Advising

The Program in Public Policy 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. 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.

All graduate students must submit a signed faculty advisor form by the end of their first quarter. The form is available on the Graduate Forms website. opens in a new tab The advisor need not be affiliated with the Public Policy Program but does need to be a member of Stanford’s Academic Council. The director and student services staff can assist by providing individualized support in identifying a faculty advisor, if necessary. 

Faculty advisors guide students 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.

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. Students are encouraged to communicate clearly and frequently with their advisors. 

See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.