The University requires students to be registered in each quarter during which any departmental (i.e., GSE) or University requirement is fulfilled. This applies to the completion of milestones during any quarter, including summer. Milestones include the First- and Second-Year reviews, dissertation proposal, and oral exam. Enrollment in a minimum of 8 units is required during the regular academic year, with few exceptions, and a minimum of 3 units is required during the summer quarter.
 
Students who wish to complete a First- or Second-Year review or a dissertation proposal in the Summer Quarter without registering must contact the Doctoral Programs Officer to discuss their circumstances. Exceptions are considered by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs only in rare and extenuating circumstances. In case of First- and Second-year reviews, the Area Committee must be first made aware of the student’s situation in Executive Session prior to the end of the academic year. In case of the dissertation proposals, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs will directly consider those petitions. In either case, the student must establish that the review or dissertation proposal materials were essentially completed during quarters in which the student was registered, but the review committee cannot evaluate these materials in the following Autumn Quarter and, therefore, must do so in the Summer Quarter due to scheduling and/or administrative impediments, such as faculty member sabbatical leaves. The purpose of this process is to ensure that the student completed the relevant work and thereby used University resources during registered quarters only. Faculty time spent reviewing student materials is considered a University resource. Because most faculty member service is voluntary in summer, members of the student’s review or proposal committee must be willing to serve on a voluntarily basis. Students seeking a registration exception in Summer Quarter must have been enrolled in the prior Spring Quarter.

The GSP is the student’s contract with the GSE and University to fulfill requirements for the doctoral degree. Basically, it is a plan of study that lists courses and units for a student’s specialization and individual academic objectives and how these will satisfy the First Year, Methodology, General Education, and Area Core requirements.

During their first quarter, students should obtain a blank GSP from the GSE website for course planning in consultation with their advisors. The student presents a preliminary GSP during the First-Year Review at the end of a student’s third quarter, and a final GSP will be solidified for the Second-Year Review at the end of their sixth quarter. With the approval of the advisor(s), Area Chair, and Associate Dean of Educational Affairs, students can make changes to the final GSP as their interests evolve and course offerings change. There is no need to formally change a preliminary GSP before the Second-Year Review, but any updates should at least be discussed with the advisor then reviewed by the Doctoral Programs Officer for other policy requirements. Early planning and development of the GSP are important. Courses offerings can change from year to year, so planning in advance enables the student to best address their specific research and academic interests.

Once signed by the student and advisor during the First- or Second-Year Review, the GSP should be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer who will review it and obtain the Area Chair’s signature. A fully signed GSP (i.e., the preliminary version and then the final one) must be in the student’s file at all times throughout the student’s program after they complete the third quarter.

The GSP is the student’s contract with the School of Education and University to fulfill requirements for the doctoral degree. Basically, it is a plan of study that lists courses and units for a student’s specialization and individual academic objectives and how these will satisfy the First Year, Methodology, General Education, and Area Core requirements.

During their first quarter, students should obtain a blank GSP from the School of Education website for course planning in consultation with their advisors. The student presents a preliminary GSP during the First-Year Review at the end of a student’s third quarter, and a final GSP will be solidified for the Second-Year Review at the end of their sixth quarter. With the approval of the advisor(s), Area Chair, and Associate Dean of Educational Affairs, students can make changes to the final GSP as their interests evolve and course offerings change. There is no need to formally change a preliminary GSP before the Second-Year Review, but any updates should at least be discussed with the advisor then reviewed by the Doctoral Programs Officer for other policy requirements. Early planning and development of the GSP are important. Courses offerings can change from year to year, so planning in advance enables the student to best address their specific research and academic interests.

Once signed by the student and advisor during the First- or Second-Year Review, the GSP should be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer who will review it and obtain the Area Chair’s signature. A fully signed GSP (i.e., the preliminary version and then the final one) must be in the student’s file at all times throughout the student’s program after they complete the third quarter.

The GSE employs a hearing process for student milestones as a means of providing a venue for formative and summative assessment of students’ progress. As a result, these meetings are of vital importance to students’ progress. The fundamental structure of these hearings involves students’ presenting research and hearing from informed faculty about ways to improve the quality and impact of the research. Ultimately, these meetings require the full participation of faculty and students.

In recognition of the benefits and limitations of the digital age, we acknowledge the value and need of participating via digital means (e.g. Videoconference/Teleconference). We encourage full participation, which involves both students and faculty being physically present in the same room for a hearing. However, under extenuating circumstances we will honor the use of digital meeting forums such as videoconferences and teleconferences as an acceptable form for participation in hearings. This is a secondary option to the preferred in-person hearing format for students. The notes below, highlight the process of earning approval and scheduling a meeting using digital means:

STEP 1: Securing Approval

The primary decision to allow for the use of digital conferencing is that of the student’s academic advisor. As a result, the student must acquire written approval from their primary advisor to host the virtual meeting instead of the traditional in-person hearing. This written approval should include the student’s rationale for missing the in-person hearing and must be accompanied an e-mail from the advisor documenting their approval. Both documents must be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer, Jeremy Edwards (drjae003@stanford.edu).

STEP 2: Approval From The Area Chair

Prior to hosting the videoconference, the student must share the approval documents from their advisor with their area chair for final approval. Upon receiving and email of approval from the area chair, the student is cleared to attend their hearing in digital form. These hearings include QP Hearings and Dissertation Proposals. They do not include University Oral Exams (i.e. Dissertation Defenses), as University policy stipulates that the primary adviser, the student, and the out-of-department chairperson must be present and may not participate virtually (see https://gap.stanford.edu/handbooks/gap-handbook/chapter-4/subchapter-7/p...).

STEP 3: Hosting the Video Conference

The videoconferencing meeting is to be held according to area rules and all corresponding materials must be completed as outlined in the doctoral handbook.

At the end of the third quarter, students complete a review of their first year’s work in order to assess their progress in conducting research, ensure that their Graduate Study Program (GSP) reflects adequate breadth and depth of knowledge in their field, and identify any additional training needs of the student.

A committee, comprised of the program advisor(s) and other faculty, evaluates the student’s portfolio and overall academic progress to date in a review hearing. The portfolio normally contains the preliminary GSP, transcripts, and Area-specific materials, and it is submitted at least two to four weeks prior to the review hearing date.

Each Area’s section of this Handbook details the Area-specific requirements for the review. Students must meet with their advisor several weeks in advance of the review to discuss expectations, scheduling, and portfolio due date. Committee membership requirements are discussed in the Committee Composition for First- and Second-Year Reviews section.

The First-Year Review Committee may advise a student against continuing in the program. If a student wishes to petition such a decision, then the matter will be brought before the Area Committee, which makes a recommendation to the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs for action. If a student wishes to appeal the Area Committee’s decision, a written request can be made to the Area Chairs in Education (ACE) committee via the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. The Committee will independently review the student’s portfolio materials, academic progress information, and faculty evaluations. ACE will inform the student and respective faculty members of its decision.

Registration (i.e., enrollment) is required for any quarter during which a degree requirement is completed, including the First-Year Review. Refer to the Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion section for more details.

Students may petition for an extension of the First-Year Review deadline to the fourth quarter of enrollment. The student should discuss this option with their advisor and then email the Doctoral Programs Officer explaining why they will not be able to complete the Review by the published deadline, the length of the requested extension (normally one quarter), and the proposed Review completion date. The program advisor should also email a statement of support to the Doctoral Programs Officer. Additional supporting documentation may be requested depending upon the nature of the request (e.g., Student Disability Resource Center support for disability-related extensions). Both emails and any supporting documentation must be received a few business days prior to the last Area Committee meeting of the student’s third quarter of enrollment, which is usually Spring Quarter. The Area Committee and Chair will review the request for an extension and render a decision.

The Doctoral Programs Officer sends out informational emails in the Winter Quarter for Area-Specific requirements and deadlines for the First-Year Reviews to be completed in Spring Quarter. Procedures and deadlines to petition for extensions are included.

The purpose of the second year review is to assess a student’s preparation for dissertation research and command of the research area, identify remaining training needs, and determine whether the student should be advanced to candidacy.  Doctoral students are expected to complete their second year review/qualifying paper and advance to candidacy prior to the first day of the seventh quarter (typically fall quarter of the student’s third year); see the Stanford Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures, section 4.6.  The purpose of this policy is to help assure timely progress toward completion of the Ph.D. With permission from the advisor and area chair, students may petition for an extension of the second-year review deadline to the seventh quarter of enrollment.  If students require an extension, they must fill out the GSE Second Year Review Extension Form, have their advisor and area chair review and sign it, and submit it to the Doctoral Programs Officer by the first week of classes of the seventh quarter. Failure to successfully complete the review by the end of the seventh quarter will lead immediately to a review of program status by the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs and may result in suspension of doctoral funding and/or dismissal from the program.

Each Area’s section of this Handbook details the Area-specific requirements for the review. Students must meet with their advisor several weeks in advance of the review to discuss expectations, scheduling, and portfolio due date. Committee membership requirements are discussed in the Committee Composition for First- and Second-Year Reviews section.

Registration (i.e., enrollment) is required for any quarter during which a degree requirement is completed, including the Second-Year review. Refer to the Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion section for more details.

All doctoral First- and Second-Year Review committees in the GSE must have at least two members who are active GSE faculty and members of the Stanford Academic Council (AC). A third member of the committee may be a GSE faculty retiree (i.e., emeritus) or an active Academic Council member from another Stanford department or school. This does not require special approval.

Situations other than the above are exceptions and require approval by the Area Chair and the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. Exceptions include having fewer than two members who are active GSE AC members or adding a member who is a Stanford lecturer, a faculty member at another university, or a PhD holder who is from outside the academy (i.e., not an active member of the Stanford AC). The student’s advisor should email the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs and Area Chair requesting any exceptions to this policy and include a rationale statement (e.g., the non-AC member offers an area of expertise that is relevant to the review and that is not readily available from the current faculty).

The advancement to doctoral candidacy is an acknowledgment of a student’s potential to successfully complete the specific degree requirements of the department. Students must advance to candidacy by the end of the sixth quarter, as stated in the Stanford Bulletin chapter entitled Graduate Degrees.

After passing the Second-Year review, the faculty advisor normally asks the student to apply for and advance to doctoral candidacy. The Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree is the University’s version of the final Graduate Study Program; therefore the student’s final GSP, the Application, and Stanford transcript (for courses already completed) should match identically with regard to courses and units listed. The GSP is a GSE form indicating a plan for coursework; the Application is a University contract replacing the GSP. When approved, the Application effectively becomes a binding agreement between the student and University regarding the coursework and requirements for completion of the doctoral degree.

