phd degree stanford

How to Apply

Main navigation, the online application for 2024 entry is open..

Visit the Apply Now page to start your application for graduate study.

Select One Program

Out of the graduate degree programs listed on the Explore Graduate Programs page , you may apply to only one program per academic year.

The only exception is within the Biosciences PhD programs , where you may apply for two programs within a single application.

Central & Departmental Processes

We work in partnership with your graduate program of interest to ensure a smooth admission experience from the time you start your application until you enroll at Stanford.

Graduate Admissions

• Oversees the online application system
• Determines university-wide admission requirements
• Reviews the official documents of incoming graduate students to verify that they meet university-wide admission requirements

Graduate Program

• Oversees the review of applications
• May supplement university-wide requirements with program-specific admission requirements
• Communicates admission decisions and offers of financial support

Admission Process Overview

Application.

The first step is to prepare and submit your application materials through the online application system, by the deadline set by your intended graduate program. 

After you submit your application, it is routed to your graduate program for review by its admission committee. Some programs conduct interviews as part of the evaluation process.

Your graduate program communicates the admission decision to you once it is finalized by the admission committee.

If you are admitted, you must respond to the offer of admission by the deadline set by your program. Some programs host "visit days" to help you make an informed decision.

Verification

If you accept the offer of admission, you must arrange for your official transcripts and degree documents to be sent to Graduate Admissions for verification.

Matriculation

After Graduate Admissions reviews your official documents, you are matriculated into your degree program. At this point, you are eligible to enroll in courses if you have no enrollment holds on your record. Note: If you are an international student, you have an enrollment hold until you arrive on campus.

Main navigation

The PhD program requires three years of full-time graduate study, at least two years of which must be at Stanford. Typically, however, students take four to five years after entering the program to complete all PhD requirements. The University requires a minimum of 135 units for a PhD, up to 45 units of which may be transferred from another graduate program, or used toward a master's degree at Stanford.

Areas of research

Breadth requirement, qualification procedure requirements, degree progress and student responsibility.

Oral examination

Doctoral students are required to take a number of courses, both to pass a qualifying exam in one of these areas, and to complete a dissertation based on research which must make an original contribution to knowledge. The PhD is generally organized around the expectation that the student acquires a certain breadth across all areas of the department, and depth in one area.

The current areas are: Computational Social Science Decision and Risk Analysis Operations Research Organizations, Technology and Entrepreneurship Policy and Strategy Quantitative Finance

Each student admitted to the PhD program must satisfy a breadth requirement.

All first year students are required to attend and participate in MS&E 302 Fundamental Concepts in Management Science and Engineering, which will meet in the Autumn Quarter.

Each course session will be devoted to a specific MS&E PhD research area. At a given session, several advanced PhD students in that area will make carefully prepared presentations designed for first-year doctoral students regardless of area. The presentations will be devoted to: (a) illuminating how people in the area being explored that day think about and approach problems, and (b) illustrating what can and cannot be done when addressing problems by deploying the knowledge, perspectives, and skills acquired by those who specialize in the area in question.

Faculty in the focal area of the week will comment on the student presentations. The rest of the session will be devoted to questions posed and comments made by the first-year PhD students.

During the last two weeks of the quarter groups of first year students will make presentations on how they would approach a problem drawing on two or more of the perspectives to which they have been exposed earlier in the class.

Attendance is mandatory and performance will be assessed on the basis of the quality of the students’ presentations and class participation.

Each student admitted to the PhD program must pass an area qualification procedure. The purpose of the qualification procedure is to assess the student’s command of the field and to evaluate his or her potential to complete a high-quality dissertation in a timely manner. The student must complete specified course work in one of the areas of the department. The qualification decision is based on the student’s coursework and grade point average (GPA), on the one or two preliminary papers prepared by the student with close guidance from two faculty members, at least one of whom must be an MS&E faculty member, the student’s performance in an area examination or defense of the written paper(s), and an overall assessment by the faculty of the student's ability to conduct high-quality PhD research. Considering this evidence, the department faculty will vote on advancing the student to candidacy in the department at large.

The qualification procedure is based on depth in an area of the student’s choice and preparation for dissertation research. The qualification process must be completed by the end of the month of May in the student’s second year of graduate study in the department. The performance of all doctoral students will be reviewed every year at a department faculty meeting at the end of May or beginning of June. PhD qualification decisions will be made at that time and individual feedback will be provided.

The PhD qualification requirements comprise the following elements:

Courses and GPA: Students must complete the depth requirements of one of the areas of the MS&E department. All courses used to satisfy depth requirements must be taken for a letter grade, if the letter-graded option is available. Course substitutions may be approved by the doctoral program advisor or the MS&E dissertation advisor on the candidacy form or on a request for graduate course substitution form. A student must maintain a GPA of at least 3.4 in the set of all courses taken by the student within the department. The GPA will be computed on the basis of the nominal number of units for which each course is offered.

Paper(s): A student may choose between two options. The first option involves one paper supervised by a primary faculty advisor and a second faculty reader. This paper should be written in two quarters. The second option involves two shorter sequential tutorials, with two different faculty advisors. Each tutorial should be completed in one quarter. In both options, the student chooses the faculty advisor(s)/reader with the faculty members’ consent. There must be two faculty members, at least one of whom must be an MS&E faculty member, supervising and evaluating this requirement for advancement to candidacy. The paper/tutorials must be completed before the Spring Quarter of a student’s second year of graduate study in the department if the student’s qualifying exam is during the Spring Quarter, and before the end of May of that year otherwise.

Area qualification: In addition, during the second year, a student must pass an examination in one of the areas of the MS&E department, or defense of the written paper(s). The student chooses the area/program in which to take the examination. This area examination will be written, oral, or both at the discretion of the area faculty administering the exam. Most areas offer the qualifying exam only once per year, which may be early in the second year.

Each doctoral student’s progress is reviewed annually by the MS&E faculty. Typically, this occurs at a faculty meeting at the end of Spring Quarter, and appropriate email notifications are sent over the summer to the students and their advisors. It shall be the responsibility of the student to initiate each required step in completing the PhD program. To maintain good standing in the PhD program,

First year students must: 1. Complete 30 units, including MS&E 302 and doctoral courses taught by faculty in their research area; 2. Develop relationships with faculty members who can potentially serve as dissertation advisor or reading committee member. A faculty member is more likely to accept the responsibility of supervising the research of a student whom he or she knows fairly well than a student whose abilities, initiative, and originality the faculty member knows less. It is recommended that students participate in research rotations with MS&E and related faculty to facilitate the development of these relationships.

Second year students must: 1. Complete at least two one-quarter research rotations or tutorials, or one two-quarter research rotation, tutorial, or research paper, continuing to develop relationships with faculty members who might serve as dissertation advisor or reading committee member; 2. Pass an area qualifying exam or defense of the written paper(s); 3. Submit a candidacy form signed by at least one MS&E faculty member with whom they have or will complete research rotations, tutorials, or papers, and listing the course requirements agreed upon by both the student and the program advisor; 4. Complete 30 units, including most, if not all, of the required courses listed on the candidacy form; 5. Be advanced to candidacy by the faculty.

Third year students must: 1. Submit a progress form listing the dissertation topic and signed by the dissertation advisor (if the dissertation advisor is not an MS&E faculty member, the form must also be signed by an MS&E faculty member who agrees to be on the student's reading committee, as well as the student's point of contact within the department); 2. Complete 30 units, including any remaining depth courses.

Fourth year students must: 1. Select a reading committee (a dissertation advisor and two readers) with at least one member from the student's major department, and submit the reading committee form signed by each member on the reading committee; 2. Make satisfactory progress on their dissertation as determined by their dissertation advisor; 3. If the student has not transferred any previous graduate units to Stanford, complete 30 dissertation units.

Students beyond their fourth year must make satisfactory progress on their dissertation as determined by their dissertation advisor and approved by the faculty. Indeed, the dissertation advisor will have to present the case to (and seek approval for good standing of the student from) the faculty in the annual faculty meeting for student review. It should be noted that each student inherently has to pass the oral examination (see below) and submit their dissertation before their candidacy expires.

Oral Examination

As administered in this department, the University oral examination is a defense of the dissertation; however, the candidate should be prepared to answer any question raised by any members of the Academic Council who choose to be present. The examining committee consists of the three members of the reading committee as well as a fourth faculty member and an orals chair. The chair must be an Academic Council member and may not be affiliated with either the Department of Management Science and Engineering nor any department in which the student's adviser has a regular appointment; emeriti professors are eligible to serve as an orals chair. It is the responsibility of the student's adviser to find an appropriate orals chair. The University oral examination may be scheduled after the dissertation reading committee has given tentative approval to the dissertation.

The student must be enrolled in the quarter of their oral examination. Students should schedule three hours for the oral examination, which usually consists of a 45-minute public presentation, followed by closed-session questioning of the examinee by the committee, and committee deliberation. The student needs to reserve a room, and meet with the student services manager to complete the oral examination schedule and pick up other paper work. This paperwork, along with an abstract, needs to be delivered to the orals chair at least one week prior to the oral examination.

PhD Programs

Empowering students to follow their curiosity

Bioengineering PhD

Jointly supported by the School of Engineering and the School of Medicine, the bioengineering program merges engineering principles with scientific discovery and technology to encourage the development of new medical devices and treatments.

Biosciences PhD

panning the School of Medicine and the School of Humanities and Sciences, students have the best of both worlds: the diversity of a large umbrella program coupled with the support of a small academic setting.

The Biosciences PhD program offers 14 home programs representing eight basic science departments and six interdisciplinary programs.

Biomedical Physics (BMP) PhD Program

Supported by the Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, the Biomedical Physics PhD program seeks students interested in radiation therapy, imaging science, and molecular imaging and diagnostics as applied to clinical medicine. 

PhD in Epidemiology and Clinical Research

The PhD program in epidemiology and clinical research will provide methodologic and interdisciplinary training that will equip students to carry out cutting-edge epidemiologic research. The program trains students in the tools of modern epidemiology, with heavy emphases on statistics, computer science, genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics.

PhD in Health Policy

Stanford Health Policy offers a PhD program which promises to educate students who will be scholarly leaders in the field of health policy, and will be highly knowledgeable about the theoretical and empirical approaches that can be applied in the development of improvements in health policy and the health care system. These students will be well prepared for positions in academic institutions, government institutions, and private sector organizations with a demand for high-level analysis of health policy issues.

Degree Programs

PhD programs

Master's programs

Dual-degree programs

Undergraduate studies at Stanford

Professional Training

Postdoctoral scholars

Residencies & fellowships

Continuing Medical Education

Doctor of Psychology Consortium

Center for Innovation in Global Health

Stanford Center for Health Education

Executive Education

Summer Programs

Summer Health Careers Opportunities Program

Stanford Medicine Clinical Summer Internship

Stanford Summer Research Program

Youth Programs

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Program

Stanford Medical Youth Science Program  

Cardiovascular Surgery Internship

See all summer and youth programs

About the School of Medicine

Stanford University School of Medicine  consistently ranks among the top U.S. medical schools, and faculty members routinely secure the highest amount of research funding per investigator in the country. 

Academic Resources

Academic calendar 

Career center

Course catalog

Diversity programs

Lane Library

Academic Profiles

Search faculty, students, and staff by name or topic.

Search Stanford Medicine profiles

PhD (Doctoral) Admissions Overview

Our research-intensive program cultivates the next generation of leaders in academia and industry. Electrical Engineering doctoral students work alongside faculty, fellow students, and researchers who are leaders in their disciplines.  

Application Timeline & Deadlines

Click on the links below to read about each step of the application process:

Did You Know?

