GEOPH-PHD - Geophysics (PhD)

An incoming student with a relevant Master of Science degree may apply for up to 12 units of residency credit that will count toward the 135 units of graduate study. The transfer credit cannot be used to waive course requirements or the breadth requirement. The director of graduate studies must review and approve all transfer credit requests.

The following policy governs Graduate Residency Transfer Credit for graduate students who follow their faculty advisor from another institution to the Stanford Geophysics department when that faculty member joins the Geophysics department. Up to 45 course credit units can be transferred following the Graduate Residency Transfer Credit policy. With approval from the director of graduate studies, courses with Stanford equivalents can be used to fulfill degree requirements, including, but not limited to, the “How we study” and “What we study” requirements.

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. During the student’s final year in the PhD program, an annual review is held if either the student or advisor believes it would be beneficial; otherwise, the annual review is not required. The annual review 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 Building

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

Advising of PhD Students

Faculty Advisor

Students admitted to the Geophysics PhD 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 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. 

If a student wishes to change faculty advisors at any time in their program, they should speak to the assistant director of student services and director of graduate studies. 

Advising Committee

The Geophysics department requires each PhD 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 PhD students as they conduct their research.

The advising committee includes the faculty advisor and (if relevant) the co-advisor and at least two other Stanford faculty members (members of the Stanford Academic Council or emeriti faculty). The advising committee can also include a committee member (from inside or outside of Stanford) who contributes to an area of expertise that is not readily available from the faculty and holds a PhD or equivalent foreign degree. The majority on the advising committee must be Geophysics faculty (i.e., two Geophysics faculty on a committee of three, three Geophysics faculty on a committee of four or five, etc.). “Geophysics faculty” are members of the Academic Council with a primary or joint appointment in the Geophysics Department or emeriti Geophysics faculty. This does not include courtesy or adjunct faculty. 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.

The advising committee meets with the student during annual reviews and oversees the Qualifying Exam. 

University Oral Exam and Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee

Policies regarding the composition of these committees can be found in sections 4.7 and 4.8 of the GAP.

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. https://insidesdss.stanford.edu/news/when-students-change-advisors-resources-and-guidance

Minimum Degree Progress:

The academic requirements for graduate students include timely completion of university and degree program requirements, such as admission to candidacy, successful completion of qualifying exams, and so on within the established time limits. Students are expected to show evidence of productive and sustained research progress with no conflict of interest or conflict of commitment. The university and department require graduate students to maintain at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average overall in courses applicable to their degree program. 

The record of a student identified during a quarter as not meeting the requirements for minimum progress set by the University is reviewed by the assistant director of student services (ADSS) and the director of graduate studies (DGS) to determine whether the problem lies with administrative matters such as reporting of grades or with academic performance. The student is notified by the DGS (with a cc to the ADSS and Advisor) that their academic performance has not met the requirement for minimum progress set by the university, and they are invited to explain any special circumstances. If it is determined that there is a problem with academic performance, approval for continuation in the degree program is contingent on having a plan to maintain appropriate progress in subsequent quarters. The terms of this plan are developed by the student in consultation with their advisor. The plan sets specific and measurable objectives that must be met over a reasonable time period determined by the Advisor. The time period is at least one quarter but no more than one academic year. The plan is designed to bring the student’s academic standing in line with the requirements for minimum progress. This plan is captured in a document that is signed off by the student, the student’s Advisor, and the DGS. If in any quarter the set objectives are not achieved, a committee will be formed as described in the GAP handbook, section 5.6 to decide if the student should be dismissed. The committee members will be the DGS, Director of Diversity and Inclusion (DDI), and another faculty member (excluding the Advisor) selected by the DGS in consultation with the department chair. If the Advisor is either the DGS or DDI, a replacement member will be chosen by the non-advisor DGS or DDI member in consultation with the department chair. The committee will follow the GAP 5.6.2 procedure, reviewing the case with input from the Advisor and student, and decide if the student will be dismissed from the program. Student appeals are handled using the Student Academic Grievance Procedure. If the Advisor disagrees with a committee decision to dismiss the student, the case will be reviewed by the faculty of the department, with the final decision regarding dismissal obtained by majority vote of the faculty.