ENERGY-PHD - Energy Science and Engineering (PhD)
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Program Overview
The Energy Science and Engineering PhD program is focused on related energy topics such as renewable energy, global climate change, carbon capture and sequestration, energy storage, and energy systems. The Energy Science and Engineering curriculum provides a sound background in basic sciences and their application to practical problems to address the complex and changing nature of the field. Coursework includes the fundamentals of physics, chemistry, geology, computational physics, numerical analysis, and engineering science. Applied courses cover most aspects of energy science and engineering. The curriculum includes the fundamental aspects of energy transfer and fluid flow in subsurface geologic formations and energy storage, transmission, and use at the surface. These principles apply to energy systems, optimizing energy recovery from hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs, subsurface carbon dioxide sequestration, energy storage using batteries and underground hydrogen, and the remediation of groundwater systems.
Admissions Information
Admissions information can be found at ESE Admissions.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
The following are the minimum requirements for a student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering to remain in good academic standing regarding coursework:
No more than one incomplete grade at any time
A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.25
A grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 each quarter
A minimum of 15 units completed within each two-quarter period (excluding summer quarter)
Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, incomplete grades in courses within the department are changed to NP (not passed) at the end of the quarter after the one in which the course was given. This one-quarter limit is different from the maximum one-year limit the university allows.
Academic performance is reviewed each quarter by a faculty committee. At the beginning of the next quarter, any student not in good academic standing receives a letter from the committee or department chair stating the criteria that must be met to return to good academic standing. If the situation is not corrected by the end of the quarter, possible consequences include termination of financial support, termination of departmental privileges, and dismissal from the university.
Students funded by research grants or fellowships from the department are expected to spend at least half of their time (a minimum of 20 hours per week) on research. Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory research effort and progress as determined by the student’s advisor. After autumn quarter of the first year, students receive a letter from the department chair concerning their research performance. If problems are identified, and they persist through the second quarter, a warning letter is sent. Problems continuing into a third quarter may lead to loss of departmental support, including tuition and stipend. Similar procedures are applied in subsequent years.
The PhD degree is awarded primarily based on the completion of significant, original research. Extensive coursework and a minimum of 90 units of graduate work beyond the master’s degree requirements are needed. PhD students receiving financial assistance are limited to 10 units per quarter, often requiring more than three years beyond the MS degree to complete the Ph.D.
In addition to university and the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, basic requirements for the doctorate, the Energy Science and Engineering PhD degree has the following requirements:
Complete 135 units of total graduate work (including the 45 units needed to meet the program requirements and 90 units beyond the master’s degree requirements). The 90 units are composed of a minimum of 36 units of research and a minimum of 18 units of coursework. The 18-course units are expected to focus on the PhD research topic. At least half of the classes must be at a 200 level or higher, and all must be taken for a letter grade. Students with an MS degree or other specialized training from outside ESE are generally expected to include course, course, course, course or their equivalents. The number and distribution of courses are determined with input from the research advisors and department graduate program committee.
To achieve candidacy (usually during or at the end of the first year of enrollment), the student must complete 18 units of letter-graded coursework beyond the MS degree requirements, pass a written exam, develop a written PhD research proposal, and choose a dissertation committee.
The research advisor(s) and two other faculty members comprise the dissertation reading committee. Upon completing the dissertation, the student must pass a University Oral Examination in defense of the dissertation.
Gain experience in teaching, while enrolling in course Doctoral Degree Teaching Requirement.
Complete four units of course ESE Graduate Seminar in addition to the three units of ENERGY 352 under MS requirements. These units do not count toward the 18 units of coursework required for the PhD degree.
Eighteen units of coursework is a minimum; in some cases, the research advisor may specify additional requirements to strengthen the student’s expertise in particular areas. The 18 units of coursework do not include required teaching experience (course Doctoral Degree Teaching Requirement) nor required research seminars.
The dissertation must be submitted in its final form within five calendar years from the date of admission to candidacy. Candidates who fail to meet this deadline must submit an Application for Extension of Candidacy for approval by the department chair if they wish to continue in the program.
Students following the PhD program in Energy Science and Engineering may enter the program with a BS degree without first holding an MS degree. The first part of the program requires the student to meet the requirements of the MS degree, although it is not required for the student to graduate with the MS degree (although most will do so). Students may also enter the program already holding an MS degree (or equivalent), although it need not be specifically in Energy Science and Engineering.
After the second quarter at Stanford, a faculty committee evaluates the student’s progress. A written warning is issued if a student is found to be deficient in coursework and/or research. After the third quarter, the faculty committee decides whether or not funding should be continued for the student. Students denied funding after the third quarter are advised against proceeding with the PhD proposal, though the student may choose to proceed under personal funding.
Students are required to earn at least 4 credits from the graduate seminar in addition to the 3 units expected of MS students. Hence, a student entering the PhD program with a BS degree (but no MS) must complete a minimum of 7 units of graduate seminar. These units are not counted within the 18 units of coursework requirement.
PhD Minor in Another Department
The student must propose the possibility of pursuing a PhD minor, clearly and explicitly, in the written PhD proposal. The committee will then discuss and decide upon this during the oral portion of the PhD proposal defense.