Once granted, candidacy is valid for five calendar years, unless terminated by the department. Leaves of absence do not extend the candidacy period.

Extensions of candidacy are granted only with valid academic reasons that are supported by the dissertation advisor. Therefore, students are encouraged to plan their research agendas such that their degree is completed within the five year candidacy period. To petition for an extension of candidacy, students must submit an Application for Extension of Candidacy, which includes a detailed work plan, and is signed by the student’s advisor, the Area Chair, and the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. The requests for candidacy extensions are reviewed by the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs.

Students who have advanced to candidacy earn a higher rate of pay for research assistantships in the GSE. Candidacy status does not affect CA, TA, or TF salaries.

Once a student has submitted the final Graduate Study Program (GSP) and Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree, any changes must be discussed with the faculty advisor and recorded on the Academic Program Revision form. The advisor(s), Area Chair and Doctoral Programs Officer review and approve the Program Revision Form. Students should not use this form prior to advancing to candidacy; instead, changes or updates will be reflected in the final version of the GSP and Application for Candidacy.

This form and related instructions are on the GSE website, under current students>forms.

Proposal Overview and Format

Students are urged to begin thinking about a dissertation topic early in their degree program. Concentrated work on a dissertation proposal normally begins after successful completion of the Second-Year Review, which often includes a “mini” proposal, an extended literature review, or a theoretical essay, plus advancement to doctoral candidacy. In defining a dissertation topic, the student collaborates with their faculty advisor or dissertation advisor (if one is selected) in the choice of a topic for the dissertation.

The dissertation proposal is a comprehensive statement on the extent and nature of the student’s dissertation research interests. Students submit a draft of the proposal to their dissertation advisor between the end of the seventh and middle of the ninth quarters. The student must provide a written copy of the proposal to the faculty committee no later than two weeks prior to the date of the proposal hearing. Committee members could require an earlier deadline (e.g., four weeks before the hearing).

The major components of the proposal are as follows, with some variations across Areas and disciplines:

1. A detailed statement of the problem that is to be studied and the context within which it is to be seen. This should include a justification of the importance of the problem on both theoretical and educational grounds.
2. A thorough review of the literature pertinent to the research problem. This review should provide proof that the relevant literature in the field has been thoroughly researched. Good research is cumulative; it builds on the thoughts, findings, and mistakes of others.
3. A statement on the overall design of the proposed study, which includes:
   1. its general explanatory interest
   2. the overall theoretical framework within which this interest is to be pursued
   3. the model or hypotheses to be tested or the research questions to be answered
   4. a discussion of the conceptual and operational properties of the variables
   5. an overview of strategies for collecting appropriate evidence (sampling, instrumentation, data collection, data reduction, data analysis)
   6. a discussion of how the evidence is to be interpreted (This aspect of the proposal will be somewhat different in fields such as history and philosophy of education.)
4. If applicable, students should complete a request for approval of research with human subjects, using the Human Subjects Review Form (http://humansubjects.stanford.edu/). Except for pilot work, the University requires the approval of the Administrative Panel on Human Subjects in Behavioral Science Research before any data can be collected from human subjects.

Registration (i.e., enrollment) is required for any quarter during which a degree requirement is completed, including the dissertation proposal. Refer to the Registration or Enrollment for Milestone Completion section for more details.

Proposal Committee

As students progress through the program, their interests may change. There is no commitment on the part of the student’s advisor to automatically serve as the dissertation chair. Based on the student’s interests and the dissertation topic, many students approach other GSE professors to serve as the dissertation advisor, if appropriate.

A dissertation proposal committee is comprised of three academic council faculty members, one of whom will serve as the major dissertation advisor. Whether or not the student’s general program advisor serves on the dissertation proposal committee and later the reading committee will depend on the relevance of that faculty member’s expertise to the topic of the dissertation, and their availability. There is no requirement that a program advisor serve, although very often they do. Members of the dissertation proposal committee may be drawn from other area committees within the GSE, from other departments in the University, or from emeriti faculty. At least one person serving on the proposal committee must be from the student’s area committee (CTE, DAPS, SHIPS). All three members must be on the Academic Council; if the student desires the expertise of a non-Academic Council member, it may be possible to petition. After the hearing, a memorandum listing the changes to be made will be written and submitted with the signed proposal cover sheet and a copy of the proposal itself to the Doctoral Programs Officer.

Proposal Hearing or Meeting

Review and approval of the dissertation proposal occurs normally during the third year. The proposal hearing seeks to review the quality and feasibility of the proposal. The Second-Year Review and the Proposal Hearing are separate milestones and may not occur as part of the same hearing or meeting.

The student and the dissertation advisor are responsible for scheduling a formal meeting or hearing to review the proposal; the student and proposal committee convene for this evaluative period. Normally, all must be present at the meeting either in person or via conference phone call.

At the end of this meeting, the dissertation proposal committee members should sign the Cover Sheet for Dissertation Proposal and indicate their approval or rejection of the proposal. This signed form should be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer. If the student is required to make revisions, an addendum is required with the written approval of each member of the committee stating that the proposal has been revised to their satisfaction.

After submitting the Proposal Hearing material to the Doctoral Programs Officer, the student should make arrangements with three faculty members to serve on their Dissertation Reading Committee. The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form should be completed and given to the Doctoral Programs Officer to enter in the University student records system. Note: The proposal hearing committee and the reading committee do not have to be the same three faculty members. Normally, the proposal hearing precedes the designation of a Dissertation Reading Committee, and faculty on either committee may differ (except for the primary dissertation advisor). However, some students may advance to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status before completing their dissertation proposal hearing if they have established a dissertation reading committee. In these cases, it is acceptable for the student to form a reading committee prior to the dissertation proposal hearing. The reading committee then serves as the proposal committee.

The proposal and reading committee forms and related instructions are on the GSE website, under current students>forms.

Printing Credit for Use in GSE Labs

Upon completion of their doctoral dissertation proposal, GSE students are eligible for a $300 printing credit redeemable in any of the GSE computer labs where students are normally charged for print jobs. Only one $300 credit per student will be issued, but it is usable throughout the remainder of her or his doctoral program until the balance is exhausted. The print credit can be used only at the printers in Cubberley basement and CERAS, and cannot be used toward copying.

After submitting the signed dissertation proposal cover sheet to the Doctoral Programs Officer indicating approval (see above), students can submit a HELP SU ticket online at helpsu.stanford.edu to request the credit. When submitting the help ticket, the following should be selected from the drop-down menus for HELP SU:

Request Category:  Computer, Handhelds (PDAs), Printers, Servers
Request Type:  Printer
Operating System: (whatever system is used by the student, e.g., Windows XP.)

The help ticket will be routed to the GSE's IT Group for processing; they will in turn notify the student via email when the credit is available.

A doctoral dissertation makes an original contribution to knowledge, as defined in a discipline or an interdisciplinary domain and addresses a significant researchable problem. Not all problems are researchable and not all are significant. Problems that can be solved by a mere descriptive exercise are not appropriate for the PhD dissertation. Acceptable problems are those that:

1. pose a puzzle to the field at a theoretical, methodological, or policy level;
2. make analytical demands for solution, rather than mere cataloging or descriptive demands; and
3. can yield to a reasonable research methodology.

The doctoral dissertation advisor, reading committee, and oral exam committee provide further guidance and details with regard to dissertation content and format. General formatting and submission guidelines are published by the University Registrar. The American Psychological Association (APA) publication guidelines normally apply to GSE doctoral dissertations, but is not required if the advisor and relevant committees determine that an alternative, and academically acceptable, protocol is more appropriate.

Published Papers and Multiple Authorship

The inclusion of published papers in a dissertation is the prerogative of the major department.  Where published papers or ready-for-publication papers are included, the following criteria must be met:

1. There must be an introductory chapter that integrates the general theme of the research and the relationship between the chapters.  The introduction may also include a review of the literature relevant to the dissertation topic that does not appear in the chapters.

2. Multiple authorship of a published paper should be addressed by clearly designating, in an introduction, the role that the dissertation author had in the research and production of the published paper.  The student must have a major contribution to the research and writing of papers included in the dissertation.

3. There must be adequate referencing of where individual papers have been published.

4. Written permission must be obtained for all copyrighted materials; letters of permission must be uploaded electronically in PDF form when submitting the dissertation.  Please see the following website for more information on the use of copyrighted materials: http://library.stanford.edu/using/copyright-reminder.

5. The submitted material must be in a form that is legible and reproducible as required by these specifications.  The Office of the University Registrar will approve a dissertation if there are no deviations from the normal specifications that would prevent proper dissemination and utilization of the dissertation.  If the published material does not correspond to these standards, it will be necessary for the student to reformat that portion of the dissertation.

6. Multiple authorship has implications with respect to copyright and public release of the material.  Be sure to discuss copyright clearance and embargo options with your co-authors and your advisor well in advance of preparing your thesis for submission.

The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee consists of three faculty members (the principal dissertation advisor and two other readers) who agree to read a student’s dissertation and serve on the orals committee. All members of an approved reading committee are expected to sign the signature page of the completed dissertation. The reading committee normally serves on the oral exam committee, but not always. At the very least, the primary dissertation advisor and one reader from the reading committee serve on the oral exam committee. The student is responsible for obtaining signatures from advisor and readers before submitting the form to the Doctoral Programs Officer for final processing.

The rules governing the composition of the reading committee are as follows: at least one member of the committee must be from the GSE; the principal dissertation advisor must be on the Stanford Academic Council (AC); and any member of the committee that is not a member of the academic council must be approved by the Area Chair and the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. In the last case, the Petition for Non-Academic Council Member to Serve on Doctoral Committee form (available from the Doctoral Programs Officer) and a current CV of the proposed member are required. This person must be particularly well qualified to consult on the dissertation topic and hold a PhD or an equivalent foreign degree. Non-AC members may not serve as dissertation advisors, but may serve as a co-advisor along with a member of the AC. Students may only have one non-AC member on the reading committee. The only exception to this rule is if you have more than the three members required for a reading committee. At least two members of the reading committee must be members of the Stanford AC. Reading Committee members must sign the Doctoral Reading Committee form (all forms located on the GSE website under current students>forms). Email confirmations or digital signatures will be accepted.

The reading committee formation, and any subsequent changes to the committee composition, are reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. This signature is obtained by the Doctoral Programs Officer, not the student.

The University requires approval of the Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form prior to advancement to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status, or before scheduling a University Oral Examination–whichever comes first in the student’s program. Further instructions for form completion are on the GSE Website.

