Advising

Academic advising by department faculty is a critical component of graduate students’ education. The Political Science department 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. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

As a best practice, students and advisors should periodically discuss advising expectations to ensure mutual understanding. Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

The Director of Graduate Studies assigns all incoming doctoral students two pre-candidacy mentors. These mentors advise students until they advance to candidacy in critical areas such as course selection, initial research projects, and early-stage professional development opportunities. Students should meet with their pre-candidacy mentors at least once per quarter, although there is likely to be variation in meeting frequency by individual advisor and advisee.

In the third year, students will convene a prospectus committee in autumn quarter, which will meet monthly, to receive an update on overall progress and to provide feedback on the prospectus. This committee will consist of three faculty members who will be expected to approve the final prospectus by the end of the year. While this prospectus committee may form the basis for a dissertation reading committee, students will be free to assemble a dissertation reading committee whose members differ from those of the prospectus committee.

In autumn quarter of the fourth year, students must formally identify their full reading committee. The student selects the advisor and committee based on expertise relevant to the dissertation project. Students should meet with their advisor and reading committee at least once per quarter. However, there is likely to be variation in meeting frequency by individual advisor and advisee.

Faculty advisors should guide in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

At least once per year, formally or informally, students and advisors are expected to review the student’s progress toward completing their research and degree. Such discussions may include other members of the student’s dissertation committee, together or individually.

Nearly all students have an advisor from the department’s primary faculty members. In rare circumstances, the dissertation advisor may be a faculty member from another Stanford department. When the research advisor is outside the department, the student must also identify a co-adviser from the department’s primary faculty.

The Director of Graduate Studies is an additional student advising resource, particularly in degree progress, program requirements, and selecting research advisors. The Director of Graduate Studies and student services staff monitor academic progress and student completion of program requirements and milestones. They are discussed at meetings of the faculty twice per academic year.

Requirements, milestones, and more detailed descriptions of the program’s expectations of advisors and students are listed in the PhD Program Guide opens in a new tab.