• A master's degree is not required prior to applying to the PhD program in Electrical Engineering. • Applications are reviewed on an annual basis for autumn quarter start only. • December 7, 2023 is the application deadline for Autumn 2024-2025. • Typical completion time for the PhD degree is 5-7 years. • All PhD students who maintain satisfactory academic progress receive full financial support for the duration of the doctoral program.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is designed to build an interdisciplinary community of Stanford graduate students dedicated to finding creative solutions to the world's greatest challenges. The program awards up to 100 high-achieving students every year with full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford, including the M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. To be considered, you must apply to Knight-Hennessy Scholars and separately apply to the Electrical Engineering department.

Additional Resources

About Stanford GSB

• The Leadership
• Dean’s Updates
• School News & History
• Commencement
• Business, Government & Society Initiative
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Centers & Institutes
• Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
• Center for Social Innovation
• Stanford Seed

About the Experience

• Learning at Stanford GSB
• Experiential Learning
• Guest Speakers
• Entrepreneurship
• Social Innovation
• Communication
• Life at Stanford GSB
• Collaborative Environment
• Activities & Organizations
• Student Services
• Housing Options
• International Students

Full-Time Degree Programs

• Why Stanford MBA
• Academic Experience
• Financial Aid
• Why Stanford MSx
• PhD - current page

Research Fellows Program

• See All Programs

Non-Degree & Certificate Programs

• Executive Education
• Stanford Executive Program
• Programs for Organizations
• The Difference
• Online Programs
• Stanford LEAD
• Stanford Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate
• Seed Transformation Program
• Seed Spark Program
• Faculty Profiles
• Academic Areas
• Awards & Honors
• Conferences

Faculty Research

• Publications
• Working Papers
• Case Studies

Research Hub

• Research Labs & Initiatives
• Business Library
• Data, Analytics & Research Computing
• Behavioral Lab

Research Labs

• Cities, Housing & Society Lab
• Golub Capital Social Impact Lab

Research Initiatives

• Corporate Governance Research Initiative
• Corporations and Society Initiative
• Policy and Innovation Initiative
• Rapid Decarbonization Initiative
• Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative
• Value Chain Innovation Initiative
• Venture Capital Initiative
• Career & Success
• Climate & Sustainability
• Corporate Governance
• Culture & Society
• Government & Politics
• Operations & Logistics
• Operations, Information & Technology
• Opportunity & Access
• Organizational Behavior
• Political Economy
• Social Impact
• Technology & AI
• Opinion & Analysis
• Email Newsletter

Welcome, Alumni

• Communities
• Digital Communities & Tools
• Regional Chapters
• Women’s Programs
• Identity Chapters
• Find Your Reunion
• Career Resources
• Job Search Resources
• Career & Life Transitions
• Programs & Services
• Career Video Library
• Alumni Education
• Research Resources
• Volunteering
• Alumni News
• Class Notes
• Alumni Voices
• Contact Alumni Relations
• Upcoming Events

Admission Events & Information Sessions

• MBA Program
• MSx Program

PhD Program

• Alumni Events
• All Other Events

Our faculty members are uncompromisingly committed to student success

Students pursue an intensely focused, highly energized academic experience in their chosen discipline

Recognized experts in their fields, our faculty continually publish groundbreaking research

Our collaborative culture enables students to support one another, and most students live on campus

Learn more about our application materials and what we look for in a candidate

Our graduates pursue tenure-track academic placements at top institutions around the world

Discover a focus and intensity greater than you may have thought possible. As a PhD student at Stanford Graduate School of Business, you will be inspired and challenged to explore novel ideas and complex questions.

Fall 2024 applications  are now open. The application deadline is December 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM PST.

Become an Outstanding Scholar

Our PhD Program is designed to develop outstanding scholars for careers in research and teaching at leading academic institutions throughout the world. You will embark on a challenging and meaningful experience, focusing your academic study in one of seven distinct fields within the PhD degree program.

Is a PhD Right for You?

Strong PhD candidates are full of ideas and curiosity, with a passion and aptitude for research. If you’re prepared to embark on a rigorous career in research and develop your full potential, we invite you to explore the possibilities of a PhD in business. Admitted students receive full fellowships for their doctoral studies.

Faculty Publications

Phd student voices, school news.

Stanford Economist Guido Imbens Wins Nobel in Economic Sciences Guido W. Imbens shares the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.

Susan Athey Named President of American Economic Association Stanford scholar Caroline Hoxby selected as vice president.

Teaching Through a Pandemic: Students Recognize Two Faculty Members for Their Efforts Students in the MBA and PhD programs honored Rebecca Lester and Anne Beyer, respectively, for their outstanding teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diversifying the Pool of PhD Students Will Require Systemic Change Underrepresented PhD students from around the country gathered at the inaugural Rising Scholars Conference to claim their place in academia.

Gain valuable research experience and training in a two-year, pre-doctoral opportunity at Stanford University.

