STATS-PHD - Statistics (PhD)

Students who completed graduate coursework at another institution are encouraged to transfer course units in winter quarter of their first year of doctoral study. The Director of Graduate Studies will evaluate transfer of units on a course-by-course basis. Graduate work accepted for transfer of residency does not automatically exempt a student from having to complete a course requirement for the degree.

The Department of Statistics is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisors guide students in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

The advisor-student mentorship takes many different forms, including, but not limited to, programmatic consultation and degree progress, and support and collaboration relating to research, conferences, publications, and academic and professional opportunities.

It is the student’s responsibility to meet with their advisor at least once per quarter during the academic year to discuss academic standing and graduate degree progress. In addition, the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) is always available to PhD students for consultation. 

Program requirements and milestones and more detailed descriptions of the program’s expectations of advisors and students are listed in the Statistics PhD Handbook, available to Stanford affiliates, on the department website.