Overview

University and GSE policies require an oral examination (i.e., a defense of the dissertation) for the PhD, normally in the fifth year when the dissertation is essentially complete. This examination tests the candidate’s command of the field of study and confirms fitness for scholarly pursuits.
 
A student can schedule the oral exam only after at least three members of the reading committee agree that the dissertation draft is essentially complete and ready for defense. This means that all text sections must be drafted, all planned data analyses must be executed and represented in tables and figures, and all appendices must be in place. The draft need not be final because suggested revisions and final formatting will be completed after the exam. Students should leave adequate time (at least a couple of weeks is recommended) to complete any required revisions before submitting their dissertation. If a student schedules the oral exam too close to the dissertation submission deadline for a given quarter, they may not have time to complete revisions and may not be able to graduate that quarter.
 
Students should refer to the doctoral students section of the GSE website for the necessary forms and detailed procedures, as well as consult with the Doctoral Programs Officer, before scheduling their oral exam.
 
A copy of the dissertation must be submitted to each member of the oral exam committee at least four weeks prior to the examination date, at a time convenient for each committee member. The chair of the oral examination committee may want a copy of the dissertation, or only the abstract. At the very least, a copy of the dissertation abstract must be provided to the oral exam committee chair at least two weeks in advance of the exam. The student should communicate with the chair well in advance to determine the chair’s preference.

Before the oral exam, the Doctoral Programs Officer will send all necessary oral exam paperwork and instructions via email to the chair -- ballots will be delivered to one of the committee member's department mailboxes (for in-person exams). Students do not need to bring any administrative paperwork to the oral exam, though they may bring to the oral exam their dissertation signature page. Stanford requires that students obtain original ink signatures from all reading committee members on this document. High-quality, long-lived, acid-free (neutral pH) bond paper must be used; please check the packaging or contact the manufacturer if you are unsure about this. The student’s typed name should be included on the header of the signature page, in the upper right hand corner (right justified). A sample signature page with further instructions can be found in the electronic dissertation submission guidelines. The faculty on the dissertation reading committee may elect to sign the page after the exam has been passed. They may also wish to wait until revisions are completed, in which case an appointment to get the physical signature should be set. The advisor, in addition to signing the page, will also need to approve via Axess when the dissertation has been finalized and approved, so a signature on the physical page is not the only required action before the final version is submitted.
 
Each requirement and procedure is discussed in further detail in the sections below and on the GSE website.

Scheduling the Oral Exam

The required paperwork and logistics (e.g., room reservation) are normally completed at least four weeks prior to the exam date, including distribution of dissertation copies to each committee member. Faculty and Academic Affairs staff reserves the right to request a postponement of an oral examination if all of the necessary steps are not completed at least two weeks before the exam date.
 
Because of registration requirements and faculty availability, oral examinations are normally completed in Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters only. Scheduling of orals during the Summer Quarter is often impractical because most faculty members are off-duty or absent from campus in the summer, and students are required to register.

The University Oral Examination Schedule form must be completed and submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer at least two weeks prior to the oral exam. The Doctoral Programs Officer will obtain the signature of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs as the “Department Chair”. Students with departmental PhD minors (e.g., Psychology, Sociology, etc.) must first obtain a signature from that department’s chair or authorized student services administrator before submitting the Schedule form to the GSE. The minor department may require representation on the oral exam committee. Often, this person may be a GSE faculty member who holds a courtesy or joint appointment in the minor department and can already be a member of the student’s reading committee, but not necessarily.

Registration Requirement

Students must be registered and their candidacy must be valid during the quarter in which the oral examination is completed. The period between the last day of final exams of one term and the first day of the following term is considered an extension of the prior term, only if the student was registered for that quarter. For example, a student who was registered in Spring Quarter can complete the oral exam up until the day before Summer Quarter begins without having to register for summer. For oral exams on or after the first day of Summer Quarter, students must register in their regular TGR section – or enroll in at least three units if they have not yet advanced to TGR status.

Room Reservations

Students are responsible for reserving an appropriate room for the date and time of the oral examination. For information on how to reserve a room, please go to: https://25live.collegenet.com/stanford.  The GSE IT group located in CERAS can assist with any technology needs (e.g., audio/visual).

The Oral Examining Committee

The oral examining committee is composed of a minimum of five faculty members, four examiners and the University chair selected by the advisor, in consultation with the student. The committee must include the dissertation advisor and at least one other member of the dissertation reading committee. The oral exam and reading committees are separate and distinct bodies; however, the reading committee normally sits on the oral exam committee. In other words, the three readers are normally also examiners for the defense. Students may only have one non-AC member on the orals committee. The only exception to this rule is if a student has more than the required five for an orals committee. A non-AC member must hold a PhD and contributes an area of expertise that is relevant to the orals and that is not readily available from the Stanford faculty. A petition must be submitted and approved well in advance of the oral exam for a non-AC member of the oral exam committee.

University Chair

The University chair of the oral exam committee must be an Academic Council (AC) member and from a department or school outside of the GSE. In some circumstances, the chair may hold a courtesy appointment in the GSE, or be a GSE faculty member from another Area Committee. If the chair is a GSE faculty member, they must be fully outside of the student’s area (i.e. a person with a full or joint appointment in the student’s area cannot serve as University chair of that student’s oral exam committee).  The Stanford Bulletin outlines the specifics regarding the chair. Professors Emeriti from any department outside of the GSE may serve as oral exam chairs. Advisors are responsible for contacting and making arrangements with the chair, in consultation with the student. If locating a chair is problematic, the Area Chair, and/or the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs may be approached for assistance.

The Abstract

No less than two weeks prior to the examination, students must submit one copy of the dissertation abstract to the oral exam chair. The abstract should be 1,000 to 1,500 words, or approximately six pages long, and should include the following:

1. a summary of the problem;
2. the primary research questions or hypotheses;
3. the methods used to conduct the study; and
4. the most important findings and conclusions.

After successfully completing the revisions recommended during the oral exam and obtaining the signatures of all reading committee members, which are not necessarily the same people from the oral exam committee, the dissertation is ready for submission to the Office of the University Registrar.

The American Psychological Association (APA) publication guidelines normally apply to GSE doctoral dissertations, but is not required if the advisor and relevant committees determine that an alternative, and academically acceptable, protocol is more appropriate.

General formatting, submission directions and deadlines are published by the Stanford University Registrar. All doctoral students should read these instructions thoroughly and contact the appropriate Registrar’s Office staff or the GSE Doctoral Programs Officer with any questions. Students should read the supplemental materials required for submission closely as it can be confusing. Dissertation submission information is available at: https://registrar.stanford.edu/students/dissertation-and-thesis-submission.

The Registrar's Office offers students the option to submit their dissertation/thesis in electronic format. This electronic submission process is free of charge and allows students the ability to log into Axess and check their pre-submission requirements in the eDissertation/eThesis Center under the academics tab. Once these requirements have been met the "Proceed to Dissertation/Thesis Submission page" button will open up in the student eDissertation/eThesis center and this will allow the student to proceed and upload a soft copy of their dissertation/thesis.

Prior to online submission:

• “Application to Graduate” filed online through Axess by the appropriate deadline
• Confirm the names of all reading committee members in Axess, and designate a Final Reader
• Confirm candidacy as valid through your degree conferral date
• Collect email signatures from Reading Committee
• Review Steps for Submission of the Dissertation
• Confirm completion of all required University Milestones

All dissertation submissions must be completed in their entirety before 12 noon on the deadline day for the applicable quarter. When a student misses the submission deadline, she or he must register and submit their dissertation the following quarter, or take an approved leave of absence and register upon her or his return. Students must be registered for the quarter in which they submit their dissertation and graduate.

Students in their final quarter who have completed all milestones aside from the oral exam and/or dissertation submission can apply for a one-time, $150, Graduation Quarter. This is a special registration status in the final quarter at Stanford with the same status as TGR but with a tuition charge of $150, instead of the full TGR rate. See the Graduation Quarter section for more details.

Assistantships are graduate financial support (aid) in the form of student employment, earning compensation for the performance of research, teaching, or course support services to the University while students continue their academic and professional development. A salary is paid twice per month (i.e., bimonthly) through University Payroll. In addition, a tuition allowance is awarded that covers partial to full tuition depending upon the student’s level of employment (i.e., the total number of weekly hours worked).

The types of assistantship appointments available to graduate students are as a Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, and Teaching Affiliate.

The assistantship level or percentage is determined by the amount of weekly hours worked. For example, a student who works 20 hours per week is a 50% assistant (i.e., half of 40 hours or 100% employment). Likewise, a student who works 10 hours per week is a 25% assistant. The most common assistantships are offered at the 25% and 50% levels, though there are variations. While enrolled in 8 to 10 units, Stanford students cannot exceed the 50% assistantship level during the regular academic year (Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters). This is a University-wide policy applicable to all graduate students. In summers, however, students can work up to the 90% assistantship level, which translates to 36 hours per week with a minimum course enrollment of 3 units. See the Summer Funding section for more details.

A University committee determines the policies, salary structure, and terms of graduate student assistantships. In addition, GSE reserves the right to clarify and augment these regulations.

In relation to the GSE guaranteed funding policy, a student’s work performance in assistantships will be part of the student’s yearly academic progress review. The review determines whether the student’s funding may continue, conditional upon satisfactory performance in research work, for another year.

Course Eligibility

Courses of 3-5 units with one instructor and 20 or more students warrant one 25% teaching assistant (TA). Courses of about 40 students can generally expect two TA’s, and so forth. Courses that meet those criteria are normally approved for a TA.

Cross-listed courses: A number of GSE courses are listed in Education and in another department(s). Students in the course register under either listing. It is expected that courses with high enrollments in the non-GSE listing (or section) of the course will not automatically receive TA funding from the GSE unless an agreement is made with the department that “owns” the course. Cost-sharing between departments or schools occurs by agreement made with the faculty member, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, and the Administrator of the other department.

Special cases and exceptions: Under exceptional circumstances, courses that do not meet the above criteria may be approved for TA positions by the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs. Examples of exceptions include special instructional needs for a class (special pedagogy, or extensive student work to give feedback on, etc.). Other factors that play into a decision for an exception are availability of funding, course enrollments (past and present), and equity across faculty and areas.

Student Eligibility

GSE doctoral students within their guaranteed funding periods (normally in years one through five) receive priority for TA positions. Instructors who want to hire a GSE student who is beyond his/her fifth year in the doctoral program need to make a case, as early as possible to the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs, indicating the reasons this particular advanced student is the only qualified person available to fill the position.

In addition, GSE doctoral students receive first hiring priority for GSE course and teaching assistantships over non-GSE students. Graduate students from other schools or departments may be hired as a TA for a School of Education course in rare circumstances provided that all eligible GSE students are fully-supported on other teaching or sponsored (i.e., not base budget) research assistantships.