• Overview of The Experience
• Overview of Stanford GSB
• Overview of The Leadership
• Overview of Advisory Council
• Overview of Centers & Institutes
• Overview of Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
• Overview of Research
• Overview of Search Funds
• Search Fund Primer
• Teaching & Curriculum
• Overview of Faculty & Staff
• Affiliated Faculty
• Faculty Advisors
• View Contact Information
• Louis W. Foster Resource Center
• Overview of Center for Social Innovation
• Defining Social Innovation
• Impact Compass
• Global Health Innovation Insights
• Faculty Affiliates
• Overview of School Profile
• Student Awards & Certificates
• Overview of School News & History
• Changemakers
• Overview of Our History
• Overview of Stanford GSB Deans
• Dean Garth Saloner
• Dean Robert Joss
• Dean Michael Spence
• Dean Robert Jaedicke
• Dean Rene McPherson
• Dean Arjay Miller
• Dean Ernest Arbuckle
• Dean Jacob Hugh Jackson
• Dean Willard Hotchkiss
• Faculty in Memoriam
• Stanford GSB Firsts
• Overview of Commencement
• Certificate & Award Recipients
• Dean’s Remarks
• Keynote Address
• See the Current DEI Report
• Supporting Data
• Research & Insights
• Share Your Thoughts
• Overview of Learning at Stanford GSB
• Overview of Faculty
• Teaching Approach
• Overview of Experiential Learning
• See All ALP Courses
• Analysis and Measurement of Impact
• The Corporate Entrepreneur: Startup in a Grown-Up Enterprise
• Data-Driven Impact
• Designing Experiments for Impact
• Digital Business Transformation
• The Founder’s Right Hand
• Marketing for Measurable Change
• Product Management
• Public Policy Lab: Financial Challenges Facing US Cities
• Public Policy Lab: Homelessness in California
• Overview of Real-Time Analysis and Investment Lab
• Lab Features
• Curricular Integration
• Overview of Guest Speakers
• View From The Top
• Overview of Entrepreneurship
• Overview of Entrepreneurship Courses
• Formation of New Ventures
• Managing Growing Enterprises
• Startup Garage
• Explore Beyond the Classroom
• Stanford Venture Studio
• Summer Program
• Workshops & Events
• The Five Lenses of Entrepreneurship
• Overview of Leadership
• Leadership Labs
• Executive Challenge
• Arbuckle Leadership Fellows Program
• Overview of Interpersonal Dynamics
• Overview of Facilitation Training Program
• Selection Process
• Training Schedule
• Time Commitment
• Learning Expectations
• Post-Training Opportunities
• Who Should Apply
• Introductory T-Groups
• Leadership for Society Program
• Overview of Social Innovation
• Certificate
• Overview of Fellowships
• 2023 Awardees
• Overview of the Impact Design Immersion Fellowship
• 2022 Awardees
• 2021 Awardees
• 2020 Awardees
• 2019 Awardees
• 2018 Awardees
• Social Management Immersion Fund
• Stanford Impact Founder Fellowships and Prizes
• Stanford Impact Leader Prizes
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Stanford GSB Impact Fund
• Overview of Impact Journeys
• Economic Development
• Energy & Environment
• Overview of Life at Stanford GSB
• Overview of Housing Options
• Stanford GSB Residences
• Overview of Our Campus
• Environmental Leadership
• Stanford GSB Artwork
• A Closer Look
• California & the Bay Area
• Voices of Stanford GSB
• Overview of Business, Government & Society Initiative
• Our Approach
• Overview of Priority Issues
• Business & Beneficial Technology
• Business & Sustainability
• Business & Free Markets
• News & Insights
• Get Involved
• Overview of the Stanford MBA Program
• Overview of the Academic Experience
• Overview of the Curriculum
• Second Year
• Global Experiences
• JD/MBA Joint Degree
• MA Education/MBA Joint Degree
• MD/MBA Dual Degree
• MPP/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Computer Science/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Electrical Engineering/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Environment and Resources (E-IPER)/MBA Joint Degree
• Academic Calendar
• Overview of Student Life
• Clubs & Activities
• Overview of Diversity
• LGBTQ+ Students
• Military Veterans
• Minorities & People of Color
• Partners & Families
• Students with Disabilities
• Student Support
• Residential Life
• Student Voices
• Overview of Alumni Community
• MBA Alumni Voices
• A Week in the Life
• Overview of Career Impact
• Career Support
• Employment Outcomes
• Overview of Tuition & Financial Aid
• Cost of Attendance
• Overview of Types of Aid
• Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• BOLD Fellows Fund
• Application Process
• Loan Forgiveness
• Contact the Financial Aid Office
• Overview of Admission
• Evaluation Criteria
• Overview of Application
• GMAT & GRE
• English Language Proficiency
• Personal Information, Activities & Awards
• Professional Experience
• Letters of Recommendation
• Optional Short Answer Questions
• Application Fee
• Reapplication
• Deferred Enrollment
• Entering Class Profile
• See All Types of Events
• Event Schedule
• Ambassadors
• New & Noteworthy
• Ask a Question
• Overview of the Stanford MSx Program
• See Why Stanford MSx
• Is MSx Right for You?
• See Career Impact
• MSx Stories
• Leadership Development
• Career Advancement
• Career Change
• How You Will Learn
• Admission Events
• Overview of the Application Requirements
• Personal Information
• Overview of Reference Letters
• Information for Recommenders
• Overview of Graduate Tests
• GMAT, GRE & EA
• English Proficiency Tests
• After You’re Admitted
• Overview of Student & Family Life
• Daycare, Schools & Camps
• Overview of Financial Aid
• U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
• Overview of the PhD Program
• Overview of Our Fields of Study
• Overview of Accounting
• Requirements
• Overview of Economic Analysis & Policy
• Overview of Finance
• Overview of Marketing
• Requirements: Behavioral
• Requirements: Quantitative
• Overview of Operations, Information & Technology
• Overview of Organizational Behavior
• Requirements: Macro
• Requirements: Micro
• Overview of Political Economics
• Overview of Degree Requirements
• Annual Evaluations
• Field Examination
• Research Activities
• Research Papers
• Dissertation
• Oral Examination
• Current Students
• Overview of What We Look For
• Overview of Application Materials
• Education & CV
• International Applicants
• Statement of Purpose
• Reapplicants
• Application Fee Waiver
• Deadline & Decisions
• All Admission Events
• Overview of Placement
• Job Market Candidates
• Academic Placements
• Stay in Touch
• Overview of Research Fellows
• Overview of Research Community
• Faculty Mentors
• Current Fellows
• Overview of Academic Experience
• Standard Track
• Overview of Dedicated Track
• Fellowship & Benefits
• Overview of Executive Education
• Overview of Individual Programs
• Group Enrollment
• Overview of Programs for Organizations
• Program Formats
• Developing a Program
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Strategic Transformation
• Program Experience
• Contact Client Services
• Overview of The Difference
• Campus Experience
• Live Online Experience
• Silicon Valley & Bay Area
• Digital Credentials
• Faculty Spotlights
• Participant Spotlights
• Eligibility
• International Participants
• Stanford Ignite
• COVID-19 Updates
• Overview of Faculty & Research
• All Faculty Profiles
• Overview of Our Academic Areas
• Overview of Seminars
• Classical Liberalism
• The Eddie Lunch
• Overview of Conferences
• Accounting Summer Camp
• Videos, Code & Data
• California Econometrics Conference
• California Quantitative Marketing PhD Conference
• California School Conference
• China India Insights Conference
• Homo economicus, Evolving
• Political Economics (2023–24)
• Scaling Geologic Storage of CO2 (2023–24)
• Adaptation and Innovation
• Changing Climate
• Civil Society
• Climate Impact Summit
• Climate Science
• Corporate Carbon Disclosures
• Earth’s Seafloor
• Environmental Justice
• Harnessing Data and Tech for Ocean Health
• Operations and Information Technology
• Organizations
• Sustainability Reporting and Control
• Taking the Pulse of the Planet
• Urban Infrastructure
• Watershed Restoration
• Junior Faculty Workshop on Financial Regulation and Banking
• Ken Singleton Celebration
• Quantitative Marketing PhD Alumni Conference
• Presentations
• Theory and Inference in Accounting Research
• Overview of Centers & Research Initiatives
• Overview of Corporate Governance Research Initiative
• Stanford Closer Look Series
• Quick Guides
• Core Concepts
• Journal Articles
• Glossary of Terms
• Faculty & Staff
• Overview of Corporations and Society Initiative
• Researchers & Students
• Research Approach
• Charitable Giving
• Financial Health
• Government Services
• Workers & Careers
• Short Course
• Adaptive & Iterative Experimentation
• Incentive Design
• Social Sciences & Behavioral Nudges
• Bandit Experiment Application
• Conferences & Events
• Overview of Policy and Innovation Initiative
• Reading Materials
• Overview of Rapid Decarbonization Initiative
• Energy Entrepreneurship
• Faculty & Affiliates
• Overview of Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative
• SOLE Report
• Overview of Value Chain Innovation Initiative
• Responsible Supply Chains
• Overview of Venture Capital Initiative
• Overview of Behavioral Lab
• Overview of Conduct Research
• Current Study Usage
• Pre-Registration Information
• Participate in a Study
• Overview of Seed
• Founding Donors
• Location Information
• Overview of Transformation Program
• Participant Profile
• Network Membership
• Program Impact
• Overview of Spark Program
• Collaborators
• Entrepreneur Profiles
• Company Spotlights
• Seed Transformation Network
• Overview of Getting Involved
• Overview of Coaching
• Responsibilities
• Current Coaches
• How to Apply
• Overview of Consulting
• Meet the Consultants
• Overview of Student Internships
• Meet the Interns
• Intern Profiles
• Collaborate
• Overview of Impact
• Research Library
• Overview of News & Insights
• Program Contacts
• Overview of the Library
• Overview of Research Resources
• Databases & Datasets
• Research Guides
• Overview of Books
• Overview of Research Support
• Consultations
• Research Workshops
• Career Research
• Overview of Services
• Research Data Services
• Course Reserves
• Course Research Guides
• Overview of Borrowing Policies
• Material Loan Periods
• Fines & Other Charges
• Document Delivery
• Interlibrary Loan
• Equipment Checkout
• Print & Scan
• MBA & MSx Students
• PhD Students
• Other Stanford Students
• Faculty Assistants
• Research Assistants
• Stanford GSB Alumni
• Overview of the Stanford GSB Archive
• Telling Our Story
• Overview about Us
• Staff Directory
• Overview of Library Spaces
• Overview of Alumni Help
• Site Registration
• Alumni Directory
• Alumni Email
• Privacy Settings & My Profile
• Event Registration
• Overview of Communities
• Overview of The Alumni Network
• Overview of Women’s Programs
• Overview of Women’s Circles
• Success Stories
• The Story of Circles
• Stanford Women on Boards Initiative
• Alumnae Spotlights
• Insights & Research
• Overview of Interest Groups
• Industry & Professional
• Entrepreneurial Commitment Group
• Recent Alumni
• All Alumni News
• Overview of Reunions
• Half-Century Club
• Overview of Plan Your Visit
• Fall Reunions
• Spring Reunions
• MBA 25th Reunion
• Half-Century Club Reunion
• Faculty Lectures
• Overview of Featured Events
• Overview of Award Events
• Ernest C. Arbuckle Award
• Alison Elliott Exceptional Achievement Award
• ENCORE Award
• Excellence in Leadership Award
• John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award
• Robert K. Jaedicke Faculty Award
• Jack McDonald Military Service Appreciation Award
• Jerry I. Porras Latino Leadership Award
• Tapestry Award
• Student & Alumni Events
• Overview of Career Resources
• All Job Search Resources
• Executive Recruiters
• Interviewing
• Negotiating
• Overview of Networking
• Elevator Pitch
• Email Best Practices
• Overview of Resumes & Cover Letters
• Self-Assessment
• Overview of Career Coaching
• Overview of Long-Term Career & Executive Coaches
• Whitney Birdwell
• Margaret Brooks
• Bryn Panee Burkhart
• Margaret Chan
• Ricki Frankel
• Peter Gandolfo
• Cindy W. Greig
• Natalie Guillen
• Carly Janson
• Sloan Klein
• Sherri Appel Lassila
• Stuart Meyer
• Tanisha Parrish
• Virginia Roberson
• Philippe Taieb
• Michael Takagawa
• Terra Winston
• Johanna Wise
• Debbie Wolter
• Rebecca Zucker
• Complimentary Coaching
• Overview of Career & Life Transitions
• Changing Careers
• Work-Life Integration
• Career Breaks
• Flexible Work
• Encore Careers
• Overview of Alumni Education
• Overview of Library Databases
• D&B Hoovers
• Data Axle (ReferenceUSA)
• EBSCO Business Source
• Global Newsstream
• Market Share Reporter
• ProQuest One Business
• Overview of Volunteering
• Overview of Academics & Student Life
• Overview of Student Clubs
• Entrepreneurial Students
• Stanford GSB Trust
• Alumni Community
• Overview of Alumni Consulting Team Volunteers
• Overview of Volunteering Opportunities
• How to Volunteer
• Springboard Sessions
• Consulting Projects
• Overview of ACT Volunteers by Class Year
• 2020 – 2029
• 2010 – 2019
• 2000 – 2009
• 1990 – 1999
• 1980 – 1989
• 1970 – 1979
• 1960 – 1969
• 1950 – 1959
• 1940 – 1949
• Overview of ACT Projects
• Service Areas
• Overview of Stories & History
• ACT History
• ACT Awards Celebration
• Contact ACT
• Business & Nonprofit Communities
• Reunion Volunteers
• Overview of Giving
• Overview of the Impact of Giving
• Ways to Give
• Overview of the Business School Fund
• Fiscal Year Report
• Business School Fund Leadership Council
• Overview of Planned Giving
• Planned Giving Options
• Planned Giving Benefits
• Planned Gifts and Reunions
• Legacy Partners
• Strategic Initiatives
• Overview of Donor Recognition
• Giving News & Stories
• Overview of How to Make a Gift
• Giving Deadlines
• Development Staff
• Submit Class Notes
• Class Secretaries
• Overview of Stanford GSB Alumni Association
• Board of Directors
• Overview of Alumni
• See All Insights
• Health Care
• Sustainability
• Class Takeaways
• All Stanford Business Podcasts
• All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions
• Grit & Growth
• Leadership for Society
• Think Fast, Talk Smart
• Latest Issue
• See All Issues
• Spring 2022
• Spring 2021
• Autumn 2020
• Summer 2020
• Winter 2020
• Overview of the Newsroom
• In the Media
• For Journalists
• Overview of Companies, Organizations, & Recruiters
• Overview of Recruiting Stanford GSB Talent
• Overview of Interviews
• CMC-Managed Interviews
• Recruiter-Managed Interviews
• Virtual Interviews
• Overview of Events
• Campus & Virtual
• Search for Candidates
• Overview of Strategies & Resources
• Think Globally
• Recruiting Calendar
• Recruiting Policies
• Overview of Employment Report
• Full-Time Employment
• Summer Employment
• Overview of Leveraging Stanford GSB Talent
• Overview of Internships & Experiential Programs
• Entrepreneurial Summer Program
• Global Management Immersion Experience
• Social-Purpose Summer Internships
• Overview of Alumni Consulting Team for Nonprofits
• Overview of Working with ACT
• Client Eligibility Criteria
• Client Screening
• ACT Leadership
• Social Innovation & Nonprofit Management Resources
• Develop Your Organization’s Talent
• Overview of Investing in Stanford GSB
• Centers & Initiatives
• Student Fellowships
• DCI Fellows
• Other Auditors
• Academic Calendar & Deadlines
• Course Materials
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Overview of Stanford Community
• Overview of Entrepreneurial Resources
• Overview of Plan an Event
• See All Venues
• Campus Drive Grove
• Campus Drive Lawn
• CEMEX Auditorium
• King Community Court
• Seawell Family Boardroom
• Stanford GSB Bowl
• Stanford Investors Common
• Town Square
• Vidalakis Courtyard
• Vidalakis Dining Hall
• Catering Services
• Policies & Guidelines
• Reservations
• Overview of Jobs
• Overview of Faculty Recruiting
• Contact Faculty Recruiting
• Lecturer Positions
• Overview of Postdoctoral Positions
• Overview of Visit Us
• Accommodations
• Overview of Contact Us

Doctoral Program

Stanford's Ph.D. program is among the world's best. Our graduate students receive their training in a lively community of philosophers engaged in a wide range of philosophical projects. Our Ph.D. program trains students in traditional core areas of philosophy and provides them with opportunities to explore many subfields such as the philosophy of literature, nineteenth-century German philosophy, and medieval philosophy.

Among other areas, we are exceptionally strong in Kant studies, the philosophy of action, ancient philosophy, logic, and the philosophy of science. We attract some of the best students from around the world and we turn them into accomplished philosophers ready to compete for the best jobs in a very tight job market.

The most up-to-date requirements are listed in   t he Bulletin .  

CHECK PHD REQUIREMENTS

From the 2020-2021 edition of Explore Degrees:

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

Prospective graduate students should see the  Office of Graduate Admissions  web site for information and application materials. 

The University's basic requirements for the Ph.D. degree including candidacy, residence, dissertation, and examination are discussed in the " Graduate Degrees " section of this bulletin.

University candidacy requirements, published in the " Candidacy " section of this bulletin, apply to all Ph.D. students. Admission to a doctoral degree program is preliminary to, and distinct from, admission to candidacy. Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a judgment by the faculty in the department or school of the student's potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy at the beginning of the seventh academic quarter, normally the Autumn Quarter of the student's third year.

Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is granted by the major department following a student's successful completion of qualifying procedures as determined by the department. Departmental policy determines procedures for subsequent attempts to become advanced to candidacy in the event that the student does not successfully complete the procedures. Failure to advance to candidacy results in the dismissal of the student from the doctoral program; see the " Guidelines for Dismissal of Graduate Students for Academic Reasons " section of this bulletin.

The requirements detailed here are department requirements. These requirements are meant to balance structure and flexibility in allowing students, in consultation with their  advisors , to take a path through the program that gives them a rigorous and broad philosophical education, with room to focus on areas of particular interest, and with an eye to completing the degree with an excellent dissertation and a solid preparation for a career in academic philosophy.

