Yale Math Graduate School

cluelessguy
Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:44:47 +0000

Hello everybody,

after scanning the Yale math websites I have still no idea about the research areas of the faculty. Do “working groups” exist? Or is the whole department one big group so that a graduate student can ask any professor anything anytime? What is the focus or tradition of the Yale department? I am especially interested which algebra topics (e.g. algebraic geometry, representation theory of groups, Lie algebras, associative algebras) are covered.
My situation is the following: I am a student in Europe and will finish a diplom, i.e. a “five-year-major” which is more or less equivalent to the american Master. I wonder whether it is possible in general (or whether there exists someone who has done it) to change from this European system into the American PhD-system. Is it then possible to skip the first two PhD-years of lectures by taking exams earlier?

Any comments or thoughts appreciated.