Students must be in good academic standing. Students on full graduate support from an alternate source may not receive additional paid TA appointments:

1. unless other assistantships held by the student are reduced in order to accommodate the TA position up to the maximum 50% total level for all appointments per student in a given quarter, OR
2. in cases of full fellowship funding from non-GSE sources (e.g., SGF, NSF), a maximum of one paid 25% course, teaching, or research assistantship may be added to the student’s funding package per academic year without reducing the fellowship support. Students should consult with the Doctoral Programs Officer for more information.

Types of Appointments

There are two types of student appointments:

Teaching Assistant (TA): A TA helps with course preparation and grading, holds office hours, and maintains course websites. A TA may lead one or more regularly scheduled discussion sections and hold office hours. The faculty member is the primary course instructor and awards grades. A TA receives TA course evaluations from the University for her or his section(s).

Teaching Affiliate (TF): A TF is an advanced graduate student with substantial teaching experience and has full responsibility to deliver a course under the mentorship of a faculty member. A TF awards the final grade and is listed as the primary instructor for the course. A TF may be assigned a TA if the course is eligible. A TF receives instructor course evaluations from the University. TFs are usually hired to teach required or popular GSE courses when a faculty member is on sabbatical.

All positions are part of the University permanent records. Names of TAs and TFs are part of the University’s course files and of the graduate financial support records and the GSE course records.

Course Scheduling Considerations

Faculty members must ensure that their courses are setup as “lectures” in order to allow for the addition of discussion sections (if their TA will be teaching a section). Courses that are not setup as lectures (i.e, seminars or workshops) may not have discussion sections. Faculty or staff can consult with the GSE course manager on the University deadlines to set up courses. The deadline is usually in the Spring Quarter of the prior academic year.

English Proficiency

All international students must pass an English proficiency screening before being appointed to any teaching position (i.e. teaching assistants and teaching fellows/affiliates). Students in this situation who wish to work in a teaching position must contact the English for Foreign Students Office to arrange an English screening. https://language.stanford.edu/efs-ta-screening-and-waiver
This must occur before the start of the quarter in which the teaching appointment will take place, otherwise the appointment and/or paychecks may be delayed.

Other Administrative Matters

TA and TF-ships are a form of graduate financial support. The student receives salary in addition to tuition support. As such, University policy prohibits hiring students for TA or TF work through clerical hourly positions (“casual employees”). All TA appointments are processed as graduate aid through Academic Affairs in the University’s Graduate Financial Support (GFS) system. The appointment is part of the student’s funding package, which does not exceed the equivalent of 50% time per quarter (i.e., 20 hours per week). Students who wish to add a TA-ship to their existing 50% support must discuss a reduction in their other commitments with their Principal Investigator and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in order to accommodate the additional TA-ship beyond the 50% level, during the regular academic year. Students cannot exceed the 50% assistantship level when enrolled in 8 or more units. (See the “Summer Support” section below for exceptions during Summer Quarter.)

The appropriate assistantship appointment form must be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer in Academic Affairs at least 5 weeks prior to the beginning of the quarter in order to initiate the hiring of a TA/TF. Check with Academic Affairs for specific deadlines.

The University monitors faculty teaching loads, class sizes, and TA use on a regular basis. Therefore, it is important that all course and teaching activity is documented for all students.

Students are strongly encouraged to sign-up for direct deposit of their stipend and salary online via AXESS.

Stipend

When awarded, fellowship stipends are available the first day of each quarter when students enroll in the minimum required units by the published deadline. During the regular academic year, eight units is the enrollment minimum. During the Summer Quarter, the minimum is three units. If the enrollment deadline is missed, stipends are disbursed a few business days after the student eventually meets the minimum enrollment requirements. Mandatory charges on the student bill, including rent for campus housing, will be deducted from the stipend before it is issued. No taxes are withheld, but stipends are reportable and taxable income. (Fellowship tuition and tuition allowance are not taxable in most cases.)

Research Assistant Salary – Two Tier System

School of Education pays doctoral research assistants on a two-tier system:

1. Tier I is for doctoral students who have not yet advanced to candidacy, typically first and second years. The salary will be the University's minimum RA salary rate, known as the pre-candidacy rate at GSE.
2. Tier II is for doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy by the first day of the effective quarter and have been enrolled at the GSE for at least seven doctoral quarters. The Tier II pay is equal to the teaching assistant (TA) rate.

Candidacy status does not affect the pay rate for teaching assistantships and teaching affiliate appointments. Those salaries are solely dependent upon the type of appointment, regardless of candidacy status.

STEP Supervisors

All STEP Supervisors are paid the candidacy rate regardless of candidacy status.

Salary

Students with assistantships are paid their salaries through bi-monthly (i.e., twice monthly) pay checks from the Stanford Payroll Office. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up for direct deposit online via AXESS. The normal pay days are the 7th and the 22nd of every month. Student assistantship salary is taxable income, and applicable taxes and deductions will be withheld in accordance with the W-4 Tax Data form completed by each student. This form and other payroll forms will be provided to new students during the Orientation in Autumn Quarter.

Pay Periods

Assistantships are for the entire academic quarter. Partial quarter employment is not permitted for assistantships. Summer Quarter has two possible assistantship termination dates (see below).

Pay periods within each quarter are based on a calendar year, not the academic year. Pay cycles run two weeks behind the actual pay date. Therefore, a student's first Autumn Quarter pay check is issued on October 22 (for work completed during the pay period of October 1st to the 15th). Thereafter, students are paid every 7th and 22nd of the month.

• Autumn Quarter pay periods run from October 1 – December 31
• Winter Quarter pay periods run from January 1 – March 31
• Spring Quarter pay periods run from April 1 – June 30
• Summer Quarter pay periods run from July 1 – August 31 or July 1 to September 30, depending on the type and duration of the assistantship.
  • All summer teaching assistantships and teaching affiliate appointments end on August 31
  • Some research assistantships end on August 31 whereas others end on September 30, depending upon funding and project needs.

Pay Rates 

*One 25% assistantship covers full TGR tuition. If a TGR student secures more than one assistantship in a given quarter, TGR tuition is usually split evenly among the funding sources.

*Pay rates are for the 2023-2024 year (autumn through summer) only.

A new California law titled “AB 1522 - Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014,” known as the “Paid Sick Leave Law” took effect July 1, 2015, and requires employers to provide sick time to all employees. More information about this law can be found on Stanford's website and on the State of California website.  

This law affects graduate students hired hourly and graduate students with teaching and research assistantship appointments.

Hourly student employment. These students will accrue sick time as they work, and will record sick time used on their Axess time card. More information is in the new Admin Guide 10.3.1 and on the attached FAQ page.

Assistantships. Students with assistantships will receive a lump sum of 24 hours of sick time per calendar year at the start of their assistantship.  More information is in the updated Admin Guide 10.2.1, and on the attached FAQ page.

All students who receive funding (assistantships, fellowships, and loans) must register in at least 11 units in their first three quarters in the GSE doctoral program and in 8-10 units for subsequent quarters during the regular academic year (i.e., Autumn, Winter, and Spring). In the Summer Quarter, students must register in at least 3 units to receive any type of graduate aid funding, when applicable, which includes assistantship salary, tuition allowances, and stipend payments.

During the academic year (Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters), GSE students may work for pay as “casual labor” at Stanford for up to 8 hours a week, beyond the 50% assistantship level, provided that the work would not normally be paid as an assistantship. The University requires that the additional 8 hours of work be in an area or a project which differs from the student’s regular 25% or 50% assistantship. (Please note that the rules regarding additional casual employment differ for international students due to visa regulations. Students should consult the Bechtel International Center).

The GSE funding policy is that Stanford Graduate Fellows (SGFs) and others, who are fully funded (i.e., equal or above the 50% assistantship level) by external fellowships or other funding sources, can work a maximum of one 25% assistantship per academic year, excluding summer, in addition to keeping the full funding level of their fellowship or other funding source. Alternatively, SGFs can bank their funding in a given quarter, when eligible, and instead work at the 50% assistantship level when such assistantships are available and secured. In these cases, working at the 50% level while other funding is banked does not count as the one allowable quarter of 25% assistantship in addition to the fellowship.

Regardless of funding source or level, all students may work up to 8 hours per week as a casual employee, as discussed above, with few exceptions that are largely due to the student citizenship status; international students have slightly different policies because of their visas – contact the Bechtel International Center.

Doctoral students can work as regular graduate assistants or casual hourly employees, or any combination therein, for Summer Quarter. For example, a student could work as a 50% teaching assistant (TA) only. Or, they could work as a 50% TA plus work 16 hours per week as a casual hourly employee on a project. Various rules apply for enrollment and maximum hour requirements. Please see the sections below for more information.

As of the 2020-21 Academic Year, students in the GSE are guaranteed summer funding for years 1-5.  Summer funding will be equivalent to the minimum 50% level (i.e. the pre-candidacy RA-ship rate) and 1-unit/TGR tuition. If a student does not have an assistantship, fellowship, or stipend that covers them at this level, the University provides gap funding in the form of a stipend that will ensure the student meets this minimum guarantee. For more information, please review the Summer Funding FAQ page.

Assistantships in Summer Quarter

Assistantships are full quarter appointments with a fixed salary based upon a student's percentage of employment (e.g., 25% TA). Assistantships require enrollment in at least three units for Summer Quarter, even when students work as a casual hourly employee in addition to the assistantship.

The maximum percentage for summer assistantships is the 90% level (i.e., 36 hours per week). Students can combine different assistantships to reach the 90% level, or they can blend assistantships with hourly employment. Regardless, students cannot exceed 36 hours of employment per week when enrolled in any courses for the summer.

The amount of tuition allowance depends upon the percentage of the assistantship. For example, a 25% assistantship pays for 5 units and a 50% assistantship pays for 10 units. However, students are only required to enroll in a minimum of three units for Summer Quarter, so any unapplied tuition allowance will be refunded to the GSE. For example, if a 25% assistant enrolls in three units, two units worth of tuition credit will be refunded to the school; it will not be applied to the student account for other non-tuition or future charges.

The Cardinal Care health insurance subsidy rules are the same in the summer as during the regular academic year. See the Health Insurance Subsidy section.

Casual Hourly Employment in Summer Quarter

Students who work on an hourly basis are hired as casual employees by GSE Human Resources, not the Doctoral Programs Officer.

Enrollment is not required for summer casual employment if the student is not also employed as a graduate assistant. In other words, students who are working solely as hourly employees are not required to enroll in summer.

