Doctor of Philosophy

Each Ph.D. program in Aeronautics and Astronautics, designed by the student in consultation with the advisor, should represent a strong and cohesive program reflecting the student’s major field of interest.

University requirements for continuous registration apply to doctoral students for the duration of the degree.

A total of 90 units of credit is required beyond the M.S. Of the 90 units required beyond the M.S. degree, a student must complete at least 21 units of approved courses in advanced study in engineering, science, and mathematics. These courses cannot include research, directed study, or seminars, must be taken for a letter grade, and must be numbered 200 and above.

The remaining units can be fulfilled through Ph.D. dissertation units or free electives numbered 100 and above.

Units that were applied toward the M.S. degree cannot be reused. When applying for Ph.D. candidacy, a Ph.D. course proposal approved by the advisor must be submitted.

Identifying an advisor is an essential milestone in the Ph.D. program and is required for making satisfactory degree progress and maintaining good standing. Students are expected to engage in research with a faculty member each quarter until they identify a Ph.D. advisor. Students are permitted to participate in four quarters of research rotations during their first year. The first quarter of research must be conducted with an Aero/Astro faculty member. Research activities are evaluated by the faculty advisor each quarter for all Ph.D. students, and the results are documented through at least one unit of research credit (AA 290 or 290S). Ph.D. students must receive an official commitment from a faculty member to serve as their Ph.D. advisor by the end of quarter four of the Ph.D. program. Upon aligning with an advisor, students transition from department fellowship to advisor-provided funding. Therefore, students must select an advisor who can financially support them. This is recorded on the Ph.D. Advisor Commitment form and submitted to the Aero/Astro Student Services Office. By signing the form, a faculty member indicates a commitment to supervise the student and work toward securing funding. The Ph.D. advisors must also be a member of the Academic Council. Former Academic Council members, emeritus Academic Council members, or non-Academic Council members may serve as co-advisors with the appointment of a principal Ph.D. advisor who is currently on the Academic Council.

Ph.D. students who do not identify an advisor by the end of quarter four at Stanford are considered to be “on academic notice” as a warning of unsatisfactory degree progress and are subject to dismissal from the program. Students and advisors should be aware of the University’s policies regarding minimum progress requirements for graduate students described in the Stanford Bulletin in the section titled "Graduate Degree”, including the quarterly grading expectations for research units. If these are not met, the advisor and department will follow the University’s guidance, as explained in the “Guidelines for Dismissal of Graduate Students for Academic or Professional Reasons” opens in a new tab section of the Stanford Bulletin. Occasionally, a student's research may diverge from the area of expertise of their advisor, or unexpected circumstances may arise between the student and the faculty advisor. In such instances, either the student or the faculty advisor may request a change in assignment. Since an advisor is necessary for continued funding and good standing, students should consult the Director of Student and Academic Services or Director of Graduate Studies as early as possible to ensure proper coordination and uninterrupted support. Additional guidance for students considering an advisor change is available in this resource opens in a new tab. The Department will review these requests, although approval is not guaranteed. If the department chooses to grant the request, reasonable efforts will be made to pair the student with another suitable advisor. This process may involve some modifications to the student's research project to ensure a successful collaboration.

All Ph.D. students must complete the department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of their second year of graduate study to remain in good standing in the Ph.D. program. Requirements for remaining in good standing for the duration of the program are described in the Aero/Astro Guide to Graduate Studies. 

Candidacy

There are two requirements for admission to Ph.D. candidacy in Aeronautics and Astronautics: students must first pass the departmental qualifying exam and apply for candidacy. The candidacy form lists the courses the student will take to fulfill the requirements for the degree. The form must include the 90 non-M.S. units required for the Ph.D.; it should be signed by the advisor and submitted to the Aero/Astro student services office for the candidacy chairperson’s signature. Aero/Astro has a department-specific candidacy form, which may be obtained in the Aero/Astro student services office. Candidacy is valid for up to five years; this term is not affected by leaves of absence. 

Qualifying Examination

Only Ph.D. students in Aeronautics and Astronautics are eligible for the Aeronautics and Astronautics Qualifying Examination. Before taking the qualifying examination, a Ph.D. student must meet the following conditions:

1.      The candidate should have the official commitment of one faculty to advise them. There is no explicit requirement regarding taking one or more AA290 classes with the advisor.

2. Before taking the oral portion of the qualifying examination, the student must complete two courses in each of the three core areas. The three core areas must be chosen from the following four core areas: Controls/Dynamics, Fluids, Structures, and Applied Mathematics and Computation. A GPA will be assessed for each core area, and the three separate GPAs must each be higher than or equal to 3.7. Only the first grade received is considered for core area evaluations; students will not receive qualifying examination GPA consideration for re-taken courses. The Stanford grade obtained during the course waiver exam will be used for any waived courses. Furthermore, the student’s overall average GPA must be above or equal to 3.5.

Additional information about the core area course waiver process, deadlines, nature, and scope of the Ph.D. qualifying examination can be obtained from the department.

The Ph.D. candidate is required to take the university oral examination after the dissertation is substantially completed (with the dissertation draft in writing) but before final approval. The examination consists of a public presentation of dissertation research, followed by substantive private questioning on the dissertation and related fields by the university oral committee (four faculty examiners plus a chairperson). The student’s university oral committee must include at least one faculty member from Aeronautics and Astronautics. The examiners usually include the three members of the student’s Ph.D. reading committee. The chairperson must not be in the same department as the student or the advisor. Once the student passes the oral examination, they finalize the dissertation for reading committee review and final approval. 

The University Oral Examination Form opens in a new tab can be found on the Registrar’s Office website. The form must be submitted with a thesis draft and a one-page dissertation abstract to the Aero/Astro Student Services Office at least three weeks before the oral examination date for review and approval. Students must be enrolled during the quarter when they take their university oral examination. If the oral examination occurs during the vacation time between quarters, the student must be enrolled in the prior quarter.

Dissertation Reading Committee

Each Ph.D. candidate is required to establish a reading committee for the doctoral dissertation within six months after passing the department’s Ph.D. qualifying exam. After that, the student should consult frequently with all committee members about the direction and progress of the dissertation research.

A dissertation reading committee comprises the principal dissertation advisor and at least two other readers. If the principal advisor is emeritus, there should be a non-emeritus co-adviser. At least two Aero/Astro faculty members are expected to be on each reading committee. If the principal research advisor is not within the Aero/Astro department, then the student’s Aero/Astro academic advisor must be one of the members. The initial committee, and any subsequent changes, must be approved by the department Chair.

Although all readers are usually members of the Stanford Academic Council, the department Chair may approve one non-Academic Council reader if the person brings unusual and necessary expertise to the dissertation research. Generally, this non-Academic Council reader will be a fourth reader, in addition to the three Academic Council members.

Doctoral Dissertation

See the Directions for Preparing Doctoral Dissertation, opens in a new tab which outlines the university guidelines for preparing a Ph.D. dissertation.

When a student is ready for a final draft of the dissertation, the student should make an appointment to consult with the graduate degree progress officer in the Registrar’s Office to review the completion of the Ph.D. program and the strict formatting requirements for the dissertation. Students must submit the final version of the dissertation to the Registrar’s Office no later than the posted deadline. Note: All reading committee members must sign the dissertation before the filing deadline.