Normally, all courses used to satisfy the distribution requirements for the Philosophy Ph.D. are Stanford courses taken as part of a student's graduate program.  In special circumstances, a student may petition to use a very small number of graduate-level courses taken at other institutions to satisfy a distribution requirement.  To be approved for this purpose, the student’s work in such a graduate-level course would need to involve an appropriate subject matter and would need to be judged by the department to be at the level of an 'A' in a corresponding graduate-level course at Stanford.  

Courses used to satisfy any course requirement in Philosophy (except Teaching Methods and the summer Dissertation Development Seminar) must be passed with a letter grade of 'B-' or better (no satisfactory/no credit), except in the case of a course/seminar used to satisfy the third-year course/seminar requirement and taken for only 2 units. Such a reduced-unit third-year course/seminar must be taken credit/no credit. 

At the end of each year, the department reviews the progress of each student to determine whether the student is making satisfactory progress, and on that basis to make decisions about probationary status and termination from the program where appropriate.

Any student in one of the Ph.D. programs may apply for the M.A. when all University and department requirements have been met.

Proficiency Requirements

• First-year Ph.D. Proseminar : a one quarter, topically focused seminar offered in Autumn Quarter, and required of all first-year students.
• two courses in value theory including ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, social philosophy, philosophy of law. At least one of the courses satisfying this distribution requirement must be in ethics or political philosophy.
• Two courses in language, mind, and action. One course satisfying this requirement must be drawn from the language related courses, and one from mind and action related courses.
• two courses in metaphysics and epistemology (including metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science). At least one of the courses satisfying this requirement must be drawn from either metaphysics or epistemology.
• Instructors indicate which courses may satisfy particular requirements. If a course potentially satisfies more than one requirement the student may use it for only one of those area requirements; no units may be double-counted. Students must develop broad competencies in all these areas. Those without strong backgrounds in these areas would normally satisfy these distribution requirements by taking more basic courses rather than highly specialized and focused courses. Students should consult with their advisor in making these course decisions, and be prepared to explain these decisions when reviewed for candidacy; see requirement 6 below.
• Logic requirement:  PHIL 150  Mathematical Logic or equivalent.
• History/logic requirement. One approved course each in ancient and modern philosophy, plus either another approved history of philosophy course or  PHIL 151  Metalogic.
• Students should normally take at least 64 graduate level units at Stanford during their first six quarters (in many cases students would take more units than that) and of those total units, at least 49 units of course work are to be in the Philosophy department. These courses must be numbered above 110, but not including Teaching Methods ( PHIL 239  Teaching Methods in Philosophy) or affiliated courses. Units of Individual Directed Reading are normally not to be counted toward this 49-unit requirement unless there is special permission from the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
•  Prior to candidacy, at least 3 units of work must be taken with each of four Stanford faculty members.

Writing Requirement: Second Year Paper

The second year paper should demonstrate good scholarship and argumentative rigor, and be a polished piece of writing approximately 8000 words in length. The second year paper need not bear any specific relationship to the dissertation. It may be a version of a prospective dissertation chapter, but this is not required. The final version must be turned in on the last class of the Second Year Paper Development Seminar in Summer Quarter of the second year. Extensions of this deadline require the consent of the instructor of the Second Year Paper Development Seminar and the Director of Graduate Studies and are only granted in exceptional cases (e.g., documented illness, family crisis). The final paper is read by a committee of two faculty members and it is an important consideration in the department’s decision on the student’s candidacy. 

Teaching Assistancy

A minimum of five quarters of teaching assistancy are required for the Ph.D. Normally one of these quarters is as a teaching assistant for the Philosophy Department's Writing in the Major course,  PHIL 80  Mind, Matter, and Meaning. It is expected that students not teach in their first year and that they teach no more than two quarters in their second year. Students are required to take  PHIL 239  Teaching Methods in Philosophy during Spring Quarter of their first year and during Autumn Quarter of their second year. Teaching is an important part of students’ preparation to be professional philosophers.

Review at the End of the Second Year for Advancement to Candidacy

The faculty's review of each student includes a review of the student's record, an assessment of the second year paper, and an assessment of the student's preparation for work in her/his intended area of specialization, as well as recommendations of additional preparation, if necessary.

To continue in the Ph.D. program, each student must apply for candidacy at the beginning of the sixth academic quarter, normally the Spring Quarter of the student's second year. Students may be approved for or denied candidacy by the end of that quarter by the department. In some cases, where there are only one or two outstanding deficiencies, the department may defer the candidacy decision and require the student to re-apply for candidacy in a subsequent quarter. In such cases, definite conditions for the candidacy re-application must be specified, and the student must work with the advisor and the DGS to meet those conditions in a timely fashion. A failure to maintain timely progress in satisfying the specified conditions constitutes grounds for withholding travel and discretionary funds and for a denial of advancement to candidacy.

• Writing Seminar : In the Summer Quarter after the second year, students are required to attend the Second Year Paper Development Seminar. The seminar is intended to help students complete their second year papers. 
• Upon completion of the summer writing seminar, students must sign up for independent study credit,  PHIL 240  Individual Work for Graduate Students, with their respective advisors each quarter. A plan at the beginning, and a report at the end, of each quarter must be signed by both student and advisor and submitted to the graduate administrator for inclusion in the student's file. This is the process every quarter until the completion of the departmental oral.
• In Autumn and Winter quarters of the third year, students register in and satisfactorily complete  PHIL 301  Dissertation Development Proseminar. Students meet to present their work in progress and discuss their thesis project. Participation in these seminars is required.
• During the third and fourth years in the program, a student should complete at least three graduate-level courses/seminars, at least two of them in philosophy (a course outside philosophy can be approved by the advisor), and at least two of them in the third year. The three seminars can be taken credit/no-credit for reduced (2) units. Courses required for candidacy are not counted toward satisfaction of this requirement. This light load of courses allows students to deepen their philosophical training while keeping time free for thesis research.

Dissertation Work and Defense

The third and following years are devoted to dissertation work. The few requirements in this segment of the program are milestones to encourage students and advisors to ensure that the project is on track.

• Dissertation Proposal— By Spring Quarter of the third year, students should have selected a dissertation topic and committee. A proposal sketching the topic, status, and plan for the thesis project, as well as an annotated bibliography or literature review indicating familiarity with the relevant literature, must be received by the committee one week before the meeting on graduate student progress late in Spring Quarter. The dissertation proposal and the reading committee's report on it will constitute a substantial portion of the third year review.
• Departmental Oral— During Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, students take an oral examination based on at least 30 pages of written work, in addition to the proposal. The aim of the exam is to help the student arrive at an acceptable plan for the dissertation and to make sure that student, thesis topic, and advisors make a reasonable fit. It is an important chance for the student to clarify their goals and intentions with the entire committee present.
• Fourth-Year Colloquium— No later than Spring Quarter of the fourth year, students present a research paper in a 60-minute seminar open to the entire department. This paper should be on an aspect of the student's dissertation research. This is an opportunity for the student to make their work known to the wider department, and to explain their ideas to a general philosophical audience.
• University Oral Exam— Ph.D. students must submit a completed draft of the dissertation to the reading committee at least one month before the student expects to defend the thesis in the University oral exam. If the student is given consent to go forward, the University oral can take place approximately two weeks later. A portion of the exam consists of a student presentation based on the dissertation and is open to the public. A closed question period follows. If the draft is ready by Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, the student may request that the University oral count as the department oral.

Below are yearly lists of courses which the faculty have approved to fulfill distribution requirements in these areas: value theory (including ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, social philosophy, philosophy of law); language; mind and action; metaphysics and epistemology (including metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science); logic; ancient philosophy; modern philosophy.

The most up-to-date requirements are listed in  t he Bulletin .  

Ph.D. Minor in Philosophy

To obtain a Ph.D. minor in Philosophy, students must follow these procedures:

• Consult with the Director of Graduate Study to establish eligibility, and select a suitable  advisor .
• 30 units of courses in the Department of Philosophy with a letter grade of 'B-' or better in each course. No more than 3 units of directed reading may be counted in the 30-unit requirement.
• Philosophy of science
• Ethics, value theory, and moral and political philosophy
• Metaphysics and epistemology
• Language, mind and action
• History of philosophy
• Two additional courses numbered over 199 to be taken in one of those (b) six areas.
• A faculty member from the Department of Philosophy (usually the student's advisor) serves on the student's doctoral oral examination committee and may request that up to one third of this examination be devoted to the minor subject.
• Paperwork for the minor must be submitted to the department office before beginning the program.

Interdisciplinary Study

The department supports interdisciplinary study. Courses in Stanford's other departments and programs may be counted towards the degree, and course requirements in Philosophy are designed to allow students considerable freedom in taking such courses. Dissertation committees may include members from other departments. Where special needs arise, the department is committed to making it possible for students to obtain a philosophical education and to meet their interdisciplinary goals. Students are advised to consult their advisors and the department's student services office for assistance.

Graduate Program in Cognitive Science

Philosophy participates with the departments of Computer Science, Linguistics, and Psychology in an interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science. It is intended to provide an interdisciplinary education, as well as a deeper concentration in philosophy, and is open to doctoral students. Students who complete the requirements within Philosophy and the Cognitive Science requirements receive a special designation in Cognitive Science along with the Ph.D. in Philosophy. To receive this field designation, students must complete 30 units of approved courses, 18 of which must be taken in two disciplines outside of philosophy. The list of approved courses can be obtained from the Cognitive Science program located in the Department of Psychology.

Special Track in Philosophy and Symbolic Systems

Students interested in interdisciplinary work relating philosophy to artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, linguistics, or logic may pursue a degree in this program.

Prerequisites—Admitted students should have covered the equivalent of the core of the undergraduate Symbolic Systems Program requirements as described in the " Symbolic Systems " section of the Stanford Bulletin, including courses in artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive science, linguistics, logic, and philosophy. The graduate program is designed with this background in mind. Students missing part of this background may need additional course work. In addition to the required course work listed in the bulletin, the Ph.D. requirements are the same as for the regular program, with the exception that one course in value theory and one course in history may be omitted.

Joint Program in Ancient Philosophy

This program is jointly administered by the Departments of Classics and Philosophy and is overseen by a joint committee composed of members of both departments:

•         Christopher Bobonich , Philosophy (Ancient Greek Philosophy, Ethics)
•         Alan Code , Philosophy, Philosophy (Ancient Greek Philosophy, Metaphysics)
•         Reviel Netz , Classics (History of Greek and Pre-Modern Mathematics)
•         Andrea Nightingale , Classics, (Greek and Roman Philosophy and Literature)
•        Josh Ober , Classics and Political Science (Greek Political Thought, Democratic Theory)

It provides students with the training, specialist skills, and knowledge needed for research and teaching in ancient philosophy while producing scholars who are fully trained as either philosophers with a strong specialization in ancient languages and philology, or classicists with a concentration in philosophy.

Students are admitted to the program by either department. Graduate students admitted by the Philosophy department receive their Ph.D. from the Philosophy department; those admitted by the Classics department receive their Ph.D. from the Classics department. For Philosophy graduate students, this program provides training in classical languages, literature, culture, and history. For Classics graduate students, this program provides training in the history of philosophy and in contemporary philosophy.

Each student in the program is advised by a committee consisting of one professor in each department.

Requirements for Philosophy Graduate Students: These are the same as the proficiency requirements for the Ph.D. in Philosophy.

