, Columbia University
- Ariana Castro Leon, University of California, Irvine
- Yareli Castro Sevilla, University of California, Irvine
- Chelsey Clark, Yale University
- Patricia Colosi, Seattle University
- Carmen Maria Conroy, University of California, Berkeley
- Randi Martinez, Arizona State University
- Kaltuma Mohamed, Portland State University
- Jose Morales, University of California, Berkeley
- Shavanie Prashad, CUNY, The City College of New York
2016-2017
- Carmen Maria Conroy, University of California, Berkeley
- Mariah Corey, Kennesaw State University
- Suzanne Estrada, Yale University
- Juan Hernandez, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Alonso Iniguez, Pomona College
- Kirsten Lee, Williams College
- Kaltuma Mohamed, Portland State University
- Bradley Rava, University of Southern California
- Kevin Rigby, Jr., Wayne State University
- Nathan Vasquez, University of Chicago
- Theresa White, Towson University
2015-2016
- Gabriela Bosque, Cornell University
- Shannon Hughley, Spelman College
- Megan Kelley, University of Georgia
- Andres Moya-Rodriguez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
- Melissa Quintanilla, College of St. Benedict
- Brittany Thompson, Kennesaw State University
2014-2015
- Korie Bush, Cornell University
- Shannon Hughley, Spelman College
- Wilhemina Koomson, Princeton University
- Andrew Lopez, University of California, Irvine
- Ryan Reyes, University of Arkansas-Monticello