GEOPH-MS - Geophysics (MS)

Refer to University policy on Transfer Work.

The Department of Geophysics is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.

Minimum Advising Expectations for the Department of Geophysics

1. Each advisor meets with each advisee annually in autumn quarter to develop/update the Geophysics Graduate Advising Expectations Agreement that records the agreed-upon approach to the following for each advisee:

• Courses: the process and responsibility for selecting courses

• Thesis topic: the process and responsibility for choosing the topic

• Members of advising committee: the process and responsibility for the selection

• Meetings of advisor and advisee: structure and frequency

• Conducting the research: the level of independence and progress expected, the involvement of the advisor (level of participation, nature of oversight), involvement of other collaborators (both inside and outside of the research group)

• Thesis content, including expectations concerning publications

• Writing of publications: style of interaction, policy on co-authorship, publication costs

• Conference travel/presentations: who attends/presents, frequency, financial support

• Funding (stipend, tuition, research costs): source, responsibilities, requirements for ongoing support

• In-the-office hours

• Vacations and other absences

• Expectations for summer quarter

• Preparing for career interests, and plans after Stanford

The document, signed by the advisor and advisee, is submitted to the assistant director of student services. If the advisor-advisee discussion would benefit from the involvement of an additional person, either the advisor or advisee can request the presence of a faculty or staff member of the school.

The expectations agreement is reviewed by the assistant director of student services and the director of graduate studies, with follow-up as needed.

If there is a change in advisor, the expectations agreement must be completed with the new advisor within the first quarter after the change.

2. A one-hour annual review focused on academic progress is held every year; in the first year, this is deferred to autumn of the second year. This meeting includes the advisee and the advising committee [see below details on committee composition].

At any time, a student with questions or concerns can approach any one of the following individuals in the school:

• Other faculty members of the advisory committee

• Assistant director of student services

• Director of graduate studies

• Director of diversity and inclusion

• Department chair

• Alyssa Ferree, Assistant Dean of Student and Postdoctoral Affairs

• Jenny Saltzman, Assistant Dean for Professional Development and Community

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

Faculty Advisor

Students admitted to the Geophysics MS program are assigned a faculty advisor. This faculty advisor carries out the responsibilities described in the Graduate Academic Policy and Procedures (GAP) handbook. The faculty advisor is also responsible for other aspects of mentoring students during their time at Stanford, including monitoring academic progress. This faculty advisor is a member of the Academic Council with a primary or joint appointment in the Geophysics Department; this does not include courtesy or adjunct faculty. Faculty who have recently become emeritus and have been recalled to active duty may serve as Faculty Advisor, even though they are no longer current members of the Academic Council. 

More information about the role of the faculty advisor and the university academic advising policies can be found in the GAP handbook.

In the exceptional case where permission is granted by the chair for a student to have a faculty advisor outside the Geophysics department, it is recommended (but not required) that the student have a co-advisor within the Geophysics department. 

Advising Committee

The Geophysics department requires each MS student to have an advising committee formed by the student and advisor before the student’s first annual review (typically autumn quarter of the second year). The advising committee provides additional support and expertise for the MS student as they conduct their research.

The advising committee includes the faculty advisor and (if relevant) the co-advisor, plus at least one other Stanford faculty member (members of the Stanford Academic Council or emeriti faculty). The advising committee can also include a committee member (from inside or outside of Stanford) that contributes to an area of expertise that is not readily available from the faculty and holds a PhD or equivalent foreign degree. If a faculty member on an advising committee is on sabbatical or leave, they will have either agreed to continue serving in an advisory capacity or will have made an alternate arrangement. Students should discuss this with the faculty member and can consult with their faculty advisor or the director of graduate studies.

Process for Addressing Concerns Related to Advisor/Advisee Relationship:

Faculty members with academic concerns about their advisees can contact the assistant director of student services(ADSS)  to discuss options. Dismissal of graduate students is addressed in separate guidelines (see GAP 5.6 Dismissal For Academic and Professional Reasons). The following are examples of options to address academic and/or wellbeing concerns of graduate students:

1. Consultation with members of the advising committee, director of graduate studies (DGS), director of diversity and inclusion (DDI) or department chair

2. Consultation with university support offices including the dean’s office, the Graduate Life Office (GLO), Bechtel International Center, the Office of Accessible Education (OAE), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Ombuds office.

Students with concerns about the advisee/advisor relationship should meet with the ADSS to discuss options. The ADSS will provide resources as well as recommend that the student meet with a faculty member (such as a member of their advisory committee, the DGS, the DDI, department chair or any faculty member to whom they feel comfortable speaking). In cases where the advisor/advisee relationship does not improve, the student will be supported in developing and implementing a formal, agreed-upon plan to correct the situation. The steps for doing so are as follows:

• The student meets with the ADSS again to review concerns and clearly document examples of the concerns as well as attempts made to mediate the concerns. 

• The student meets with the DGS and/or the department chair and if appropriate the ADSS will join the meetings. 

• The student may consult with Graduate Life Office for additional support. 

• Following the series of meetings with appropriate support staff and faculty, and assessment of concerns, the student, in consultation with the support staff and any faculty, creates a draft advising plan with goals, concerns, ideas for solutions, timelines, any other pertinent information (such as increased 1:1 advising, team advising, a timeline for check-ins, etc.). The draft advising plan must also include a schedule for check-in meetings with the ADSS, DGS, or other relevant people, no less than once per quarter, to ensure that the plan has been successful. The draft advising plan, along with the student’s Advising Expectations document, is shared in advance of the meeting that is detailed next. 

• A meeting is organized with the DGS, advisor, student, ADSS, and any other faculty (such as the chair of the department where the advisor has their primary appointment) or support staff (such as a GLO dean or the university ombuds) that the DGS or student would like to have in attendance. The meeting is chaired by the DGS. The student presents the advising plan and all members of the meeting discuss the plan. At the conclusion of the meeting, the advising plan is updated to reflect any changes agreed upon during the meeting. The updated advising plan is approved by the student, advisor, and the DGS, and placed in the student’s file by the ADSS.

• Following the meeting, the student follows the check-in process described in the advising plan.

  Should students request more information about changing advisors, they should read the school policy as well as speak to both the ADSS and DGS or appropriate faculty members. SDSS Intranet Login