Doctor of Philosophy

Objectives

The PhD degree is conferred upon evidence of high attainment in Geophysics and the ability to conduct an independent investigation and present the results of such research.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 135 units of graduate study at Stanford must be satisfactorily completed. In addition to the course and breadth requirements described below, students must complete sufficient units of independent work on a research problem to meet the 135-unit university requirement. 

The student’s record must indicate outstanding scholarship, and deficiencies in previous training must be addressed. As required by the university, all students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 (B) grade point average overall in courses applicable to the degree.

Course requirements

Course requirements are defined within a structure that reflects the nature of scholarship in our department  - how we study and what we study, and with a flexibility that reflects the breadth of our department and the field of Geophysics. We require a limited number of courses, given that individual research groups have additional requirements allowing students to develop depth and expertise in their field of study. Required courses to fulfill requirements for the PhD in Geophysics must be lecture courses (component LEC) taken for a letter grade unless S/NC is the only option offered. 

Students must take two STEM lecture courses at the 100 level or above. Courses used to fulfill this requirement cannot be used to satisfy other degree requirements, except the “Two Lecture Courses Taught By Two Different Geophysics Faculty” requirement.

Students must take two lecture courses, each 3 or more units, from two different faculty (members of Academic Council) with >0% appointments in the Department of Geophysics. Courses used to fulfill this requirement can be used to simultaneously satisfy any other degree requirement.

The four areas below broadly describe "how we study," i.e., how geophysicists approach their research. Students must take one of the courses listed below in three of the four areas.

“What we study” in geophysics ranges broadly across many areas: atmosphere, climate, cryosphere, energy, freshwater, geomaterials, hazards, oceans, other planets, tectonics/geodynamics/Earth’s interior. In consultation with their faculty advisor, students must identify and take two courses, each at least three units, that enhance their understanding of “what they study” or provide breadth and understanding in other areas of “what we study.” A small subset of the classes from the  “How We Study” list may be used to satisfy the “What We Study” requirement.  Such a class  may be used to fulfill either the “How we study” or “What we study” requirement, but not both. These classes are:

• GEOPHYS 230

• GEOPHYS 239

ENGR202W Technical Communication, or ESOLLANG 698S Writing Academic English, or other writing classes, are recommended but not required.

The Breadth Requirement aims to provide students with opportunities to develop the confidence to conduct research in multiple areas. 

The Breadth Requirement can be met with either secondary research (where the research conducted for the PhD dissertation is referred to as the primary project) or secondary coursework:

1. Secondary Research Project (12 or more graded units)

• The secondary research project must stand alone from the primary project as a separate piece of work. The following three scenarios are all acceptable: (1) new problem, new method; (2) new problem, primary project method; (3) primary project problem, new method.

• The topic of the secondary project must be in Geophysics or a related discipline within the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

• The secondary project must be supervised by a Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability faculty member (academic council or research faculty) or courtesy faculty member in Geophysics. The secondary project advisor cannot be the primary faculty advisor.

• The secondary project must be completed by a written report or publication in a refereed journal and/or a presentation by the student at a scientific conference or workshop. The secondary project advisor certifies completion of this requirement.

• Students must complete the “Geophysics Secondary Project Advising Expectations Agreement,” which must be approved by the primary faculty advisor and the second-research-project advisor. 

• Students are encouraged to present their secondary project plans at either the qualifying exam or first annual review following the qualifying exam. If this is done at the time of the qualifying exam, the student is encouraged to provide the committee with a written secondary project proposal (5 pages single-spaced including figures) submitted to the Advising Committee and second-research-project advisor at least two weeks before the exam and/or include a less than 10-minute presentation of a second project proposal during the exam, followed by up to 5 minutes of questions.

2. Secondary Coursework (12 or more graded units)

• Secondary Coursework is a program of graded (or Instructor-mandated S/NC) lecture courses at 200 or higher levels.

• The secondary coursework must be in Geophysics or the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

• At least six units must come from the Department of Geophysics. The remaining courses may be chosen from courses offered by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

• Secondary coursework cannot be used to meet other degree requirements at Stanford. 

• No transfer credit may be used to meet the secondary course requirement. 

• Students must complete the “Geophysics Secondary Course Requirement Plan,” which must be approved by their faculty Advisor.

All PhD students must be appointed as a 15% or greater Teaching Assistant (TA) for at least two quarters. An exception can be made and the requirement reduced to a 15% or greater Teaching Assistant for one quarter, with the approval of the faculty advisor, if it is determined that the student’s interests and plans are such that there is no benefit to the second TA-ship. TA training is required before the beginning of the TA-ship. More information about TA training and support can be found on the CTL website opens in a new tab. Students on fellowships will fulfill this requirement with a mentored teaching experience without appointment to a TA position (GAP 7.3.1 opens in a new tab)

As explained in section 4.6.1 of the GAP opens in a new tab, “Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a judgment by the faculty in the degree program of the student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program.” In the Geophysics PhD program, this is done by considering the student’s performance in coursework, research progress, and a qualifying exam. The qualifying exam assesses the student’s ability to plan, conduct, and report the scientific research that forms the basis of their PhD dissertation. Successful completion of the qualifying exam is required for the student to advance to candidacy. The qualifying exam is an oral exam, administered by the student’s Advising Committee (see Program Policies for details on committee composition) and based on the student’s written research proposal. The second project advisor should also attend the exam if the secondary research project is being discussed; this is optional.