One year of Greek is a requirement for admission to the program. If students have had a year of Latin, they are required to take 3 courses in second- or third-year Greek or Latin, at least one of which must be in Latin. If they have not had a year of Latin, they are then required to complete a year of Latin, and take two courses in second- or third-year Greek or Latin.

Students are also required to take at least three courses in ancient philosophy at the 200 level or above, one of which must be in the Classics department and two of which must be in the Philosophy department.

Ph.D. Subplan in History and Philosophy of Science

Graduate students in the Philosophy Ph.D. program may pursue a Ph.D. subplan in History and Philosophy of Science. The subplan is declared in Axess and subplan designations appear on the official transcript, but are not printed on the diploma.

1.  Attendance at the HPS colloquium series. 2.  Philosophy of Science courses.  Select one of the following:

• PHIL 263 Significant Figures in Philosophy of Science: Einstein
• PHIL 264: Central Topics in the Philosophy of Science: Theory and Evidence
• PHIL 264A: Central Topics in Philosophy of Science: Causation
• PHIL 265: Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time
• PHIL 265C: Philosophy of Physics: Probability and Relativity
• PHIL 266: Probability: Ten Great Ideas About Chance
• PHIL 267A:  Philosophy of Biology
• PHIL 267B: Philosophy, Biology, and Behavior

3.  One elective seminar in the history of science. 4.  One elective seminar (in addition to the course satisfying requirement 2) in philosophy of science.

The PhD program provide 5 years of  financial support . We also try to provide support for our sixth year students and beyond though we cannot guarantee such support. In addition to covering tuition, providing a stipend, and covering Stanford's health insurance, we provide additional funds for books, computer equipment, and conference travel expenses. Some of the financial support is provided through requiring you to teach; however, our teaching requirement is quite low and we believe that this is a significant advantage of our program.

Stanford Support Programs

Additional support, such as advances, medical and emergency grants for Grad Students are available through the Financial Aid Office. The University has created the following programs specifically for graduate students dealing with challenging financial situations.

Graduate Financial Aid  homepage :

https://financialaid.stanford.edu/grad/funding/

Cash Advance:  https://sfs.stanford.edu/gradcashadvance

Emergency grant-in-aid :  https://financialaid.stanford.edu/pdf/emergencygrant-in-aid.pdf, family grants:  https://financialaid.stanford.edu/pdf/gradfamilygrant2021.pdf, housing loans:  https://financialaid.stanford.edu/loans/other/gradhousing.html, program characteristics.

Our program is well known for its small size, streamlined teaching requirements, and low average time to degree.

The program regulations are designed to efficiently provide students with a broad base in their first two years. In the third year students transition to working on their dissertations. During the summer prior to the third year, students are required to attend a dissertation development seminar. This seminar introduces students to what is involved in writing a dissertation. During the third year the course load drops to just under one course per quarter.

The rest of the time is spent working closely with a faculty member, or a couple of faculty members, on the student's area of research interest. The goal of the third year is that this process of intensive research and one-on-one interaction will generate a topic and proposal for the dissertation. During the fourth and fifth year the student is not required to take any courses and he or she focusses exclusively on research and writing on the dissertation.

Stanford University

Being a part of  Stanford University  means that students have access to one of the premier education institutions in the world. Stanford is replete with top departments in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. In addition, our professional schools, such as the  Stanford Law School , are among the best. The range of research in a variety of areas, many of which touch on or relate to philosophical issues, is simply astounding. Students have the freedom to take courses across the university. Graduate students also regularly earn joint degrees with other programs.

Ph.D. Program

Grad student, Tamkinat Rauf, with Sociologist, William Julius Wilson, at a CASBS event. Image credit: Jerry Wang, courtesy of CASBS at Stanford

The Ph.D. program is defined by a commitment to highly analytical sociology

The program trains graduate students to use a range of methods – quantitative and qualitative – and data – survey, administrative, experimental, interview, direct observation, and more – to answer pressing empirical questions and to advance important theoretical and policy debates.

The Ph.D. curriculum and degree requirements provide students with the methodological skills, substantive knowledge, and mentorship to make important and impactful contributions to sociological knowledge. The program guides Ph.D. students to work on ambitious, independent research projects about which students are passionate. Graduates finish the program well-positioned to be leaders in the field of sociology.

PhD Admissions

The PhD program in Psychology trains students for careers in research and teaching. In addition to a wide range of courses, the PhD program is characterized by close collaboration between students and their faculty advisors. 

General Information

The Department of Psychology holistically reviews each candidate's complete application to assess the promise of a career in teaching and research. Consideration is based on various factors, including courses taken, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and the statement of purpose. Additionally, the Department of Psychology places considerable emphasis on research training, and admitted students have often been involved in independent research as undergraduate students or post-baccalaureate settings. Although there are no course requirements for admission, all applicants should have sufficient foundational knowledge and research experience to engage in graduate-level coursework and research.

We accept students with undergraduate degrees and those with both undergraduate and master's degrees. An undergraduate psychology major is not required; the Department welcomes applicants from other academic backgrounds.

How to Apply

Application and deadline.

Our 2024-25 Admissions application is will open on Friday, September 15th. 

The deadline for letters of recommendation was  November 30, 2023 . Once an applicant submits the recommenders' information, the recommenders will receive an automated email with instructions for submitting the letter. Late letters should be sent directly to psych-admissions [at] stanford.edu (psych-admissions[at]stanford[dot]edu) . Staff will add them to the application file if the review process is still underway. Still, the faculty reviewers are under no obligation to re-review files for materials submitted after the deadline.

The status of submitted applications can be viewed by logging in to the   application portal . 

The deadline to apply for the Stanford Psychology Ph.D. program was  November 30, 2023 . Applicants who are admitted to the program will matriculate in autumn 2024. 

In addition to the information below, please review the  Graduate Admissions  website prior to starting your application. The Department of Psychology does not have rolling admissions. We admit for the Autumn term only.

Requirements

• U.S. Bachelor's degree or its  foreign equivalent
• Statement of Purpose (submitted electronically as part of the graduate application). You will be able to specify three  Psychology Department faculty members , in order of preference, with whom you would like to work. 
• Three  Letters of Recommendation  (submitted electronically). A maximum of six letters will be accepted.
• Unofficial transcripts from all universities and colleges you have attended for at least one year must be uploaded to the graduate application. Applicants who reach the interview stage will be asked to provide official transcripts as well; Department staff will reach out to these applicants with instructions for submitting official transcripts. Please do  not  submit official transcripts with your initial application.
• Required for non-native English speakers: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores, submitted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) electronically to Stanford. 

Application Fee

The fee to apply for graduate study at Stanford is $125. Fee waivers are available for some applicants. Please visit Graduate Admissions for information on applying for an  Application Fee Waiver .

Application Review & Status Check

The Department of Psychology welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. The review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field.

To check the status or activity of your application, please log into your  application account . You can also send reminders to recommenders who have not yet submitted their letter of recommendation.

Due to limited bandwidth, the Department of Psychology staff will not answer any phone or email queries about application status, including requests to confirm the receipt of official transcripts.

Our faculty will interview prospective students before making final admission decisions. Candidates who progress to the interview round will be informed in January. Interviews are generally conducted in February.

The Department of Psychology recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

• Diversity and Engagement in Psychology PhD Programs 
• Vice Provost for Graduate Education
• Stanford IDEAL
• Graduate Application Fee Waiver Information

For More Information

Please see our  list of Frequently Asked Questions  and  psych-admissions [at] stanford.edu (contact us)  should you have additional questions.

Doctoral Program

The Ph.D. program is a full time program leading to a Doctoral Degree in Economics.  Students specialize in various fields within Economics by enrolling in field courses and attending field specific lunches and seminars.  Students gain economic breadth by taking additional distribution courses outside of their selected fields of interest.

General requirements

Students  are required to complete 1 quarter of teaching experience. Teaching experience includes teaching assistantships within the Economics department or another department .

University's residency requirement

135 units of full-tuition residency are required for PhD students. After that, a student should have completed all course work and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status.

Department degree requirements and student checklist

1. core course requirement.

Required: Core Microeconomics (202-203-204) Core Macroeconomics (210-211-212) Econometrics (270-271-272).  The Business School graduate microeconomics class series may be substituted for the Econ Micro Core.  Students wishing to waive out of any of the first year core, based on previous coverage of at least 90% of the material,  must submit a waiver request to the DGS at least two weeks prior to the start of the quarter.  A separate waiver request must be submitted for each course you are requesting to waive.  The waiver request must include a transcript and a syllabus from the prior course(s) taken.  

2.  Field Requirements

Required:  Two of the Following Fields Chosen as Major Fields (click on link for specific field requirements).  Field sequences must be passed with an overall grade average of B or better.  Individual courses require a letter grade of B- or better to pass unless otherwise noted.

Research fields and field requirements :

• Behavioral & Experimental
• Development Economics
• Econometric Methods with Causal Inference
• Econometrics
• Economic History
• Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics
• Industrial Organization
• International Trade & Finance
• Labor Economics
• Market Design
• Microeconomic Theory
• Macroeconomics
• Political Economy
• Public Economics

3.  Distribution

Required:  Four other graduate-level courses must be completed. One of these must be from the area of economic history (unless that field has already been selected above). These courses must be distributed in such a way that at least two fields not selected above are represented.  Distribution courses must be passed with a grade of B or better.

4.  Field Seminars/Workshops

Required:  Three quarters of two different field seminars or six quarters of the same field seminar from the list below.   

Graduate Students

Learn more about our  students' research interests and dissertation projects.

CURRENT STUDENTS

Ph.D. Program

Stanford Ph.D. Program in History aims to train world-class scholars.

Every year we admit 10-12 promising students  from a large pool of highly selective applicants. Our small cohort size allows more individual work with faculty than most graduate programs in the United States and also enables funding in one form or another available to members of each cohort.

Fields of Study

Our graduate students may specialize in 14 distinct subfields: Africa, Britain, Early Modern Europe, East Asia, Jewish History, Latin America, Medieval Europe, Modern Europe,  Ottoman Empire and Middle East, Russia/Eastern Europe, Science, Technology, Environment, and Medicine, South Asia, Transnational, International, and Global History, and United States. Explore each field and their affiliates . 

The department expects most graduate students to spend no less than four and no more than six years completing the work for the Ph.D. degree. Individual students' time to degree will vary with the strength of their undergraduate preparation as well as with the particular language and research requirements of their respective Major fields.

Expectations and Degree Requirements

We expect that most graduate students will spend no less than four and no more than six years toward completing their Ph.D. Individual students' time-to-degree vary with the strength of their undergraduate preparation as well as with the particular language and research requirements of their respective subfield.

All History Ph.D. students are expected to satisfy the following degree requirements:

• Teaching: Students who enter on the Department Fellowship are required to complete 4 quarters of teaching experience by the end of their third year. Teaching experience includes teaching assistantships and teaching a Sources and Methods course on their own.
• Candidacy : Students apply for candidacy to the PhD program by the end of their second year in the program.
• Orals:  The University Orals Examination is typically taken at the beginning of the 3rd year in the program.
• Languages: Language requirements vary depending on the field of study.
• Residency Requirement : The University requi res  135 units of full-tuition residency  for PhD students. After that, students should have completed all course work and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status. 

Browse the Ph.D. Handbook to learn more .

The History Department Fellowship offers 5 years of financial support to PhD students.  No funding is offered for the co-terminal and terminal M.A. programs. A sample Ph.D. funding package is as follows:  

• 1st year: 3 quarters fellowship stipend and 1 summer stipend 
• 2nd year: 2 quarters TAships, 1 quarter RAship (pre-doc affiliate), and 1 summer stipend 
• 3rd year: 2 quarters TAships, 1 quarter RAship (pre-doc affiliate), and 1 summer stipend 
• 4th year: 3 quarters of RAships (pre-doc affiliate) and 1 summer stipend 
• 5th year: 3 quarters of RAships (pre-doc affiliate) and 1 summer stipend

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Join dozens of  Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students  who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  (KHS). KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your studies at Stanford. candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment. If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023. Learn more about  KHS admission .