Casual hourly employees with no graduate assistantships do not receive any tuition allowance. Students in this category who enroll in courses are fully responsible for any tuition and related costs incurred. Students who need to take courses and work in the summer are strongly encouraged to pursue graduate assistantships to cover the related tuition costs.

Students who do not enroll in Summer Quarter and are employed as casual hourly employees can work up to 40 hours per week (i.e., the 100% level).

Pre-Term (STEP)

If students will be working with STEP pre-fall term, this may be considered a summer casual hourly position. However, students working pre-fall term for STEP will receive the tuition portion of the pre-fall commitment in the fall quarter (equivalent to 25% TA tuition). By default, half of fall tuition will be covered by pre-fall tuition, so students will only need a 25% assistantship fall quarter to cover the rest of the tuition. If students choose to work 50% in the fall, the pre-fall tuition will be cancelled.

Note: If students are signed on for a year's commitment STEP supervisor role, they will receive an additional stipend in early October.

Funding During the First Year

Most doctoral students in their first year in the GSE receive a funding package that is a combination of graduate assistantships, fellowship stipends, and fellowship tuition and allowance. The package normally consists of a 25% assistantship, fellowship stipend, and fellowship tuition plus tuition allowance (from the assistantship). Basically, tuition at the 11–18 unit rate is covered by the funding package, and assistantship salary plus stipends are paid in total amounts equivalent to the 50% graduate assistantship salary level.

Because GSE doctoral students in their first year are required to take 11–18 units per quarter in their first three quarters, they receive a combination of fellowships and 25% graduate assistantships. Students cannot work more than 25% time when enrolled in more than 10 units. Once students drop to the 8–10 unit enrollment level after their first year in the doctoral program, GSE fellowships are replaced with 50% graduate assistantships. A bi-monthly salary and a tuition allowance (for 8–10 units) are provided for 50% assistantships.

Guaranteed Funding Period

The first five years of the GSE doctoral program are commonly referred to as the “guaranteed funding period” for the purposes of graduate aid. This is a safety net that helps students when they are unable to secure 50% worth of graduate assistantships (or combined fellowships and assistantships) on their own during the first five years of the program. The guaranteed funding covers deficiencies below the 50% assistantship level in the form of an assistantship paid from the GSE operating (or base) budget during the academic year, and in the form of a stipend during the summer.

The fifth-year funding package, which consists of a 25% assistantship and a fellowship stipend equal to the salary of a 25% assistantship, is only guaranteed if the student has completed their dissertation proposal and gone TGR prior to the first day of autumn quarter of their fifth year. Students who do not meet this requirement may still seek out funding on their own, but they are not covered by the funding guarantee and forfeit the funding package.

Students must contact faculty members directly to identify research, course or teaching assistant opportunities. In cases where students cannot secure 50% assistantships, they should reach out to the Doctoral Programs Officer as soon as possible. Every effort will be made by Academic Affairs to help identify opportunities. Funding through the base budget is used as a last resort.

Graduate assistants who will be paid from base budget will be placed with a faculty member and/or on a project that normally does not afford to hire a research assistant. In order to be paid from the GSE base budget under the guaranteed funding provisions, students must work at the GSE on a project to which they are assigned. Students who are funded through base budget must be in residence (i.e., at Stanford) and available to work on campus for a regular weekly schedule. By securing assistantships on their own (i.e., not from base budget), students ensure that they will work for projects, courses, and/or faculty of their choosing that best match their interests and goals.

The guaranteed funding period applies to doctoral students in their first five years of enrollment. Other than for a childbirth or medical accommodation, or for a leave of absence taken under extenuating circumstances approved by the Associate Dean, students cannot bank partial or full quarters of guaranteed funding for future use. The impact of leaves of absence on the guarantee period must be discussed in advance with the Director of Degree Programs. Regardless of how students fund their studies, the GSE's guaranteed funding only applies to the first five years of enrollment in the doctoral program, except in the cases noted above. Students who choose to work below the 25% (in years 1 and 5) or below the 50% assistantship level (in years 2-4) in a given quarter and/or rely upon other sources of financial support, such as loans or personal funds, do not bank the guaranteed funding for subsequent quarters.  For example, if a student wishes to not work on an assistantship during her or his fifth year, she or he is not eligible to receive additional guaranteed funding from the GSE in the sixth year. The GSE's funding guarantee is contingent upon students being able to physically come to campus for work. If a student chooses to spend a quarter away from campus, they may seek out assistantship work that can be done remotely, but the GSE will not guarantee funding for a student in this case, even if they are in their guaranteed funding period. Students should contact the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs if they would like to request an exception to this policy.

Travel Fellowships

These fellowships are intended to enhance student careers by enabling them to attend professional meetings to present papers or to advance in their research. Students must document that they are presenting a paper at a conference or provide documentation on how this will benefit their research for fellowship eligibility.

Students are eligible for a maximum of $700 (for North America travel or virtual opportunities) or $1100 (for international travel). These funds are determined on an individual basis as a partial contribution to expenses. The GSE cannot guarantee that the maximum will be awarded. For the purposes of this fellowship, travel within all of North America constitutes domestic travel (including, but not limited to, Canada and Mexico).  Please check with the Director of Degree Programs if you are unsure as to whether the country you are applying to constitutes domestic travel.

GSE students are limited to one pre-candidacy and two post-candidacy fellowships. Pre-candidacy travel fellowships are forfeited if not used before advancing to candidacy. These cannot be banked for future use after advancing to candidacy. It is a “use it or lose it” deal.

Further information and the forms are available on the GSE website, and the Director of Degree Programs can provide further information.

School of Education Dissertation Support Grant (School of Education-DSG)

The GSE makes available grants of up to a total of $6000 per student for advanced doctoral students needing support for dissertation research activities.

These grants are available to students who do not have access to other funds to cover their dissertation costs.

Ann Porteus (aporteus@stanford.edu) administers this program and should be contacted for any questions. Ann will send an email to all doctoral students at the start of autumn quarter with application instructions and materials.

GSE students may work in research or teaching assistantships outside of the GSE. Pay rates are set by the hiring department or school and may be less than what the student would normally receive at the GSE. However, the University’s minimum salary levels for graduate assistantships must be met. The student is expected to discuss the relevance of this non-GSE appointment with her or his advisor. Support through other Stanford departments or schools is considered part of the GSE guaranteed funding period. Students who receive non-GSE funding in their first four academic years do not prolong or bank their GSE support by doing so. See the Guaranteed Funding Period section for more details about guaranteed funding.

Stanford Graduate Fellows (SGFs) at the GSE are expected to use their SGF fellowship funds during the first 3 years of their program, followed by 50% (maximum) research and teaching assistantships in the fourth year and either 50% research and teaching assistantships or the fifth-year funding package during the fifth year. See the Guaranteed Funding Period section for further details.

The SGF program provides great opportunities for students to engage in faculty research regardless of the faculty member’s ability to fund the student. SGFs have flexibility to select their research or teaching advisor and to not be tied to a particular funding source. Like other departments at Stanford, SGFs at the GSE are expected to participate in faculty research activities and groups in a similar fashion as research assistant who are paid by the same projects. This participation, known as apprenticeships, ensures that the student is receiving adequate academic preparation to become a researcher and scholar. This participation becomes part of the student’s progress towards the degree; the student is expected to speak to his or her apprenticeship experiences during the First- and Second-Year reviews. SGFs must discuss with their faculty advisor the expectations and scope of work and time commitment that the student will be expected to make for apprenticeships. At the dissertation stage, students on SGF support are expected to use any remaining SGF funding to free their time for emphasis on dissertation research and writing, not apprenticeships. In the spring of 2005, the Deans, Area Chairs and the University Stanford Graduate Fellowship Committee approved a policy change for SGF recipients at the GSE:

The Fellowship provides funding for two summers with 8–10 units of tuition. Students may elect to use their summer funding in their first and second, second and third, or first and third years.
Through Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters, students may have a maximum of one 25% teaching or research assistantship in addition to their Fellowship stipend. This means SGFs can work one 25% assistantship in addition to their SGF stipend per academic year, unless they bank quarters. If a student wishes to work a total of 50% worth of teaching or research assistantships in a Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters, she or he must bank the SGF funding for that quarter and be supported only by the 50% assistantship(s) during that banked quarter.

During summer quarter, SGF recipients are expected to enroll in 8 units and use full summer tuition, unless a banked quarter is arranged. Banked quarters must be used before the end of the SGFs fifth year in the doctoral program. Further details are available on the SGF website. Questions about general SGF policies should be directed to the SGF Program Officer or to the GSE Doctoral Programs Officer.

Students are encouraged to actively seek and apply for outside fellowships. Per University policy, depending on the amount of the external funding, it will substitute in part or entirely the GSE’s support; outside awards are supplemented up to the level of support the student would normally receive from the GSE during their five years of guaranteed funding (this includes working a research or teaching assistantship). Students who receive outside awards must contact the Doctoral Programs Officer to discuss the details and structure of the award, especially if it requires institutional contributions.

In some cases, outside agencies and companies may want to pay the cost of attendance for a GSE student. Arrangements for the payment to be made directly to Stanford should be made by the company with Student Financial Services through the University’s third party billing system. Students should contact the Student Services Center for more information. Students can submit a HELP SU ticket for assistance.

In all cases of external (i.e., non-Stanford) funding, the Doctoral Programs Officer must receive a copy of the award letter outlining the terms, amount, and duration of the award. This award letter enables Stanford to pay the student the University health insurance subsidy, when eligible, even if the external funds are not handled in any way by Stanford. 

As is the case with other Stanford departments, the GSE requires its doctoral students to participate in faculty research activities and groups, usually as paid research assistants. GSE doctoral students who are not paid via an assistantship because they are funded by an external source are nonetheless required to participate in research activities at the GSE. This participation (i.e., apprenticeships) ensures that the student is receiving adequate academic preparation to be a doctoral level researcher and scholar. When fully funded by an external source, students have the opportunity to pursue research as an apprentice with a faculty member whose project is most interesting to the student regardless of that faculty member’s ability to fund the student. An apprenticeship becomes part of the student’s progress towards the degree; the student is expected to discuss his or her apprenticeship experiences during the First- and Second-Year reviews. Apprentices must discuss with their faculty advisor and the principal investigator (if different) the expectations, scope of work, and time commitment that the student will be expected to make. At the dissertation stage, students fully funded by external sources are expected to focus primarily upon dissertation research and writing, not apprenticeships.

