Doctor of Philosophy

The following are general department requirements. Contact the Computer Science PhD administrator for details.

• A student should plan and complete a coherent program of study covering the basic areas of computer science and related disciplines. The student’s advisor is primarily responsible for the program’s adequacy, which is subject to review by the CS PhD Student Services Office.

• The first year of the PhD program is spent working with one to three different professors on a rotating basis. The intent is to allow the first-year PhD student to work with various professors before aligning with a permanent program advisor. Students who don’t need the entire year to find a professor to align with will have the option of aligning within the first or second quarter.

• The CS 300 Departmental Lecture Series seminar allows faculty to explain their research to first-year CS PhD students. First-year CS PhD students must attend 2/3 of faculty-led sessions in order to receive credit.

  • A student must complete 135 course units for graduation (a total of 10 units of PE courses can be counted towards this). Computer Science PhD students take eight to ten units per quarter. Credit for coursework completed elsewhere (up to a maximum of 45 course units) may be applied toward graduation requirements. Students must also complete at least three units of coursework with at least four different faculty members. There are NO courses explicitly required by the CS PhD program except for the 1 unit CS 300 Departmental Lecture Series and at least three (3) CS499 opens in a new tab (Advanced Reading and Research) or its equivalent. At least one course must be taken for a letter grade. A 3.0 GPA must be maintained.

• Students must satisfy the foundation/breadth requirements to remain in the PhD program. The department provides a clear roadmap for these requirements, including the option to take or waive the following foundation courses: CS103, 109, 111, and 161. The breadth course requirement will be three courses from four predefined areas and cannot be waived. A student needs to pass the courses with a grade of B+ or higher. A student must fulfill three foundation/breadth requirements by the end of year two and complete all foundation/breadth requirements by the end of the third year.

• Once these requirements are met, and a student has completed at least a three-unit graduate-level course with each of four instructors who are members of the Academic Council, they can apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the program. The department’s website has an up-to-date course list that satisfies the breadth requirements.

• The student must pass a qualifying exam in the general area of their expected dissertation by the end of the third year in the program, ensuring a clear and structured progression.

First-year CS PhD students must attend two-thirds of faculty-led sessions in order to receive credit for the class.

Students will be required to take or waive CS 103, 109, 111, 161.

Overview

The Qualifying Examination tests a student’s depth of knowledge and familiarity in their area of specialization. Qualifying Exams are generally offered in all areas covered by the written Comprehensive Exam. A student can 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 their third year.

A student may take the Qualifying exams only twice. In some cases, a conditional pass is awarded. The student is credited with the Pass when the designated conditions have been met (such as TAing a particular class, taking a course, or reading additional material in a specific area). If a student fails the Qualifying Exam a second time, the PhD Program Committee is contacted, as this would mean the student is not “making reasonable progress.” This is cause for dismissal by default from the PhD 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 student’s Quals area 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 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 their Qualifying Exam area, the student’s advisor and/or the faculty in the new area will determine whether an additional exam is required.

Overview

After passing the Qualifying Examination, a student must secure the agreement of a department faculty member to act as the dissertation advisor. Typically, this is the program advisor, but sometimes 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.

Reading Committee

The Reading Committee Form opens in a new tab should be signed by all the committee members and submitted to the CS PhD Student Services at phdstudentservices@cs.stanford.edu no later than one year after passing a qualifying exam.

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 often serve on the student’s Orals Committee because of their research knowledge.

• Readers, not Academic Council members (limit one), need prior approval from the Graduate Division to serve on your Reading Committee by filing a Petition Form opens in a new tab. 

Overview

The thesis proposal allows students to obtain formative feedback from their reading committee to guide them to a successful, high-quality dissertation. The thesis proposal (a private session only with the student's advisor/co-advisor and reading committee members) should allow time for discussion with the reading committee about the direction of the thesis research.

Thesis Proposal

The student must present an oral thesis proposal and submit the form to their full Reading Committee by the spring quarter of the fourth year. The Thesis Proposal Form opens in a new tab must be filled out, signed, and approved by all the committee members and submitted to the CS PhD Student Services at phdstudentservices@cs.stanford.edu.