How to Apply

Admission to the History Graduate Programs are for Autumn quarter only.  Interested applicants can online at  https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/apply/apply-now and submit the following documents: 

• Statement of Purpose (included in Application)
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
•  Transcripts are required from all prior college level schools attended for at least one year.  A scanned copy of the official transcript is submitted as part of the online application.  Please do not mail transcripts to the department.   We will ask only the admitted students to submit actual copies of official transcripts.
• 1 Writing Sample on a historic topic (10-25 pages; sent via  Stanford's online application system  only)
• The GRE exam is not required for the autumn 2024 admission cycle
• TOEFL for all international applicants (whose primary language is not English) sent via ETS. Our University code is 4704.
• TOEFL Exemptions and Waiver information
• Application Fee Waiver
• The department is not able to provide fee waivers. Please see the link above for the available fee waivers and how to submit a request. Requests are due 2 weeks before the application deadline.

The Department of History welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. Review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays in order to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field.

The Department of History also recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

Application deadline for Autumn 2024-25 is Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 11:59pm EST . This is a hard -not a postmark- deadline. 

All application material is available online. No information is sent via snail mail. Interested applicants are invited to view a Guide to Graduate Admissions at  https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/ . 

Questions? 

Please contact  Arthur Palmon  (Assistant Director of Student Services).

Department Bookshelf

Browse the most recent publications from our faculty members.

The Fox Spirit, the Stone Maiden, and Other Transgender Histories from Late Imperial China

Residual Governance: How South Africa Foretells Planetary Futures

Sex, Law, and Society in Late Imperial China | 《中华帝国晚期的性、法律与社会

Genocide in the Contemporary Era, 1914-2020

Multiracial Identities in Colonial French Africa: Race, Childhood, and Citizenship

Doctoral Program

Main navigation.

The Ph.D. degree is intended primarily for students who desire a career in research, advanced development, or teaching; for this type of work, a broad background in mathematics and the engineering sciences, together with intensive study and research experience in a specialized area, are the necessary requisites.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is conferred on candidates who have demonstrated to the satisfaction of their department or school

• substantial scholarship
• high attainment in a particular field of knowledge
• and the ability to do independent investigation and present the results of such research.

They must satisfy the general requirements for advanced degrees, the program requirements specified by their departments, and the doctoral requirements for candidacy, as outlined in the Stanford Bulletin.

PhD Admissions information

For Current Stanford Students

The ME Student Intranet has detailed information about processes and requirements for the ME PhD .

“ Two of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years are ... ”

Welcome to Stanford MD Admissions 2024 How to Apply

Meet our Medical Student: Andrea

When he was 12, Andrea Garofalo lived through a tense experience with his family after his younger brother was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. The neurosurgeon who operated on the tumor became Andrea's hero, igniting a dream to pursue medicine. Now, Andrea is simultaneously working toward a medical degree and a PhD at the Stanford University School of Medicine, with the hope of some day easing the turmoil of families in medical crisis.

Meet our Medical Student: Sheun (Shay)

A book describing how electrodes in the brain could restore lost senses for patients inspired Sheun (Shay) Aluko to pursue a career in bioengineering. An accomplished musician with a passion for computer programming, Sheun wants to work toward a future that uses technological advancements to better help people heal. At the Stanford University School of Medicine, Sheun is pursuing both a medical degree and a master's degree in bioinformatics.

Applying to Medical School with AMCAS

The American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) is the AAMC's centralized medical school application processing service. Most U.S. medical schools use AMCAS as the primary application method for their first-year entering classes.

Empowering Tomorrow's Physician Leaders

With close ties to Stanford University and a world-class medical center, Stanford University School of Medicine sets the training ground for the next generation of biomedical leaders and pioneers.  All of the resources of our campus - extraordinary faculty and peers, state-of-the-art facilities and a diverse campus life – will provide you limitless opportunities to interact with a community of scholars who will support your educational endeavors and make you feel at home.

Learn about our curriculum

For inquiries regarding Medical School Admissions: (650) 723-6861.

You may also contact us at our e-mail at:

E-mail:  [email protected]

A student channels climate fears into advocating for new medical school courses

Fourth-year Stanford School of Medicine medical student led a group of other students helping to weave material about the environment and health into the school's curriculum

• Read Full Article

Dual-Degree Opportunities

Stanford offers a range of opportunities to pursue multiple advanced degrees, both within the medical school and at schools across the university.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Knight-Hennessy Scholars cultivates and supports a highly-engaged, multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers a diverse collection of educational experiences, preparing graduates to address complex challenges facing the world.

Each year, Knight-Hennessy Scholars selects up to 100 students who are newly enrolling in a graduate degree program in any of Stanford’s seven schools. Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in an experiential leadership development program and receive funding for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford. Candidates of any country may apply.

Visit  kh.stanford.edu  to learn more. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars application deadline to join the 2024 cohort to be announced Spring 2023.

Ph.D. Program

The Stanford English department has a long tradition of training the next generation of scholars to become leaders in academia and related fields. Our Ph.D. program encourages the production of ambitious, groundbreaking dissertation work across the diverse field interests of our prestigious faculty.

Fusing deep attention to literary history with newer approaches to media, technology, and performance, our department carefully mentors students in both scholarship and pedagogy through close interaction with faculty. Our location on the edge of the Pacific and at the heart of Silicon Valley encourages expansive, entrepreneurial thinking about the interpenetration of arts and sciences.

Program Overview

The English Department seeks to teach and promote an understanding of both the significance and the history of British and American literature (broadly defined) and to foster an appreciation of the richness and variety of texts in the language. It offers rigorous training in interpretive thinking and precise expression. Our English graduate program features the study of what imaginative language, rhetoric, and narrative art has done, can do, and will do in life, and it focuses on the roles creative writing and representations play in almost every aspect of modern experience. Completing the Ph.D. program prepares a student for full participation as a scholar and literary critic in the profession.

Financial Support

We offer an identical five-year funding package to all admitted students with competitive funding available for a sixth year. Funding covers applicable tuition costs, Stanford Cardinal Care health insurance, and living expenses in the form of direct stipend, teaching assistantships or pre-doctoral research assistantships. The department, in conjunction with the School of Humanities and Sciences, is also committed to supporting students' involvement in professional activities and funds many of the expenses for research travel, summer language study, and participation in academic conferences. Student housing is not included in the funding package.

In addition to our standard doctoral funding package, the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE) provides competitive funding to support individual doctoral students, student groups, and department-based projects. VPGE funding opportunities promote innovation, diversity, and excellence in graduate education. Explore their doctoral  fellowship  and other student  funding  opportunities.

The  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  program cultivates and supports a highly-engaged, multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers a diverse collection of educational experiences, preparing graduates to address complex challenges facing the world. Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in an experiential leadership development program known as the King Global Leadership Program and receive funding for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford. Two applications must be submitted separately; one to Knight-Hennessy and one to the Stanford English graduate degree program by its deadline. Please refer to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program page to learn more and apply.

Teaching Requirements

One pedagogical seminar and four quarters of supervised teaching. Typically a student will teach three times as a teaching assistant in a literature course. For the fourth course, students will have the option of applying to design and teach a Writing Intensive Seminar in English (WISE) for undergraduate English majors or teaching a fourth quarter as a T.A..

• 1st year: One quarter as T.A. (leading 1-2 discussion sections of undergraduate literature)
• 2nd year: One quarter as T.A. (leading 1-2 discussion sections of undergraduate literature)
• 3rd/4th/5th years: Two quarters of teaching, including the possibility of TA'ing or teaching a WISE course.

Language requirements

All candidates for the Ph.D. degree must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages. One language requirement must be completed during the first year of study. The second language must be completed before the oral examination in the third year.

Candidates in the earlier periods must offer Latin and one of the following languages: French, German, Greek, Italian or Spanish. Candidates in the later period (that is, after the Renaissance) must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two languages for which  Stanford’s Language Center  regularly offers a reading course, administers a competency exam, or facilitates the administration of an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Reading Proficiency Test (ACTFL RPT). In all cases, the choice of languages offered must be relevant to the student’s field of study and must have the approval of the candidate's adviser. Any substitution of a language other than one for which Stanford offers a competency exam must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Other requirements

All candidates for the Ph.D. must satisfactorily complete the following:

• 135 units, at least 70 of which (normally 14 courses) must be graded course work
• Qualifying examination, based on a reading guide of approximately 70-90 works, to be taken orally at the end of the summer after the first year of graduate work.
• University oral examination covering the field of concentration taken no later than the winter quarter of the third year of study.
• Submission of the dissertation prospectus
• First chapter review with the dissertation advisor and the members of the dissertation reading committee.
• Dissertation, which should be an original work of literary criticism demonstrating the student's ability to participate fully as a scholar and literary critic in the profession.
• Closing colloquium designed to look forward toward the next steps; identify the major accomplishments of the dissertation and the major questions/issues/problems that remain; consider possibilities for revision, book or article publication, etc.

Search Stanford:

Other ways to search: Map Profiles

Main Content

Stanford students create and apply knowledge by thinking and doing, preparing for leadership in a rapidly changing world.

Undergraduate Studies

Undergraduate education.

Stanford Undergrad is your guide to undergraduate academics and opportunities run by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

Stanford Undergrad

Explore the 67 major fields of undergraduate study at Stanford.

Explore Majors

Undergraduate Facts & Figures

Approximately 7,700 undergraduate students attend Stanford. Learn more about the undergraduate program and student body.

Facts about the Undergraduate Program

Seven schools on one campus offer students boundless opportunities to pursue their passions and collaborate on solving complex global problems.

Graduate Studies

Office of the vice provost for graduate education.

The VPGE office works collaboratively across the University to ensure that every graduate student has the best possible education.

Graduate Education

Graduate Facts & Figures

Today, 9,565 students are pursuing 14 distinct postbaccalaureate degrees in nearly 200 graduate programs in all seven of Stanford’s schools. Learn more about graduate studies at Stanford.

Facts about Graduate Studies

Lifelong Learning

From pre-k to college readiness.

Stanford offers a wide range of programs, classes, internships, and an entire online high school. Our world-class faculty challenge young people to explore and achieve – through STEM research, internationally focused courses, and arts experiences.

Pre-K to College Readiness

Professional Development

Learn from our expert faculty as you grow your knowledge in your professional sphere or prepare to pivot into a new career.

Learning for Exploration and Enrichment

No matter where you live or work, Stanford offers learning opportunities that empower you to feed your curiosity, seek meaning, and engage wholeheartedly in the world.

MGTSC-PHD - Management Science and Engineering (PhD)

Program overview.

The PhD degree in MS&E is intended for students primarily interested in a career of research and teaching or high-level technical work in universities, industry, or government. The program requires three years of full-time graduate study, at least two years of which must be at Stanford. Typically, however, students take four to five years after entering the program to complete all PhD requirements. The PhD requires a minimum of 135 units, up to 45 units, which may be transferred from another graduate program. The PhD is organized around the expectation that the students acquire a certain breadth across all department areas and depth in one of them. The current areas are:

Computational Social Science

Decision and Risk Analysis

Operations Research

Organizations, Technology, and Entrepreneurship

Policy and Strategy

Quantitative Finance

Doctoral students are required to take a seminar in autumn quarter specifically designed for first-year students (breadth) and several specified courses in one of the areas of the department (depth). All courses used to satisfy depth requirements must be taken for a letter grade if the letter-graded option is available. Before candidacy, at least three units of work must be taken with each of four Stanford faculty members.

