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Find the official policies that govern our student and academic community.
Graduate students are assigned faculty advisors to provide academic, research, and professional guidance, with degree programs responsible for establishing advising expectations, supporting advisor changes when needed, and ensuring dissertation advisors and advising relationships comply with university requirements.
Effective academic advising is a critical component of all graduate students’ education. By the start of their first term of graduate study, all graduate students should select or be paired by the degree program with faculty advisors who assist them in planning a program of study to meet degree requirements. The process by which students are matched with faculty advisors varies by department or program.
The university requires that within each degree program, minimum advising expectations are set for both advisor and advisee. Such minimum expectations must differentiate between master’s and doctoral programs, and between different types of advisors (academic/program vs. research).
Faculty advisors are to:
serve as intellectual and professional mentors to their graduate students
provide knowledgeable support concerning the academic and non-academic policies that pertain to graduate students
help to prepare students to be competitive for employment
maintain a high level of professionalism in the relationship
establish and collaboratively maintain expectations of the advisor/advisee relationship, consistent with degree program standards.
Each faculty member has the prerogative to augment the degree program's advising expectations with their specific additional expectations, while remaining consistent with the degree program's advising policies. Students are obliged to follow university and degree program procedures for identifying advisors and committee members for their dissertation reading and university oral examinations.
The principal dissertation advisor (also called thesis advisor or research advisor), who must be a member of the Academic Council, establishes a critically important relationship with the doctoral student. The principal dissertation advisor provides guidance and direction to the doctoral student’s research, as well as evaluation of the student’s progress, often in the context of a research group. As a mentor and a role model, the dissertation advisor plays a critical role in the student’s development as an academic researcher. In many cases, the dissertation advisor is expected to provide financial support for the doctoral student, typically from research grants and contracts.
The dissertation advisor will normally serve as a member of the student’s oral examination committee, and as the chair of the student’s doctoral dissertation reading committee.
Because of the critical importance of this role, and the potential significance of difficulties that may arise in this relationship, degree programs should designate a resource for faculty members and graduate students to call on for assistance in resolving difficulties. This role may be filled by the department chair, the faculty Director of Graduate Studies, or a specially designated resource in the degree program. Students, faculty, and staff may also consult with campus resources including VPGE, the Graduate Life Office opens in a new tab, the School Dean’s Offices opens in a new tab, and the University Ombuds opens in a new tab or School of Medicine Ombuds opens in a new tab.
Occasionally, a student's research may diverge from the area of competence of the advisor, or irreconcilable differences may occur between the student and the faculty advisor. In such cases, the student or the faculty advisor may request a change in assignment. The degree program should make every reasonable effort to facilitate the change and to pair the student with another suitable advisor, which may entail some modification of the student's research project.
In the rare case where a student's dissertation research on an approved project is in an advanced stage and the dissertation advisor is no longer available, every reasonable effort must be made to appoint a new advisor, usually from the student's reading committee.
In the event that a student’s advisor leaves Stanford University or becomes emeritus, and has not been recalled to active duty, that advisor may continue to work with the graduate student as a co-advisor and serve on the oral and dissertation reading committees, with the appointment of a principal dissertation advisor who is currently a member of the Academic Council. Professors who have recently become emeritus and have been recalled to active duty may serve as principal dissertation advisor, though they are no longer members of the Academic Council. Requests for further exceptions to the requirement that the principal dissertation advisor be a current member of the Academic Council, for example for recently retired emeritus professors who are still actively engaged on campus, will be reviewed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education.
At their discretion, students may identify a co-advisor in addition to the principal dissertation advisor; normally both principal advisor and co-advisor are members of the Academic Council. A former Stanford Academic Council member, emeritus professor, or non-Academic Council member may serve as co-advisor with the appointment of a principal dissertation advisor who is currently on the Academic Council. Professors who have recently become emeritus and have been recalled to active duty may serve as principal dissertation advisors, though they are no longer members of the Academic Council. Requests for further exceptions to the requirement that the principal dissertation advisor be a current member of the Academic Council, for example for recently retired emeritus professors who are still actively engaged on campus, but not recalled to active duty, will be reviewed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education.
It is expected that faculty advisors will hold an appointment in the student’s major department or program. An advisor may be appointed from outside the major department subject to the approval of the major department; a co-advisor who is a member of the department is recommended. Departmental approval is conveyed by means of recording the name of the advisor in the PeopleSoft Student Administration record. Students enrolled in an interdisciplinary graduate program (IDP) should have a faculty advisor who is affiliated with the program. Interdisciplinary program approval of an advisor outside the department is automatic, since by definition IDPs only have affiliated faculty, not departmental faculty.
Several university policies apply to all faculty-student advising relationships. Research Policy Handbook 1. Conduct of Research opens in a new tab outlines policies and practices related to the conduct of research, including obligations to students, staff, and sponsors. Administrative Guide 1.1.1. University Code of Conduct opens in a new tab articulates that all members of the University community are responsible for sustaining the high ethical standards of this institution and of the broader community in which we function.
Additional advising information and resources about advising are available from the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education opens in a new tab.
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Office for the Vice Provost for Graduate Education
vpge@stanford.edu
Every graduate-level degree program at Stanford (other than the professional degree programs of JD, MBA, and MD) must have a designated faculty member who oversees graduate studies, commonly known as the “Director of Graduate Studies” (DGS).