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” before 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 the remaining work to be done and a timeline for accomplishing it

Overview

Teaching experience is valuable for CS PhD students. It allows them to demonstrate their knowledge of CS topics, improve their public speaking and presentation skills, and explore future career options in academia.

Teaching Requirement

CS PhD Students are required to complete course assistantships (CA) or teaching fellow (TF) during their academic career for courses in Computer Science numbered 100 or above. This requirement can be completed with either two (2) 50% appointments or four (4) 25% appointments of CAships or TF for a total of 100%.

A CA receives the same salary and tuition benefits as a research assistant (RA). A TF receives a higher salary.

Note: The teaching requirement must be completed by the fourth year. As a matter of policy, a student should satisfy half of the teaching requirement in the first two years of their program. Students are encouraged to complete the teaching requirement early in their stay to eliminate conflicts with later dissertation work. 

Certificate of Distinction in Teaching Award

A graduating PhD student is eligible to receive a certificate of distinction in teaching if the following conditions are met:

• At least one CS faculty member who has supervised the student as a course assistant nominates the student for this distinction; this nomination is e-mailed to Jay Subramanian.

• The student should have completed five (5) 50% CAships as a Course Assistant (CA) in CS courses, of which at least one course should be taught as a Teaching Fellow (TF) with primary responsibility for organizing and teaching a course (tutored video does not qualify).

Students are expected to be admitted to candidacy by the end of their second year of doctoral study. To be eligible to apply for candidacy, students must meet the following criteria:

• Students have permanently aligned with an advisor/s. Aligning with an advisor outside of the CS Department will require a CS co-advisor (courtesy faculty do not count).

• Have completed three (3) foundation opens in a new tab/breadth requirements; this could be a combination of foundation and breadth courses taken as a current CS PhD student (foundation waivers do not count). For more information, please visit: Foundation & Breadth Requirements opens in a new tab.

• Have completed at least a three-unit graduate-level course with each of the four instructors who are members of the academic council as a CS PhD student.

Candidacy allows students to qualify for the post-candidacy rate and initiates the five-year timeline to fulfill the remaining PhD requirements.

Stanford University requires an Oral Examination for the PhD Program. The department chooses the format of the University Oral Examination. In the Computer Science Department, it is a Defense of the dissertation. The Oral examination format is a public presentation lasting approximately one hour, followed by questions from the examining committee in a private session (a maximum of three hours).

The university oral examination must be completed at least a quarter before the degree is conferred. Orals may be scheduled any time after a substantial portion of the dissertation is complete. The University prefers that orals not be scheduled during the first two weeks of the quarter, finals week, or breaks.

University Oral Examination

The Orals Committee must have at least five members, including 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 oral committee is typically selected by the student and advisor, usually at the suggestion of the reading committee members. The chair must be an academic council member and may be a professor emeritus.

  • The chair of the examining committee may not have a full or joint appointment in the advisor'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. It can be from the student's minor Department, provided that the student's advisor does not have a full or joint appointment in the minor Department.

  • To maintain impartiality, the oral chair may not simultaneously serve on the student's dissertation reading committee. 

• Readers. The student’s Reading Committee members usually 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 opens in a new tab along with the Orals Form. 

• Advisor. The student’s advisor is a member of the committee.

A student must submit a University Oral Exam Schedule form opens in a new tab and a copy of their dissertation abstract at least two weeks before the proposed Orals date. The PhD student services office will ensure the committee is composed correctly.

Form/s should be submitted as a PDF and emailed to phdstudentservices@cs.stanford.edu. Jay Subramanian, Director of Graduation Admissions and PhD Program, approves all forms on behalf of the Department chair. The CS PhD Student Services Team will collect her signature after you submit your form/s.

The most important requirement for the PhD degree is the dissertation, which is the culmination of the student's research and hard work.

Dissertation

Review the Dissertation and Theses opens in a new tab website for a comprehensive list of items to prepare and submit for your dissertation.

The Dissertation & Thesis Center opens to submissions on the first day of instruction each quarter. Students must first enroll and have applied to graduate to access the portal.