The qualifying exam should be taken by the end of the student’s second year in the Geophysics PhD degree program (spring quarter of the second year for students who begin the program in the autumn quarter). Students who switch from another degree program at Stanford (including the Geophysics MS program) into the Geophysics PhD program are expected to take the qualifying exam by the end of their second year at Stanford unless an alternative timeline was developed and approved by the admissions committee and Director of Graduate Studies when the student was admitted to the PhD program. Exceptions to these policies and requests for extensions should be submitted in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies.

The written research proposal is sent to the Advising Committee at least two weeks before the exam. This proposal should be 15-20 single-spaced pages, including figures but excluding references. The proposal (and oral presentation) includes research completed by the student prior to the qualifying exam as well as proposed research and preliminary results. The student should check with their Faculty Advisor for their preference on the proposal’s format and sections/organization, as well as any evaluation criteria that will be used (there are no department-wide criteria). Typically, students are expected to identify and clearly state a research problem, often with hypotheses to be investigated, and provide explanation and motivation for studying this problem. This includes a literature review explaining work that has been done by others on the problem. Committee members may also look for promising preliminary results as evidence for the student’s ability to accomplish technical aspects of the PhD research. The plan for proposed work should be sufficiently ambitious in scope so as to advance the state of knowledge and/or capabilities in some field, but also realistic, and in most cases the work is expected to result in multiple publications.

Three hours must be booked for the qualifying exam. It includes an oral presentation by the student on the research proposal (about 45 min), followed by questions from the Advising Committee. The exam duration should not exceed three hours but is expected to be at least two hours.

Optional: For students who plan to fulfill the Breadth Requirement with a Secondary Research Project, the exam can include a short presentation of a second project proposal, followed by a short period of questions, with the written proposal (approximately five pages single-spaced pages including figures but excluding references) submitted to the Advising Committee and second project advisor at least two weeks before the exam. However, this is entirely optional and it is not required that students identify a second project advisor and research project prior to the qualifying exam.

The outcome of the exam is determined using the following procedure:

1. The student takes the qualifying exam, and the committee votes to pass or not pass the student in a closed session at the end. A pass decision requires a majority vote of the committee. If the committee has an even number of members and the vote is tied, the pass/no pass decision is determined by the advisor’s vote.

2. The committee has two “not pass” options, and the procedure described below is the departmental implementation of the university procedure stated in section 5.6.1 of the GAP opens in a new tab. With either “not pass” option, the committee provides the student with an explanation of their decision in writing and orally.

   1. Not pass, with the option to retake the exam.

   2. Not pass, without the option to retake the exam. *See below for the appeals procedure.

3. If the student is given the option to retake the exam, the student and advisor develop a written plan, submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies and graduate studies committee for approval, that is intended to help the student succeed in the retake. The plan should be completed and approved within two weeks of the failed exam, with extensions granted by the Director of Graduate Studies and department chair in extenuating circumstances.

4. The retake must be completed within two quarters of the initial failed exam. These two quarters include summer quarter if the student continues with full-time enrollment at Stanford over the summer but excludes it otherwise. For example, a failed exam in spring quarter would be retaken in the next academic year by the end of either autumn quarter (if the student remained with full-time enrollment at Stanford over the summer) or winter quarter (if the student was not at Stanford over the summer). The qualifying exam (and appeals) procedure is identical, except there is no option to retake with a “not pass” vote.

5. If the student is to be dismissed from the program, the Director of Graduate Studies and/or chair will work with the student to develop a plan for leaving the program, which will be recorded in writing. The plan will address when the student leaves the PhD program (typically, this would be at the end of the subsequent quarter), whether or not there is an option to switch to the MS program (which would follow the departmental procedure on degree transfers), and whether or not funding will be provided for any remaining time in the PhD program.

*Appeals procedure: If the committee votes “Not pass, without the option to retake the exam,” then the student can appeal, as stated in section 5.6.1 of the GAP opens in a new tab. There are two reasons for appeal:

1. The student believes that the exam was not fair and equitable. The student can make this appeal independently of the support of the advisor.

2. The student and the advisor believe the student might be successful in a retake.

An appeals committee evaluates the appeal. The appeals committee consists of 3 faculty, none of whom are on the advising committee. By default the appeals committee is the graduate studies committee but with members replaced by other Geophysics faculty selected by the Director of Graduate Studies, chair, or person appointed by the chair (i.e., someone with no conflict of interest) if they are also part of the advising committee. If the appeals committee votes no, the student is dismissed from the program. If they vote yes, the student can retake the exam. If the appeals committee cannot reach a consensus, then the appeal will be handled by the SDSS Senior Associate Dean of Education and SDSS Assistant Dean for Student Services.

Every doctoral student is required to pass a University Oral Examination. The University Oral Examination aims to test the candidate’s command of the field of study and confirm fitness for scholarly pursuits. The department requires a defense of the dissertation presented upon completion of a pre-final draft that the doctoral dissertation reading committee will tentatively approve two weeks before the oral examination date. The oral examination is intended to verify that the research represents the candidate’s contribution to knowledge and to test the student’s understanding of the research. General questions about the field as a whole, but beyond the scope of the dissertation itself, may be included. More information about the University Oral examination requirement can be found in the GAP handbook opens in a new tab.

The PhD dissertation must be submitted in its final form within five calendar years from admission to candidacy. Under the supervision of the doctoral dissertation reading committee, the candidate must prepare a doctoral dissertation that contributes to knowledge and results from independent research. The format of the dissertation must meet university guidelines. The student is urged to prepare dissertation chapters that, in scientific content and format, are readily publishable. The doctoral dissertation is defended in the University Oral Examination. The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee members are charged to read and approve the thesis. More information about the university dissertation requirement can be found in the GAP handbook opens in a new tab.