Each student admitted to the PhD program must pass an area qualification procedure. The qualification procedure aims to assess the student’s command of the field and evaluate their potential to complete a high-quality dissertation based on research that must make an original contribution to knowledge promptly.

Finally, the student must complete a PhD dissertation and pass a university oral examination, which is a defense of the dissertation. During the PhD program, students who do not have a master’s degree are strongly encouraged to complete one, either in MS&E or in another Stanford department.

Degree Progress and Student Responsibility

Each doctoral student’s progress is reviewed annually by the MS&E faculty. Typically, this occurs at a faculty meeting at the end of spring quarter, and an appropriate email notification is sent over the summer to the student and their advisor. The student is responsible for initiating each required step in completing the PhD program.

Annual Doctoral Student Degree and Career Progress Meeting (IDP)

Students are expected to meet annually with their advisors to take stock, set goals, and develop an action plan for the coming year.  This worksheet , endorsed by the Committee on Graduate Studies, can help facilitate such conversations. Please complete  this form  to let us know when you have completed each year’s discussion.

To maintain good standing in the degree program, first-year students must:

Complete 30 units, including the first-year seminar and doctoral courses taught by faculty in their research area

Develop relationships with faculty members who can serve as dissertation advisors or reading committee members. A faculty member is more likely to accept the responsibility of supervising the research of a student they know reasonably well than a student whose abilities, initiative, and originality the faculty member knows less well. It is recommended that students participate in research rotations with MS&E and related faculty to facilitate the development of these relationships.

To maintain good standing in the degree program, second-year students must:

Complete at least two one-quarter research rotations or tutorials, or one two-quarter research rotation, tutorial, or research paper, continuing to develop relationships with faculty members who might serve as dissertation advisors or reading committee members

Pass an area-qualifying exam or defense of the written paper(s)

Submit a candidacy form signed by at least one MS&E faculty member with whom they have or will complete research rotations, tutorials, or papers, and listing the course requirements agreed upon by both the student and the program advisor

Complete 30 units, including most, if not all, of the required courses listed on the candidacy form

Be advanced to candidacy by the faculty

To maintain good standing in the degree program, third-year students must:

Submit a progress form listing the dissertation topic and signed by the dissertation advisor (if the dissertation advisor is not an MS&E faculty member, the form must also be signed by an MS&E faculty member who agrees to be on the student’s reading committee, as well as the student’s point of contact within the department)

Complete 30 units, including any remaining depth courses.

To maintain good standing in the degree program, fourth-year students must:

Select a reading committee (a dissertation advisor and two readers) with at least one member from the student’s major department, and submit the reading committee form signed by each member of the reading committee

Make satisfactory progress on their dissertation as determined by their dissertation advisor

Complete 30 dissertation units (if the student has not transferred any previous graduate units to Stanford)

To maintain good standing in the degree program beyond the fourth year, students must make satisfactory progress on their dissertation as determined by their dissertation advisor and approved by the faculty. Indeed, the dissertation advisor will have to present the case to (and seek approval for the student’s good standing from) the faculty in the annual faculty meeting for student review. It should be noted that each student inherently has to pass the oral examination (see below) and submit their dissertation before their candidacy expires.

Additionally, students must perform well in all assistantship positions to remain in good standing and eligible for funding.

Any exceptional cases for a student to remain in good standing based on extenuating circumstances must be presented to and approved by the whole faculty.

• Skip to content
• Skip to navigation

Shibboleth login

Academic Requirements

For any questions related to CS PhD milestone requirements, please email  [email protected] .  Form/s should be submitted as pdf and emailed to  [email protected] .  Jay Subramanian , Director of Graduation Admissions and PhD Program, approves these forms on behalf of the department chair.

1.  CS300 seminar

The CS300 seminar is offered to incoming first-year students in Autumn Quarter. The seminar gives CS faculty the opportunity to speak for 40 minutes about their research. The idea is to allow the new CS Ph.D. students the chance to learn about the professor's areas of research before permanently aligning.

First year CS PhD students are required to attend 2/3 of the seminars. To record your attendance to the seminars please go to: http://cs.stanford.edu/webdb/cs300 and log in using your CS ID and password.

2.  First-Year Research Rotation Program 

Ph.D. students rotate through multiple research groups in their first year. You do a small research project or help someone on one each quarter. The goals are for you to start research immediately, to learn some research skills and what each research group is like, and for them to learn about you. Research rotations are used in many other departments, such as the various biosciences and physics departments at Stanford. Most students find them an invaluable opportunity to form strong relationships with multiple faculty and students in different research groups, to learn skills that will help them in their future research, and to get a better understanding of which research group they’d like to belong to for their Ph.D. research.  

The goal of the rotation program is to find a permanent advisor by the middle of Spring quarter of the first year. You should make sure that, by the end of the year, there’s at least one faculty member who is impressed with you and with whom you’d like to work. For information on how the process works refer to https://cs.stanford.edu/academics/phd/first-year-research-rotation-program .

3.  Courses 

A student should plan and successfully complete a coherent program of study covering the basic areas of Computer Science and related disciplines. The student's advisor has primary responsibility for the adequacy of the program. The University has two main requirements related to courses. First, each student must complete 135 course units (a total of 10 units of PE/music/performing arts courses can be counted towards this ) for graduation. CS Ph.D. students take 8-10 units (8 is the minimum requirement and 10 units is maximum, tuition level for 8-10 is the same) a quarter . Credit for graduate work done elsewhere (up to a maximum of 45 course units) may be applied to graduation requirements. Second, students must take courses from at least 4 different faculty members (see item "5. Candidacy"). There are NO courses specifically required by the Computer Science Department, except for the 1-unit CS300 seminar and CS499 (Advanced Reading & Research), or equivalent. The CS300 seminar is only offered Autumn Quarter and is required of all first-year Ph.D. students. Students are required to attend 2/3 of the total number of sessions in order to get credit for the class.

Note: All PhD students are required to enroll in at least 3-units of CS499 for all quarters. The university requires PhD students to maintain a 3.0 GPA overall for conferring your degree. 

CPT/Internship information:

International students: The Computer Science Dept. allows only up to a maximum of 3 units (1 unit each summer) of Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) in the entire academic career. CS390 A, B and C may each be taken once (full-time/part-time).  Full-time internships are allowed only during summer quarter. For more details, contact [email protected] . 

Questions regarding part-time CPT during academic quarters should be directed to Jay Subramanian .  The information and details vary by the student status, funding, visa and immigration rules, therefore, should be discussed with Jay prior to the quarter of CPT.

4.  Breadth Requirements

The purpose of the Breadth Requirement for the Doctoral program is to ensure that each graduate of the program has adequate knowledge of the core areas in the field of Computer Science. The breadth requirements will be split to foundation and breadth (satisfying different goals).

Foundation requirements:

• Completion of a CS bachelor's degree automatically waives all four courses.
• Waiving will be lenient focusing on sufficient coverage of a predefined set of topics for each course and transparent.
• Double dipping : At the discretion of the waiver approver, a specific, more advanced, Stanford course could be assigned to waive foundation courses (e.g., CS 154 for CS 103) allowing students to fill both foundation and breadth requirements simultaneously.

Breadth requirements:

• The breadth course requirement will be for 3 courses from four different predefined areas.
• Students need to pass the courses with grade B+ or higher.
• Breadth courses cannot be waived.
• Three foundation/breadth requirements need to be completed by the end of year two. All courses need to be completed by the end of year three. Any deviation from this timeline needs to be approved ahead of time by the student adviser and the director of the PhD program.

Breadth area:

Lists of courses will be composed over the summer.

•   Formal foundations  (closely aligned with current depth area A): Courses in this group emphasize mathematics and formal reasoning as it applies to foundational questions about computation.
•   Learning and Modeling : (closely related but not restricted to current AI sub-area): Courses in this group seek to build models of observed phenomena. They emphasize building these models from data, with the goal of predicting, classifying or otherwise structuring observations.
•   Systems : (closely aligned with current depth area B): Courses in this group explore the construction of computing artifacts that meet design constraints or requirements. They emphasize not only what we build, but how we build it and the challenges in doing so. Problems in this area often, but not always, include performance (speed, memory, energy), scalability, tradeoffs, complex software, and considering the quality of the artifact itself in addition to its capabilities.
•   People and Society : Courses in this group examine how computing and technology affect and interact with humans and societies, seeking to place artifacts in the context in which they are used. The area will contain (but will not be limited to) “Computation and Society” courses (as in our masters’ program) and HCI courses.

Please see the breadth requirements list at :  https://cs.stanford.edu/academics/phd/breadth-requirements#:~:text=Breadth%20Requirements%20List

5.  Candidacy

You are eligible to apply for candidacy

• Once you have a permanent advisor;
• Have completed the foundation/breadth requirements (foundation waivers do not count); and
• Have completed at least a three-unit graduate-level course, i.e., 200 and above, with each of four instructors who are members of the Academic Council as a current CS PhD student. Rotations units will count towards this. Courses outside of CS department will count, as long as they are taught by a Stanford faculty. Performing arts courses will not count.

Candidacy makes you eligible for a larger stipend and sets in motion your five-year timeclock to complete the rest of your Ph.D. requirements. All students must fulfill their breadth requirements and file for candidacy by the end of their second year in the program. For detailed information on how to file for candidacy, please see https://studentservices.stanford.edu/more-resources/student-policies/university-degree-requirements/graduate-degrees-overview/graduate .

The university requirements for candidacy can be found here:

https://gap.stanford.edu/handbooks/gap-handbook/chapter-4/subchapter-6/page-4-6-1

6.  Qualifying Examination

The Qualifying Examination tests a student's depth of knowledge and familiarity in his or her area of specialization. Qualifying Exams are generally offered in all areas covered by the written Comprehensive Exam. It is possible for a student to request a Qualifying Exam in an area not already offered, such as one that cuts across current divisions. The feasibility of such a request is determined on a case-by-case basis by the Ph.D. Program Committee. A student should pass a qualifying exam no later than the end of his or her third year.

A student may take the Qualifying exams only twice. In some cases a conditional pass is awarded. When the designated conditions have been met (such as CA'ing a certain class, taking a course, or reading additional material in a specific area), the student is credited with the Pass. If a student fails the Qualifying Exam a second time, the Ph.D. Program Committee is contacted as this would mean that the student is not "making reasonable progress." This is cause for dismissal by default from the Ph.D. program. The Qualifying Exams are a University requirement and are taken very seriously. Therefore, sufficient time and in-depth preparation must be given to the Quals area that the student chooses, to ensure success.

The format of the Qualifying Exams varies from year to year and area to area depending on the faculty member or Quals Chair in charge of each specific exam. Examples are in-class written exams, "take-home" written exams, oral exams, written assignments and/or a combination of the above. The Quals Chair administers the exams and the results must be submitted to the Ph.D. Program Officer for the required entry into the University's Axess (PeopleSoft) and departmental database systems. Passing the Qualifying Exam certifies that the student is ready to begin dissertation work in the chosen area. If a student wishes to do dissertation work in an area other than his/her Qualifying Exam area, the student's advisor and/or the faculty in the new area will determine whether an additional exam is required.