When considering a leave of absence, students should always consult with the faculty and/or staff responsible for administering their funding–whether the GSE, another Stanford department, or an outside agency–to discern whether a leave will affect their continued funding. Repayment of funding and tuition received for leaves taken mid-quarter may be required, depending upon the funding source and applicable stipulations of the award. Students with outstanding educational loans should consider carefully the effect of taking a leave on their loan status.

The tuition portion of fellowship and/or assistantships appears as a credit on the student’s quarterly online bill in AXESS. Bills prior to the start of the quarter will reflect a tuition charge at the 8-10 unit rate, regardless of the number of units the students plans to register for, and it may not reflect the tuition credit if the student has not provided her or his assistantship paperwork to Academic Affairs. If students register for more than 10 units, their bill will be adjusted to the higher 11–18 unit rate. When students register for less than 8 units during the regular academic year (autumn, winter, and spring), their tuition will not be reduced and funding will not be disbursed unless the student is in approved Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status or has submitted a petition for a Graduate Tuition Adjustment.

The Campus Health Service Fee covers many services provided by Vaden Health Center. This includes primary care medical visits, psychological evaluation and short-term therapy at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and access to health and wellness programs.
 
The mandatory fee applies to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled on the Stanford campus, including visiting researchers and students participating in high school summer programs that result in course credit at Stanford.

Cardinal Care is an annual enrollment insurance plan which includes coverage in summer quarter, whether the student is enrolled that quarter or not. The annual cost of this coverage will be charged over three quarters of the academic year, i.e., in Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters.

Students enrolled in Cardinal Care will be covered during leaves of absence, breaks, quarters in which they are not registered (including summers), and immediately following graduation.

The insurance carrier, Health Net of California, will provide the medical benefits and Value Options will administer the mental health benefits.

Enrollment in Cardinal Care is a once-a-year event. In their first registered quarter of each academic year, students will decide whether or not to waive Cardinal Care coverage for that year. International students will be required to enroll in Cardinal Care, but may request an exception if they have an insurance plan with benefits that meet or exceed minimum standards set by the university.

Stanford University will automatically pay a health insurance subsidy that covers part of the Cardinal Care premium for students who fall into one of categories below and who do not waive Cardinal Care coverage online via AXESS.

Health insurance subsidy eligibility and amounts are determined by the criteria below:

Enrolled students with 25% assistantships or more, or with fellowship stipends (non-tuition stipend payments) at or above the minimum salary for a 25% assistantship (CA or RA), will receive a subsidy payment equal to the full amount of the premium cost. 
Enrolled students who do not qualify for the subsidy described above, but who have lower-level assistantships, or fellowship stipends at or above the minimum salary for a 10% assistantship, will receive a payment equal to one-half of the premium cost.

Students automatically receive the subsidy when their complete assistantship paperwork is submitted by the established deadlines to the Doctoral Programs Officer. Forms received after the Monday of the third week of classes normally results in the health subsidy being charged to the hiring faculty member or principal investigator's account. The student still receives the subsidy, but it is paid for by a faculty account instead of the University's funds.

A table outlining the Cardinal Care costs and University subsidy can be found here: https://financialaid.stanford.edu/grad/funding/programs/subsidy.html .

All graduate students have an online bill or statement viewable in AXESS. Those who are employed as research or teaching assistants also have an online pay statement, which is separate from the online bill.

Bills/Invoices in AXESS

Students can log in to AXESS to view their billing history and balance due. The online bill contains information about financial aid (e.g., stipends and loans), expenses (e.g., housing and dining), and payments (e.g., credit card or check payments by the student). The tuition allowance from assistantships, stipends from fellowships, the health subsidy, and student loans will appear as “Anticipated Aid” in the online statement at the start of each quarter. Once those funds are disbursed, they move from the Anticipated Aid to the Payments section. Salary from assistantships does not appear as Anticipated Aid. Students are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit online via AXESS to expedite receipt of refund and stipend payments.

Students can now pay their bills online via Flywire in AXESS. More information is available in AXESS or at https://mystudentbill.stanford.edu.

Online Pay Statements

Salary from assistantships is paid bi-monthly approximately on the 7th and 22nd of each month. This money appears in the online pay statement (i.e., not the online bill/invoice) in AXESS only after the pay has been disbursed. Students can verify that an assistantship is in the system by looking for their tuition allowance in the Anticipated Aid section of their online bill. Assistantships will not appear in the online pay statement prior to the first pay date. Students are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit online via AXESS.

The ability to view the online pay statement is disabled when students are no longer employed by the University (e.g., during quarters in which they are not working as research or teaching assistants). Therefore, it is recommended that students print their online statements if they anticipate needing a hardcopy at a future date. Otherwise, hardcopies can be ordered directly from the University Payroll Office for charge.

Payroll Deductions

Students can apply for payroll deductions online via AXESS to cover housing, dining services, and other costs. These expenses can be deducted directly from their net pay from assistantship or other salaries. Student Financial Services, in conjunction with the Stanford Payroll Office, administer this program. Questions or issues should be submitted online via the HELP SU system. The “Student Accounts” or “Payroll” category should be used when filing the help ticket. Or, Student Financial Services can be reached at (650) 723-2181.

Financial Aid Office Stanford Support Programs

The Financial Aid Office has limited funds available to help graduate students dealing with challenging financial situations. These currently include the Grad Cash Advance Program, Emergency Grant-in-Aid Funds, the Graduate Student Aid Fund, the Graduate Family Grant Program, and Graduate Housing Loans.  Please see below for details.

Grad Cash Advance Program

A Cash Advance option is available to graduate and professional students to assist with expenses before graduate financial support is posted to their student account and/or TA/RA salary is paid.  Active degree-seeking graduate students can request an advance in the amount of $1000, $2000, or $3000 per term via Axess. For more information including repayment requirements, visit Student Financial Services.

Emergency Grant-In-Aid Funds

Emergency Grant-in-Aid Funds assist graduate students who experience a financial emergency or unanticipated expenses (e.g., medical or dental) causing financial hardship. Please note that students at the Graduate School of Business, Law School, and Medical School (MD program) are not eligible for this program; these students should contact their respective financial aid offices for assistance. For more detailed information and application procedures please refer to the Emergency Grant-In-Aid instructions and application form.

Graduate Student Aid Fund

The Graduate Student Aid Fund has been established to assist a limited number of graduate students with University fees such as the Campus Health Service Fee and Cardinal Care Insurance when those fees cause a significant hardship.  Students who demonstrate need will be eligible for small amounts to cover specific charges.  Please note that students at the Graduate School of Business, Law School, and Medical School (MD program) are not eligible for this program; these students should contact their respective financial aid offices for assistance. For more detailed information and application procedures please refer to the Graduate Student Aid Fund instructions and application form.

Graduate Family Grant Program

The Graduate Family Grant will provide up to $10,000 per year for graduate students with dependent children (including those in professional programs). Funds may be used flexibly to cover expenses such as childcare, healthcare, and rent.  Please review the program guidelines before completing the application.

Graduate Housing Loan

Graduate and professional students may apply for loan funds from the University to help with move-in costs for off-campus housing, such as first and last month's rent and security deposit. Details on eligibility, loan terms, and application process are available at Graduate Housing Loan

GSE Student Emergency Funding Program

The GSE Student Emergency Funding Program assists GSE graduate students who experience a financial emergency or unanticipated expenses* causing financial hardship. This program is designed to assist those who cannot reasonably resolve their financial difficulty through fellowships, loans or personal resources. 

Emergency funding provides grants that reimburse actual expenses. These awards are not a loan, and do not need to be repaid. Emergency funds awarded are tax-reportable income.

Eligible expenses: Unanticipated or unusual expenses (most commonly medical, dental, or legal, but other expenses can be considered) outside of the standard student budget outlined by the University that may hinder the student’s academic progress will be considered.  Costs must have been incurred while enrolled at Stanford, and costs for a previous or future academic year will not be considered.  Each case is considered on its own merits.

*Emergency funding is not intended for tuition or fees, standard living expenses, research-related expenses, travel to and from internship/practicum/research sites and conferences, or when other aid has ceased.

Limit:  up to $2,000 per academic year

Process: Student submits an Emergency Grant-in-Aid application to the Financial Aid Office (FAO). FAO reviews the application and makes the determination that the student is eligible for emergency funds. If FAO is not able to cover your expenses either partially or in-full (max amount of $5,000 per year), then you may apply for GSE Student Emergency Funds by submitting a copy of the Emergency Grant-in-Aid application (include supporting documents) and the response from FAO to Connie Chang, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. You may receive a max amount of $2,000 in GSE Student Emergency Funds per year.

The Doctoral degree at the GSE is a very individualized program of study. It is designed by a student, in conjunction with his or her faculty advisor, based on the student’s research needs and interests. The Core requirements guide each student’s educational plan as established by the faculty of the program or concentration within the student’s Area, the faculty of the GSE, and the University.

Appropriate courses in other departments of the University (e.g., Anthropology, Linguistics, or Psychology), as well as courses within the GSE, may be used to fulfill GSE course requirements. Students must consult with their advisor when selecting courses outside the GSE to fulfill degree requirements.

Note: All units must be in courses at or above the 100-level in a degree-granting program in order to count toward the doctoral degree requirements in the GSE. The GSE expects students to take all of their courses at the 200 level or above (at least 50 percent of courses at the 200 level are required by the university). A limited number of 100-level courses may count with advisor and Area Committee approval. English for Foreign Students (ESFLANG 600 level) courses and Athletic (ATHLETIC) courses, e.g., social dance or yoga, do not count toward the doctoral degree requirements in the GSE.

The doctoral program consists of five groups of required courses:

1. In the first year: Proseminar 1, 2, 3 (EDUC 325A, B, C) in Autumn, Spring and Winter.
2. Autumn Quarter of the first year: EDUC 400A (formerly EDUC 200C), Introduction to Statistical Methods in Education.
3. By the end of the second year: Research Methods Core:
   1. One research methods course chosen by the student in consultation with their advisor (course must be at least 3 units, be at or above the 200 level, and have a research methods focus)
   2. EDUC 400B (formerly EDUC 250B), Statistical Analysis in Education: Regression
   3. EDUC 450A (formerly EDUC 250C), Qualitative Analysis in Education
4. Advanced Research Methods
5. Area requirements or Area Core courses specific to a student’s Area and emphasis (e.g., Higher Education Administration).

With the exception of EDUC 325A, B and C, a student may use the same course to satisfy more than one of the above areas. For example, 400B counts toward Core requirements, and could possibly count toward an Area-specific requirement as well (see Area Course Requirements section below).

Research Methods Core

Doctoral students are required to complete a Research Methods Core within their first two years of the program.

Students who take 400B are responsible for having mastered the content of EDUC 400A. Students should consult with their advisors at the beginning of their first year about whether they need to take EDUC 400A to be adequately prepared for 400B.

