Advising

The Neurosciences Program is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by the advisor and the advisee.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship. They should proactively seek academic and professional guidance and take responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for the Neurosciences PhD program.

All first-year Neurosciences graduate students have an assigned first-year advisor. This faculty member guides lab rotations, thesis lab selection, and reminds students of their academic and administrative responsibilities.

Graduate students are expected to select a thesis advisor by June 15 of the programʼs first year. They are encouraged to collaborate with their advisor to establish a dissertation project and form a Dissertation Reading Committee. Advancement to doctoral candidacy and forming a Dissertation Reading Committee is expected to occur by the end of the programʼs second year.

Thesis advisors are expected to meet with graduate students at least once yearly and help develop the studentʼs Individual Development Plan (IDP). Additionally, advisors and students should meet regularly throughout the year to discuss the studentʼs professional development in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Graduate students are expected to meet with their Dissertation Reading Committee at least annually in the third and fourth years of training and at least twice annually starting in the fifth year.

The program co-directors and staff monitor academic progress and student completion of program requirements and milestones. Faculty may discuss them at meetings devoted to assessing graduate student progress. A detailed description of the program’s requirements, milestones, and advising expectations are listed in the Neurosciences PhD Student Handbook, found on the program website opens in a new tab.

See Graduate Advising opens in a new tab for a university policy statement on graduate advising and the Stanford Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP)  opens in a new tabhandbook. The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education opens in a new tab provides additional guidance and resources.