| | | Program Information: Ph.D. Degree |
2007-2008
The major steps in earning the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering are:
The material in this section has been compiled to aid students in
preparing the form Application for Candidacy for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy and to inform them of University and
Departmental requirements for the degree. The form Directions for
Preparing Doctoral Dissertations is available from the Department Office, from
the Graduate Degree Progress Office
of the Registrar's Office, and
online at
http://registrar.stanford.edu/shared/publications.htm. The
pamphlet entitled Doctoral Dissertation Agreement Form from UMI Dissertation
Publishing ProQuest Information and Learning is also available in these
offices and should be reviewed as the dissertation nears
completion. You can also print the Doctoral Dissertation Agreement
Form off the Web from
http://www.il.proquest.com/dissertationagree/
using
User ID: Dissertations
Password: Publish
When the above requirements have been met, a student may file the application for Ph.D. candidacy; the application form may be picked up in the EE Office.
The Department requires that the application for candidacy be completed by the end of spring quarter of the academic year following the one in which the student has passed the qualifying exam. Thus students have a little over one academic year following passing the qualifying exams to file for candidacy for the PhD degree. The University requires that a new student file the application for candidacy before completing the second year of doctoral study at Stanford. Honor's Co-op students must apply for candidacy by the end of spring quarter of the fourth year. The application for candidacy is signed by the Academic Adviser, the Principal Dissertation Adviser, the Associate Dissertation Adviser, and the Department Chair. On the form the student will list courses that total 90 units to be used for the Ph.D. degree, including graduate courses completed and Stanford courses to be completed.
Under ordinary circumstances, candidacy is valid for five years from the date of approval by the department unless terminated by the department (for example, for unsatisfactory progress). All applications for extension must be filed by the student before the conclusion of the program's time limit. The department is not obligated to grant an extension. Students may receive a maximum of one additional year of candidacy per extension. Extensions require review by the department of a dissertation progress report, a timetable for completion of the dissertation, and any other factors regarded as relevant by the department, and approval by the deparment.
Students should be aware of the University policies regarding minimum progress requirements requirements for graduate students as spelled out in the Stanford Bulletin in the chapter titled "Graduate Degrees." In the rare event that an adviser or student decide to terminate their relationship, the student retains candidacy and remains in the PhD program, but it is expected that the student will actively seek a new adviser and will find one within one year in order to satisfy the minimum progress requirements of the department.
The Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering is a specialized degree, but is built on a broad base of science, mathematics, and engineering skills. The course program is expected to reflect competency in Electrical Engineering and specialized study in other areas relevant to the student's research focus. Normally the majority of units are drawn from EE department courses, with typically 9 units from related advanced science, mathematics, or engineering.
The student and the principal dissertation adviser choose a course program, subject to the approval of the Graduate Degree Committee. The program must satisfy the following minimum unit guidelines:
90 course units beyond the MS degree, of which
21 are letter-graded units in technical areas such as science, mathematics, and engineering of which 12 are departmental units numbered at 200 level or above. (Departmental courses include those listed as EE courses or as EE cognate courses, out of department courses which are considered as EE courses for program purposes. Cognate courses are listed in Table *.)
Thesis, Special Studies (e.g., EE 191, EE 391), research units (e.g., EE 300, EE 400), nondepartmental units in nontechnical areas, seminar units, and courses taken CR/NC may not be counted toward the minimum 21 letter-graded units in technical areas, but may be counted toward the other 69 units needed to fulfill the requirement of 90 course units beyond the MS degree.
The proposed program must be provided on the "Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree" and any deviations from these guidelines must be accompanied by an explanation and the approval of the dissertation supervisor. All deviations must be approved by the Department Graduate Degree Committee.
Up to three quarters of residency credit for graduate level course
work at another school may be transferred by submitting an
"Application for Graduate Residency Credit" form. The work must
have been done after receipt of the Bachelor's degree at a school
acceptable to the Graduate Degree Progress Office. Only courses with
a grade of B or better will be considered. One semester unit counts
as 1.5 quarter units.
The completed form should be submitted
after completing at least one successful
quarter of work at Stanford
to the Graduate Degree Progress
Office
in the Registrar's Office:
Office of the Stanford University Registrar
630 Serra Street, Suite 120
Stanford, CA 94305-6032
The Office of Graduate Admissions will
determine the admissibility of residency credit from a foreign
university. Residency credit does not reduce the 90 units of courses
taken at Stanford that are needed for the Ph.D. degree.
Students are normally expected to maintain a grade point average of 3.35 or better in their continued study toward the Ph.D.
The single most important part of a Ph.D. program is the research for and writing of a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation must be approved by a reading committee. The dissertation reading committee must be formed by the end of the fourth year after matriculation for pre-MS students and by the end of the third year for post-MS students.
A dissertation reading committee consists of three faculty members. The first reader on your reading committee will be your principal adviser; the second reader will be your associate adviser. The third reader normally is a member of the same laboratory as the first two readers. Effective January 2008, it is an EE Department Requirement that the principal adviser be a member of the Academic Council. The University does not permit Consulting Professors to serve as principal dissertation advisers (see Stanford University Faculty Handbook, Chapter 9: Other Teaching Titles: Acting, Visiting, Consulting, By Courtesy, and Voluntary Clinical Appointments, http://www.stanford.edu/dept/provost/faculty/policies/handbook/ch9.html#consulting).
At least one of the first two readers must belong to the EE faculty, and at least two members of the reading committee must be on the Academic Council.
A Senior Research Associate may serve as the second reader. However, if any member of the proposed reading committee is not on the Academic Council, you must obtain Department approval by filling out a "Petition for Doctoral Committee Members" form available in Packard 177, including the curriculum vita of the nonfaculty member. The reader must have a Ph.D. or equivalent. Your dissertation will not be cleared through the Graduate Degree Progress Office unless it has approval on record.
Up to 45 units of Master's degree residency earned at Stanford may be counted toward the 135 units required for the doctoral degree. At least 90 units of work at Stanford are necessary to complete the 135 units.
Near the completion of the doctoral program, the student presents a one-hour public seminar on his or her dissertation research. Following the public presentation, the student is examined in private by a faculty committee of at least four examiners approved by the Department. Details about the University Oral Examination are given in a later section.
Course Units
Grade Point Average
Each quarter the Registrar's Office informs the EE Department of the number of units passed and the cumulative GPA of all EE graduate students for the purpose of departmental review. Students identified as not meeting standards of progress will be given the opportunity to explain why the standard was not met and what they are doing to remedy the situation. Continued permission to enroll will be contingent on approval of the Academic Advisor and the Department.
To be eligible for TGR status, you must have
Program Information: Ph.D. Degree