Students are encouraged to complete the Research Methods Core as soon as possible because their Qualifying Paper, due at the end of the second year or sixth quarter, will depend upon methodology skills and expertise acquired in these courses.

Students who are interested in further methods course offerings may wish to explore the GSE Qualitative Course Guide and the GSE Quantitative Course Guide.

Area Requirements or Area Core Courses

Each of the School’s three program Areas (CTE, DAPS, and the subplans within SHIPS), as well as the cross-area specializations (LSTD and RILE) require specific courses, dependent upon a student’s emphasis or concentration. See the applicable Area sections in this Handbook for more details.

In the GSE, students have the ability to request a course waiver exempting them from needing to take a required GSE methods or area course. These courses include the methods sequence: EDUC 400A (formerly EDUC 200C), EDUC 400B (formerly EDUC 250B), and EDUC 450A (formerly EDUC 250C); as well as required courses for a student's area or subplan (see that area/subplan's section of the handbook for course requirements). For methods courses, approval is required from the instructor of the course the student is waiving, and for area/subplan courses, approval is required from the advisor and area chair. Students are should obtain written confirmation from the required parties and submit it to the Doctoral Programs Officer. The same procedure should also be followed in cases where a student would like to substitute another course in place of an area or methods requirement.

Core Courses

The core courses are designed to provide students with the necessary foundational (theoretical and methodological) skills required to understand the major psychological, social, and developmental issues in educational research and practice.  To support the development of methodological skills these courses include assignments in the form of reasonably constrained, small-scale research projects or shorter exercises.  It is expected that some projects may be of a quality that is reportable at a scientific or professional meeting. It is not expected that a research project conducted in a core course will lead into the dissertation research, though that possibility is not precluded. All DAPS students are required to take a minimum of four (4) of the following courses during their graduate training program:

To count an approved course towards the DAPS Core Course requirement, a Ph.D. student must complete a written assignment that that shows theoretical understanding of major psychological, social, and developmental issue(s) in education research or practice, as well as knowledge of methodological skills needed to address or critique the relevant research question(s). Acceptable formats include an empirical paper, a grant proposal, a research review, or a series of reports. The course instructor will decide the format and focus of the assignment, which could be identified in the syllabus as an extra requirement for DAPS Ph.D. students who want the class to count as a core course.

Students should include these written products in their first and second year review portfolios. Note: Students do not need to complete all four core courses by the end of their second year. 

To help you select classes, we have grouped the DAPS Core Courses into four content clusters. You can read course summaries and see a detailed overview of course components. You can select your core courses from any cluster. (You do NOT need to take all courses within a cluster, or take one from each cluster.)

Students will keep track of the DAPS Core Courses they have completed using the DAPS Core Courses Student Form and include it in their portfolios. After a student completes four DAPS Core Courses, they are expected to print this form, ask their primary advisor to review and sign it, and turn in the signed form to the Doctoral Programs Officer. This form does NOT replace the GSP form, which is still a required component of students’ first and second review portfolios.

This policy replaces the prior practice of petitioning for a non-approved course to count toward core requirements. All previously approved petitions stand, and for those successful petitions you do not need to complete an additional written assignment. However, no new petitions will be accepted.

If you took a class from the expanded list of 23 DAPS Core Courses *before* it was approved as such, you may speak with your advisor to see whether it should be counted toward your foundational training. If the course has a new written assignment to align with the vision for DAPS Core Courses, you must also have approval from the instructor to complete that assignment after the class. With those two faculty approvals, please email the DAPS Area Chair to finalize this exception.

Additional Courses Offered by DAPS Faculty

Program Advisors

Near the end of the first year of the program and as the student prepares for the 3rd quarter review, the DAPS doctoral student, in conjunction with her or his primary advisor, selects a second advisor who serves in this capacity until the student advances to doctoral candidacy.

The Primary Advisor

Upon acceptance into the program, DAPS faculty assign an initial program advisor to the incoming student based on identified special interests. The faculty advisor ordinarily serves as a student’s “primary” advisor for at least the first year of residence. The student consults with the advisor about course choices, research experiences, and other aspects of his or her program. The primary advisor is responsible for signing programs of study and other official documents and will arrange for advisement when off-duty for any extended period.

The Second Advisor

During the first Autumn Quarter, students will become acquainted with other faculty members, in part through the required DAPS core courses, the Proseminar core course, and other GSE courses. Students should also take other opportunities to discuss common interests with faculty members. During Winter Quarter, students will choose a second advisor, having discussed options with their primary advisor. Since the role of the second advisor is to provide breadth to advisement and training, students are encouraged to choose a second advisor whose interests do not overlap substantially with those of the primary advisor. Students have several options. The second advisor may be chosen from within DAPS, from another Area Committee in the GSE, or from another department in the University, as best fits the student’s special interests. However, students should note that faculty within Developmental and Psychological Sciences will be more familiar with the role of the second advisor than will faculty in other GSE programs or from departments outside of the GSE.

The second advisor’s responsibilities end following successful completion of the student’s Second Year Review (the 6th quarter). Students then have only one official academic advisor who represents their interests in departmental affairs and who must be a member of DAPS and meet other advisor requirements (e.g., member of the GSE faculty and Academic Council). This may be the primary or second advisor or another DAPS faculty member whom the student has chosen to serve as dissertation advisor. If a student chooses a dissertation advisor from an Area other than DAPS or a school other than the GSE, the student must also retain a DAPS academic co-advisor.

Approval from the proposed new (e.g., second) advisor, the existing primary advisor, the DAPS Area Chair, and Associate Dean of Educational Affairs is required for advisor updates or changes. The relevant form and procedures are on the GSE website.

Changing Advisors

DAPS uses a two-advisor system to ensure that students have ready access to a range of advice in formulating and pursuing their program. The first year of graduate work will expose students to many new ideas; it is not unusual for students to shift away from areas proposed as specializations at application time. If a change of advisor seems appropriate given these or other important circumstances, students may request the change by using the appropriate GSE form, which can be found on the GSE Intranet. The DAPS Area Chair is a third advisor to all students as well as an ombudsman who endeavors to resolve points of concern or dispute among or between students and faculty members. After notification to the existing advisor, approval from the proposed new advisor, the DAPS Area Chair, and the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs is required for advisor updates or changes.

A portfolio system is used to document student progress throughout the program. Students should begin developing the portfolio during the first quarter and use it to organize their program and plans. As students progress through the program, preparation and experiences are reviewed periodically by the DAPS faculty. Normally, formal review occurs at two points in a student’s career: (1) a Preliminary Review conducted at the conclusion of the first year (third quarter); and (2) a Specialty Review conducted at the conclusion of the second year (sixth quarter). See below for a description of Preliminary Review portfolio contents.

The Preliminary Review (First-Year Review)

The Preliminary Review is a comprehensive review of all aspects of a student’s graduate work. The review allows the faculty to consider the breadth and depth of the student’s preparation to date and the adequacy of future plans for coursework, research experience and professional training. The intent of the Preliminary Review is to facilitate progress by providing informative and constructive feedback about academic and research accomplishments and plans. Most students complete the Preliminary Review satisfactorily, usually with some recommendations or requirements for additional and/or change in coursework. Once these are satisfactorily addressed, as determined by the DAPS Area Chair in consultation with the student’s Academic Advisor, results are posted on the students’ record on Axess.

DAPS faculty have shared that the first-year review is one of their favorite annual experiences –– a chance to connect with younger minds, share advice and perspectives, and support students in the early phase of their doctoral journeys. The first-year review is intended to be a constructively supportive and celebratory, rather than an evaluatory, event. Indeed, many faculty have remarked that it is more accurately described as a discussion than a formal review. This meeting is intended as a chance for students to reflect on the evolution of their research interests during their first year of the program, attempt to articulate those interests informally in writing to their faculty mentors, and ask questions of their faculty mentors about their strategic direction going forward. 

The standard DAPS preliminary review lasts 60 minutes. Towards the end of the review, students can expect to be asked to step out briefly while faculty converse, and then invited to rejoin the meeting for final takeaways. 

See the Degree Milestones section for general First-Year Review requirements that apply to students in all GSE Areas.

The Portfolio

The portfolio should contain the following materials, in the order specified below. Students may assemble hard copies of the portfolio or distribute electronic copies of the portfolio depending on the faculty member’s choice. A copy of the portfolio should be delivered to each member of his or her First-Year Review Committee at least two weeks before the Review date.

Portfolio Contents

• A one-page cover letter, addressed to the preliminary review committee, that articulates the 3-5 most pressing questions that the student would like to discuss during their review. Example cover letters (as well as samples of all other portfolio materials) can be found in the DAPS doctoral students’ shared Google Drive, which is made available to all DAPS students upon program entry. 
• A copy of the original Statement of Purpose from the admissions application, which can be obtained from the Doctoral Programs Officer.
• An unofficial Stanford transcript printed from AXESS.
• An explanation for any incomplete grades and a plan for fulfilling of incompletes.
• A preliminary Graduate Study Program (GSP). The GSP should include the courses required of all DAPS students as outlined in the above sections. Both the first and second advisors must sign the original copy of the GSP during the Review.
• A description of previous and current professional activities. This statement, typically 2-3 pages long, should describe developing capabilities as a researcher and as a teacher. It should cover (1) experiences to date, (2) priorities for further development, and (3) future plans.
• Curriculum vitae. This will include post-secondary degrees earned and in progress, professional experiences, professional honors or awards received, publications and/or presentations, professional memberships, significant professional services and other relevant information.
• Major course papers and exams including, but not restricted to, all such products from courses offered by the DAPS faculty. When possible, submit copies with original comments from the course instructor.
• Accompany the set of writing samples with a brief statement explaining why each one was chosen for inclusion. Explanations might refer to the kinds of writing proficiencies each piece illustrates, specific areas of interest or competence the piece addresses, or perhaps particular problems students would like to discuss with the Preliminary Review committee. A minimum of three writing samples should be included. There is no maximum, but it is not helpful to submit an excessive amount of material. The set of writing samples as a whole should be chosen to give a good picture of the student’s developing professional competencies, especially proficiency in academic writing.
• Research reports, for example, including publications, conference presentations, technical reports, and any other papers on which you are an author or co-author.
• Any other relevant scholarly or professional documents (e.g., certificates from professional workshops attended).

Work Statements

In addition to the materials outlined above, the student may also arrange up to two work statements (evaluation letters) from faculty or other staff who will not be present at their preliminary review, but with whom the student has done substantive research or other relevant work. These work statements should address the nature and caliber of their work.  Work statements typically have two parts: one paragraph describing the student’s strengths and the nature of their experiences to date, and a second describing areas where further growth or improvement is desirable. Work statements can be given directly to the student; they are not confidential. Email is acceptable. 

