EPS-MS - Earth and Planetary Sciences (MS)

The MS is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship, high attainment in a particular field of knowledge, and the ability to conduct independent research. To this end, the program’s objectives are to enable students to develop the skills needed to conduct original investigations in a particular discipline or set of disciplines in the Earth and Planetary Sciences, to interpret the results, and to present the data and conclusions in a publishable manner.

Advising Expectations

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is committed to providing academic advising to support graduate students’ scholarly and professional development. The department strives to ensure everyone has a fulfilling experience by creating an inclusive culture. The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability shares this commitment as reflected in the Doerr School Policy on Respectful and Inclusive Behavior. Concerning the advising relationship, this entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Inclusivity and Diversity

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences strives to ensure that graduate students feel safe, secure, and supported during their graduate experience. It does not tolerate harassment targeting race, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, physical appearance, age, and/or religion. Any experience of discrimination, harassment, or inequity in the department will not be tolerated and will be met with appropriate consequences by Stanford university’s Harassment and Discrimination policy. Students can seek support from the Associate Chair of Diversity and Inclusion, Erik Sperling, or the Assistant Director of Student Services, Anjani Varma.

Mental Health

Members of the Earth and Planetary Sciences department recognize that challenges to mental health are real and can come from both inside and outside the academic setting. We support and encourage each other to seek mental health and well-being resources. If any event during the graduate experience places a student under undue stress that inhibits their performing to their potential, the department encourages the student to seek support from the Director of Graduate Studies (Jane Willenbring), Assistant Director of Student Services (Anjani Varma) or university services (Counseling and Psychological Services).

Academic Accommodations

The Office of Accessible Education (OAE) is the campus office designated to work with Stanford students with disabilities. To comply with Stanford’s academic accommodations process, faculty should not attempt to arrange accommodations with the student. Students with questions about accommodations should contact OAE to initiate a disability-related request for accommodations. When a student presents an OAE Accommodation Letter, that letter should be followed, or the faculty member should work with the student and OAE to implement and/or modify the recommended accommodations. Students are expected to initiate accommodations requests promptly and to provide prompt notification of changes to approved accommodations. Faculty are responsible for maintaining student confidentiality and treating all disability-related information as confidential.

Establishing Advisor-Advisee Expectations

Both advisor and advisee are expected to take responsibility for actively discussing the nature of the graduate experience. For first-year students, the discussion results regarding the nature of the graduate experience and the expectations of each party are summarized in a document that both advisor and advisee sign. The relationship and expectations evolve as the student progresses through their graduate experience. Regularly scheduled advisor-advisee interactions are an essential component of this relationship. Advisors are expected to check in with their students every quarter to discuss how the expectations are met and if any expectations need updating. Students are encouraged to revisit these conversations when the advisor-advisee relationship is not meeting their needs and/or expectations are not met. Additionally, a written review in spring quarter covers the student’s academic progress with their advisor(s) and committee members.

Graduate students are expected to proactively seek academic and professional guidance and take responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program. In addition to the primary advisor, students are highly encouraged to seek advice from other faculty in the department and other faculty and researchers (Stanford or external) who align with their research interests. See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising. Students can seek support and assistance from the Assistant Director of Student Services (Anjani Varma) when needed.

Guidelines for advisor-advisee interactions

The advisor-advisee relationship is mutual. Graduate students and faculty can expect mutual respect, high professional standards, and the sharing of ideas and research. Advisors should strive continuously to improve their mentoring abilities. Group dynamics can be complex; advisors should strive to treat students equitably, including the distribution of opportunities in a group, classroom, field, and laboratory settings. Further information regarding guidelines and best practices on advising and mentoring is available from the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and School-wide documents like the Stanford Earth Academic Professional Program: School-wide Suggestions. Graduate students are expected to exercise high professional standards in their academic work, research, and mentoring partnerships and to be proactive in seeking advice and keeping the advisor informed about academic and research progress. Students and advisors must be responsible for meeting timelines, policies, and milestones impacting degree progress. We expect respect and equity in our department at all levels, from one-on-one interactions to department-wide events. 

Students in need of assistance should contact the Assistant Director of Student Services, Anjani Varma, or the Assistant Dean of Student Services, Alyssa Ferree, to be informed about a clearly articulated path of contact for their questions, concerns, and challenges around advising that they may experience. Students may also contact any school representatives listed below to discuss issues regarding advisor-advisee interactions:

Other faculty members of your advisory committee

• Jane Willenbring, Director of Graduate Studies in Earth and Planetary Sciences

• Wendy Mao, Department Chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences

• Anne Charity Hudley, Associate Dean for Educational Affairs

• Sue Crutcher, Associate Dean for Human Resources and Faculty Affairs

• Graduate Student Advisory Council representatives in Earth and Planetary Sciences