Students can “double-count” a maximum of four courses toward both their ESE course requirements (18 units, typically six courses) and their minor requirements (e.g., 20 units in CS). Note that the minor department may not allow double-counting within their requirements. This means that two of the six courses required by ESE cannot also be applied for the minor. The course requirements for the ESE PhD degree must be approved in advance by the advisor as part of the Application for Candidacy. Any substitutions of courses to meet minor requirements cannot be made without the advisor’s signed approval.
We reiterate that students must review their course selections with their advisor at the start of every quarter.
The procedure for Ph.D. qualification is identical for individuals who entered the department as an M.S. or as a Ph.D. student. For students completing an M.S. in the department who wish to transfer to the Ph.D. program, the student formally applies to the Ph.D. program during the M.S. degree program. The student is considered for admission to the Ph.D. program along with external applicants. The admission decision is based primarily upon research progress and course work.
There are three steps to the qualification procedure. These steps are:
Students take a written exam that is offered just before the beginning of Autumn Quarter (usually at the end of the first year).
Write and defend a research proposal (before the end of the quarter after passing the written exam).
Fulfill the M.S. degree requirements (usually by the end of the second year, except for students who already hold the M.S. degree). Students are not necessarily required to receive the M.S. degree, although most are likely to do so.
The written exam focuses upon synthesis of knowledge acquired from the core courses in ESE. Typically, students are expected to have expertise in the materials of the following classes:
course, course, course, course or ENERGY221, course, course, CME206 or course
The exams have a goal of allowing students to exhibit capability to solve engineering problems in the synthesis of subjects (not necessarily in each subject individually).
Students who enter the program directly from B.S. and those transferring from the M.S. program within the department during their first year, take the written exam typically just prior to Fall quarter of their second year of graduate study at Stanford. Students who completed their M.S. outside of the department take the written exam at the beginning of their fourth quarter as Ph.D. students (also just prior to Fall quarter of their second year). Students who transfer from the M.S. program within the department during their second year, take the written exam just prior to Fall quarter of their third year of graduate study at Stanford. A student who does not pass the exam may in some cases be allowed to take the exam a second time; however this is a decision of the examining faculty committee. Any student who does not pass the written exam is considered to have failed the qualifying exam. Any student who is deemed to have not made sufficient research progress may not be allowed to take the written exam and research progress is taken into account for pass, fail, and retake decisions. Failure is a cause for dismissal from the program.
The second step of the Ph.D. qualifying procedure includes a written Ph.D. proposal and oral defense. Each student must select a committee of three faculty members, including the advisor(s), who read the proposal and attend the oral defense. The other committee members should be chosen in consultation with the advisor(s). One of the committee members can be a senior research scientist, or an external researcher, where appropriate. In the case of a coadvising situation, the committee may include a total of four members (three is also acceptable in this case).
The body of the written proposal, including references, should be 25-35 pages long (note the 35-page maximum). The written proposal can additionally include, as appendices, papers that have been published or submitted, but the student should not expect the committee to read the material in the appendices. Templates (11-point font, standard margins) for the proposal should be used and are available on the department’s website.
The proposal, with approximate lengths for the various sections, should include:
Introduction and literature review, including critical unanswered research questions (4-8 pages)
Problem statement and research progress to date, including formulations, data and methods used (or to be applied), initial results and discussion, etc. (15-25 pages)
Proposed work, intellectual/practical merit, timeline (3-5 pages)
References
The proposal must be provided to the committee, both as hard copy and via email, a minimum of two weeks prior to the oral defense. This two-week lead time is a firm requirement. The oral proposal should be scheduled for two hours. This will include a formal talk, of length 35-40 minutes, followed by questions from each committee member. Questions may be on the proposed research as well as the general field of study. The student can pass, pass with qualifications requiring more classes or teaching assistantships, or fail. A student who fails may in some cases be allowed to repeat the proposal; however this is a decision of the examining faculty committee. Any student who does not pass the proposal is considered to have failed the qualifying exam. Failure is a cause for dismissal from the program.
Students who began their Ph.D. program directly from the B.S. degree, and students who completed their M.S. outside of the department must complete the proposal in their fourth quarter of study, not counting summer (which will typically be Fall quarter of their second year). Students who transfer from their M.S. in the department must prepare and defend their proposal in their third quarter, not counting summer, as a Ph.D. student (this will typically be spring quarter). In either case the advisor may request a one-quarter delay for extenuating circumstances such as a major change in research focus between M.S. and Ph.D. programs, serious health issues, etc. Note that this request must originate from the advisor, not the student.
Students who began their program in Energy Resources Engineering (ERE) prior to 2023 and who have passed the qualification procedure and later wish to change their degree objective from ERE to ESE may petition the graduate standing committee. A switch of degree objective is not automatically granted. Petitions are made in writing and must include a brief explanation of the request for a change in degree objective and a plan to make up subject matter deficiencies. At minimum, students who petition are expected to complete ultimately all courses listed as contributing subject matter to the written exam in the area of their degree objective with a minimum grade of 'B'. The graduate standing committee decides whether petitions have merit and if additional steps are needed to address deficiencies. Such switches in degree objective are considered provisional until all conditions have been met.
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 submitted to the doctoral dissertation reading committee three 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 is found on the GAP website.
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 doctoral dissertation is defended in the University Oral Examination. The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee members are charged to read the thesis draft. More information about the university dissertation requirement is found on the GAP website.