7.  Teaching Requirements

During his/her academic career, each student must complete at least 4 units as a course assistant (CA) or teaching fellows (TF) (2-50% or 4-25% for a total of 100%) for courses in Computer Science that are numbered 100 or above. Earning one unit means working 10 hours per week for one quarter. A CA receives the same stipend and tuition benefit as an RA. A TF receives a slightly higher stipend, as s/he is responsible for teaching a course.  This requirement must be completed before the orals exam.

8. Thesis Proposal

The student must present an oral thesis proposal and submit the form to their full Reading Committee by spring quarter of the fourth year . The Thesis Proposal Form  must be filled out, signed and approved by all the members of the committee and submitted to the CS PhD Student Services at [email protected] . The goal of the Thesis Proposal is to enable students to get better formative feedback from their Reading Committee on what directions to take to successfully complete a quality dissertation. The Thesis Proposal (this is a private session with student's advisor/co-advisor and reading committee members only)   should allow plenty of time for discussion with the Reading Committee about the direction of the thesis research . The suggested format should include:

• A description of the research problem and its significance;
• A description of previous work in the area and the "state of the art" prior to the student's work; 
• A description of preliminary work the student has done on the problem, and any research results of that work; 
• An outline of remaining work to be done a timeline for accomplishing it.

9.  Reading Committee

After passing the Qualifying Examination, a student must secure the agreement of a member of the department faculty to act as the dissertation advisor. Typically, this is the program advisor, but, in some cases, the dissertation advisor may be in another department. In addition, the student must form a Dissertation Reading Committee composed of the principal dissertation advisor and at least two additional readers. The Reading Committee Form should be turned in no later than one year after passing a qualifying exam.

9.1 Regulations Concerning Composition of Reading Committee

• The principal advisor and at least one of the other committee members must be Academic Council members. This is a University regulation.
• At least two committee members must be CS professors or joint CS professors (academic council members i.e. Stanford faculty).  Courtesy and Adjunct CS professors do not count. This is a departmental requirement.
• The Reading Committee supervises the dissertation research, advises the student, evaluates the student's progress, and signs the final draft of the dissertation.
• These Committee Members also serve on the student's Orals Committee because of their knowledge of his or her research.

10. University Oral Examination

The University requires an Oral Examination. The department chooses the format of the University Oral. In the Computer Science Department, it is a Defense of the Dissertation. Traditionally, the format of the Oral is a public presentation lasting approximately one hour, followed by questions from the examining committee in a private session. (Total time of 3 hours maximum.)

The Orals committee must have at least five members that include one Chair and four voting members. Four of the five must be Academic Council members. The Orals committee will consist of the following:

• Chair: the Chair of the Orals Committee is selected by the student, usually at the suggestion of Reading Committee members. The chair must be an Academic Council member and may be a Professor Emeritus. The chair may not have a full or joint appointment in the adviser's or student's department but may have a courtesy appointment in the department. The chair can be from the same department as any other member(s) of the examination committee and can be from the student's minor department, provided that the student's adviser does not have a full or joint appointment in the minor department. To maintain impartiality, the orals chair may not simultaneously serve on the student's dissertation reading committee . 
• Reading Committee members and/or the student's proposed Orals Committee members offer help and suggestions for a possible Chair.
• Advisor: The student's advisor is a member of the committee.
• Readers: The members of the student's Reading Committee serve on the Orals Committee. Readers who are not Academic Council members (limit 1) need prior approval from the Graduate Division to sit on the Orals Committee by filing a Petition Form along with the Orals Form. 

Orals may be scheduled any time after a substantial portion of the dissertation is complete. We encourage students to schedule the exam during the quarter preceding the one in which they intend to submit the final draft. This allows time for post-Oral revision of the document and will prevent added stress or disappointment in not being conferred as planned.

A student must submit a University Oral Exam Schedule form at least two weeks before the proposed Orals date. The PhD student services office will make sure that the committee is properly composed. Along with the form, the student should have a draft of the dissertation available in case the University chair desires more detailed information. The student must submit an abstract of the dissertation to the [email protected]

The University prefers that Orals not be scheduled during the first two weeks of the quarter, finals week, or during breaks. Students should plan the schedule of their Orals well in advance.

11. Dissertation

The most important requirement for the Ph.D. degree is the dissertation. The dissertation must be accepted by the student's Reading Committee. The Graduate Degree Progress office in the Registrar's Office distributes a comprehensive list of directions concerning the preparation and submission of the final draft. You have the option of submitting the dissertation online. See the Registrar's Dissertation and Thesis Submission page for more information on dissertation submission.

Gates Computer Science Building 353 Jane Stanford Way Stanford, CA 94305

Phone: (650) 723-2300

Admissions : [email protected]

• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Terms of Use
• Copyright Complaints

©  Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Emergency Info
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

Graduate Student Placement

Rafael balling (german studies) | assistant professor of german studies, university of washington—seattle, annika butler-wall (modern thought and literature) | lecturer in feminist, gender, and sexuality studies, stanford university, jamie fine (modern thought and literature) | director/congressional liaison for inter-tribal think tank servicing indian country, courtney hodrick (german studies) |  reinhard alumni postdoctoral fellow in jewish studies, stanford university, maria massucco (italian) , suhaila meera (theater and performance studies) | assistant professor of theater, lewis & clark college, elizabeth jacob (history) | postdoctoral teaching fellow, providence college, justine modica (history) | klarman postdoctoral fellow in history, cornell university, thao nguyen (theater and performance studies) | visiting assistant professor of gender, sexuality, and feminist studies, oberlin college, henry washington, jr. (modern thought and literature) | assistant professor of feminist, gender, and sexuality studies, wesleyan university, chloe hart (sociology) | assistant professor of sociology, university of wisconsin—madison, luz minerva jiménez ruvalcaba (modern thought and literature) | associate director for equity and inclusion, school of engineering, stanford university, cyle metzger (art history) | assistant professor of art history in residence and director of university galleries, bradley university, madihah akhter (history) | product inclusion & uxr, paypal, karina gutierrez (theater and performance studies) | assistant professor of theater and dance, santa clara university, courtney pena (education) | assistant director of equity research & training, biosciences grant writing academy, stanford school of medicine , ashley walters (history) | assistant professor, jewish studies; director, pearlstine/lipov center for southern jewish culture, college of charleston, annie atura (english) | executive director, center for comparative studies in race and ethnicity, stanford university, emily k. carian (sociology) | assistant professor of teaching, department of sociology, university of california—irvine, alexis johnson (art history) | curator, one archives, usc libraries, hannah leblanc (history) | howard e. and susanne c. jessen postdoctoral instructor in stem and inequality, california institute of technology, mackenzie cooley (history) | assistant professor of history, director of latin american studies, hamilton college, rebecca eacho (theater and performance studies) , michelle kahn (history) | assistant professor of history, university of richmond, hangping xu (chinese literature) | assistant professor of east asian languages and cultural studies, university of california—santa barbara, meredith townsend (geology and environmental science) | assistant professor, department of earth sciences, university of oregon, rebecca chaleff (theater and performance studies) | assistant professor, department of theater and dance, university at buffalo.

Engineering accessibility

RAISE doctoral fellow Aya Mouallem is designing an electronic circuit simulator that uses a mix of haptic and digital components to allow blind and low-vision engineering students to collaborate with sighted colleagues.

RAISE fellow Aya Mouallem (right) explores new ways for engineering students with blindness or low vision to simulate circuits and collaborate with their lab colleagues. (Image credit: Alex Gillaspy)

Simulating the design of electronic circuits is a fundamental skill for electrical engineering students. Most simulators have the user drag and drop design components on a computer screen. But this can create barriers for students with blindness and low vision.

Aya Mouallem , a PhD candidate in electrical engineering and a fellow with Stanford’s Research, Action, and Impact through Strategic Engagement Doctoral program (RAISE), wants to change that.

Working in the Designing Education Lab at Stanford, Mouallem is designing an accessible electronic circuit simulator that uses a mix of haptic and digital components, with both tactile and audio feedback.

“I’m hoping it will be a new way for blind learners to independently simulate their circuits and also collaborate in the lab with others who are sighted,” she said.

Tools need to be accessible to blind students but also usable by a sighted person – so that an instructor can offer feedback on the student’s work, for example, and other students can collaborate.

“3D modeling is a really big problem for blind folks who want to get into mechanical engineering,” said Gene Kim , a junior majoring in symbolic systems , who is blind. He has been working with Mouallem in the Designing Education Lab and helped with the design criteria for the circuit simulator. He initially wanted to study mechanical engineering but turned to computer science because it was more accessible.

With a tool like this one, “people would be more inclined to study mechanical engineering and electrical engineering,” Kim said. “I think people would be a lot less burned out and stressed from having to come up with creative ways to work around the accessibility challenges.”

Fellowships that support community engagement

Mouallem’s work is partially supported by the RAISE Doctoral Fellowship program . She is also a Knight-Hennessy Scholar.

“Many of our students are strongly motivated to connect their research or scholarship to action, but not all have a pathway nor the support to do so.” —Stacey F. Bent Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

The three-year fellowship provides tuition and a stipend as well as money to be spent on the fellow’s project. Students in each cohort meet during biweekly lunches to learn from each other and from guest speakers about topics ranging from identifying and developing community partnerships to ethics in community-based research.

The program, which was announced in 2021, was started to provide doctoral students across disciplines with an opportunity to explore community impact or public service.

“Many of our students are strongly motivated to connect their research or scholarship to action, but not all have a pathway nor the support to do so,”  said Stacey F. Bent , vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs. “I hope [this program] will help educate a generation of doctoral students who have experienced the satisfaction of public service and community partnerships, who have learned how to be effective, ethical, and respectful community partners in the future, and can share this knowledge with others.”

Mouallem, who had her own hereditary vision loss corrected with surgery, realized that it would not be effective for her as a sighted person to design the tool she thought blind and low-vision users needed.

RAISE fellow Aya Mouallem (Image credit: Alex Gillaspy)

“I had to co-design with the community,” Mouallem said. “I wanted to work on research that was still pushing the envelope academically but at the same time was working with communities, amplifying their voices and building something they could use in their everyday lives.”

This approach is “part of a bigger wave of designing ‘with’ as opposed to designing ‘for,’” said Sheri D. Sheppard , the Richard W. Weiland Professor in the School of Engineering, Emeritus, and Mouallem’s advisor. “How can we understand at a deeper level what a community’s issues are, what knowledge they already have, and develop more effective resources for learning?”

Community partners

A key component of the RAISE Fellowship is working with a community partner and for Mouallem, this is LightHouse , a nonprofit that serves the blind and low-vision community.

Mouallem spent this past summer building prototypes of the circuit simulation tool with undergraduate researcher Mirelys Mendez-Pons . Now she and the LightHouse team are planning a session for members of the blind and low-vision community to give feedback about the tool, as well as meet blind students and allies at Stanford.

“I’m still very much in engineering. But now I’m directly seeing its impact with people vs. designing a chip and waiting years for it to be incorporated into a product.” —Aya Mouallem

“Oftentimes things are made accessible after the fact,” said Sean Dougherty , accessible user experience services director for LightHouse. “But when the community is actively involved throughout the process, it always ends up being a much better experience.”

Mouallem said the fellowship has changed her graduate experience.

“I’m still at the lab, building things and soldering. I’m still very much in engineering,” Mouallem said. “But now I’m directly seeing its impact with people vs. designing a chip and waiting years for it to be incorporated into a product.”

Broader ambitions

Mouallem’s work aims to break down barriers not only at Stanford but in education – and the field of engineering – more broadly.

“Before RAISE, I did not know the extent to which you could delve deep in understanding human experiences and design for human needs,” Mouallem said. “Now I’m shocked at how many products are released into markets without anyone talking to the communities the products are intended for.”