If requesting statements from faculty outside of DAPS, some suggested wording for a statement request might be:

This is a request for a brief statement regarding my work with you. This statement will be reviewed by faculty in the Developmental and Psychological Studies (DAPS) Program for the purposes of the Preliminary Review and will be included in my review portfolio. The Preliminary Review in DAPS is a collaborative process involving students as well as faculty, and so I will also read the statement you provide. Work statements typically have two parts: one paragraph describing my strengths and the nature of my experiences to date, and the other describing areas where further growth or improvement is desirable. It would be helpful if your comments documented the nature of the work I have done with you and the qualifications and skills involved. An email response is all that is required.

Student Procedures

• Obtain advisor approvals and sign the GSP.
• Assemble Preliminary Review materials during the third quarter and review it with the primary and secondary advisors before submitting it to the Preliminary Review Committee.
• Schedule the review date and communicate the date and committee composition to the Doctoral Programs Officer.
• The committee should include the primary and secondary advisors as well as one additional faculty member chosen in collaboration with the primary advisor. Committee composition rules are outlined in the Dissertation Reading Committee section.
• Provide each member of the Review Committee with a copy of the portfolio at least two weeks before the Review date.
• On the scheduled date, meet with your three-member committee to discuss your progress in the program. The portfolio is the central focus of this meeting.
• Recommendations and requirements are formulated based on discussion and recorded on the Preliminary Review Summary Sheet and signed by all faculty attending. Unless otherwise agreed upon, the student’s primary advisor is the default person responsible for filling out the Preliminary Review Summary Sheet.
• Submit the signed Preliminary Review Summary Sheet and preliminary GSP to the Doctoral Programs Officer.

Students should retain a complete copy of their portfolios. It will be necessary to update and submit the Preliminary Review portfolio as part of the sixth quarter Specialty Review.

First Year Research Project and Poster Presentation

Because DAPS follows an apprentice research training model students are expected to become engaged in a research project during their first year in the program. This can be research carried out with the student’s advisor or with another member of the faculty. The research can take several different forms, for example, original data collection on a project the advisor is conducting, becoming a member of a research team and taking responsibility for some part of a research project, doing secondary analysis on a data set provided by a faculty member.

As a continuation of their first year program, all DAPS/LSTD students in the autumn of their second-year will participate in a poster session presentation attended by faculty and students. Posters are intended to summarize students’ first year research project. Ideally the student poster will summarize empirical findings from a study conducted by the student, but may also include original data obtained from the advisor or another source. The poster will be prepared in consultation with the student’s advisor and will be similar to a poster presentation at a professional conference. Students will make a 5-7 minute oral presentation of the research summarized on the poster. This will be followed by individual discussions of their work with faculty and others in attendance at the DAPS/LSTD poster session. 

The final part of the research requirement is the writing up of a First Year research report that should be done in consultation with your advisor. The First Year research report becomes a part of the Specialty Review – Part I. 

DAPS faculty and students have also collaborated to create this preliminary (first-year) review FAQ document, which further explains the preliminary (first-year) review and answers commonly held questions. 

Specialty Review (Second-Year Review)

The purpose of the 6^th quarter Specialty Review is to enable the faculty to determine whether students are prepared to move on to dissertation research. The review includes assessment of all coursework, grades, research activities and research documents, especially the final write-up of the student's First-Year Project and the Qualifying Paper. The successful completion of the sixth quarter Specialty Review is intended to reflect a judgment that the student is capable of doing dissertation-level work, not only in his/her area of specialization, but also in DAPS more generally. Upon successful completion of the Specialty Review, students must apply for Advancement to Candidacy. See the Second-Year Review section for general requirements that apply to Second-Year Reviews for all Areas. 

The standard DAPS speciality review lasts 90 minutes. Towards the end of the review, students will be asked to step out while faculty discuss their progress, and then invited to rejoin the meeting for further discussion and final takeaways. The Specialty Review is made up of two parts: I and II. 
 

Part I of the Specialty Review is an update of the Preliminary Review Portfolio, with particular emphasis on the report of the First-Year Research Project. The primary and secondary advisor and one additional faculty member chosen by the primary advisor in collaboration with the student, to determine that his/her research competence is at a level sufficient to begin a dissertation study, evaluate each student’s progress. Specific committee composition requirements are outlined in the Dissertation Reading Committee section. The particular competencies expected might depend upon the modes of inquiry that a student anticipates using in her/his dissertation research. Also considered is the student’s ability to integrate, evaluate and communicate the research literature on a substantive topic. On occasion, recent research reports done for other classes or an integrative literature review within the student’s area of concentration may also be included to document developing competencies.

To prepare for the first part of the Specialty Review, the student will update the Preliminary Review Portfolio to include the following:

• A one-page cover letter, addressed to the preliminary review committee, that articulates the 3-5 most pressing questions that the student would like to discuss during their review. Compared to the questions that students prepared for their first-year review, questions for the second-year review tend to be more explicitly research-focused. It is typical for some questions to be specific to the student’s Qualifying Paper –– for example, where and when to submit it for publication –– and others to pertain to the student’s broader future research directions. 
• A summary statement of evidence that any outstanding requirements (e.g., completion of Incompletes, recommended course work) of the Preliminary Review have been satisfied. This statement should be co-signed by the advisor.
• A schedule for completing remaining degree work (e.g., remaining coursework, other research, dissertation, oral examination).
• Suggestions of possible faculty for a dissertation reading committee.
• An update of the Preliminary Review statement of previous and current research activities, providing specific information about the experiences that have prepared the student to undertake the research tasks involved in a dissertation study.
• Updated Curriculum Vitae.
• A copy of the proposed final Graduate Study Program (GSP).
• An unofficial Stanford transcript from AXESS.
• A copy of the first-year project research report.
• A copy of the DAPS Specialty Review Summary Sheet, available online from the GSE Intranet.

Part II. The primary goals of Part II of the Specialty Review are threefold: (1) provide the student with an opportunity to develop early expertise about a domain of research and carefully organize his/her expertise into an informative Qualifying Paper; (2) facilitate the student’s exploration of possible dissertation trajectories; and, (3) generate a document that reflects a sustained effort and provides an evaluation point for advancement to candidacy. The Specialty Review meeting itself provides the student with the opportunity to gain feedback and guidance from the faculty readers regarding his/her research direction and plans for the future.

Students will write a Qualifying Paper that builds on the past and present empirical and theoretical literature. In developing the Qualifying Paper the student will present a thesis and an argument, rather than a general overview. The specific content and the format of the paper will be determined by each student in collaboration with their primary advisor. There is some margin of flexibility in how a student approaches the preparation of the Qualifying Paper. Some possible alternatives include: A major literature review around an unresolved debate; a largely empirical paper describing the students’ own research and findings; a single authored manuscript that has been prepared for journal submission; or a focused paper that presents a potential research direction and methodology for study. The Specialty Review Qualifying Paper will be approximately 6,000 words in length (excluding references) and, if appropriate, contains figures and tables.

All students should prepare a brief (roughly 20 minute) PowerPoint presentation of their Qualifying Paper and be prepared to present these slides at the start of the discussion of their Qualifying Paper during their second-year review. 
 

Timeline

The Specialty Review should be completed in the Spring Quarter of the second year. Please refer to the Second Year Review section for more information on this requirement.

Specialty Review Meeting- Procedures for the Student

• Schedule a joint appointment with the primary and second advisors and one additional faculty member chosen by the primary advisor. Provide the date and committee composition to the Doctoral Programs Officer. See the Committee Composition section on p. 18 for more information.
• Portfolio materials should be distributed to Review Committee members at least two weeks in advance of the Review date. The appropriate form for Specialty Review evaluation from the Specialty Review meeting, the student and committee will evaluate the Specialty Review materials, discuss any necessary revisions to the final Graduate Study Program (GSP), and consider recommendations for future work.
• The committee will conduct an oral assessment based on the Specialty Review Qualifying Paper. Students can expect to be asked to step out for 10-15 minutes while faculty discuss their progress, and then invited to rejoin the meeting for further discussion and final takeaways.
• If the committee is satisfied with the student’s progress toward degree completion and preparation to begin dissertation-level work, the committee will indicate this on the Specialty Review Summary form. If the committee determines that the student’s progress does not meet all of the requirements for the Specialty Review, the advisor on behalf of the committee will describe what actions must be taken before the student can fully pass the Specialty Review and advance to doctoral candidacy. In either case, all committee members sign the Specialty Review Summary form that the student then submits to the Doctoral Programs Officer along with a signed final GSP.
• The results of the Specialty Review will be posted on the students’ record on AXESS. When appropriate, the advisor will further discuss the results of the final review with the student.

Satisfactory completion of the Specialty Review is required before a dissertation proposal may be submitted for oral review or a student advances to candidacy. The Specialty Review and Proposal Hearing may NOT happen at the same time. If students pass the Specialty Review subject to requirements (e.g., subject to the removal of incompletes or satisfactory completion of work required), then they may submit a dissertation proposal for oral review as soon as these requirements have been met.

DAPS faculty and students have also collaborated to create this specialty (second-year) review FAQ document, which further explains the preliminary (first-year) review and answers commonly held questions. 
 

Planning the Dissertation Research

The Dissertation Proposal may be developed and submitted any time after successful completion of the Specialty Review. The proposal should be conceptually concise, methodologically detailed, and clearly written. It may include the results of pilot work and prior data on measuring instruments where appropriate. The proposal should demonstrate its theoretical grounding and relation to educational practice.

There should be a review of the relevant literature (although this does not need to be an exhaustive review), and the review may be presented as an appendix. It may also be that the student has prepared a previous paper that consists of an exhaustive review of literature in which case the student may cite this paper as an indication of knowledge of the research area. There should also be discussion if appropriate of probable uses of the results expected and potential pitfalls in the approach taken. The main body of the proposal (excluding references and appendices) should not exceed 25 double-spaced typewritten pages. Liberal use of appendices (e.g., for pilot studies or literature reviews) is encouraged.

The dissertation proposal should conclude with an estimated budget that the student might prepare with the consultation of their advisor. The budget should offer a realistic estimate of the costs (e.g., travel, copying, transcription of interviews, etc.) associated with carrying out the study to completion. If possible, sources of funding to assist the student with the dissertation should be provided.

Beyond these guidelines, a formula for good proposals cannot be given. Form follows function, and the variety of investigative approaches and styles in psychological research is substantial. For ideas, students should look to discussion with advisors and examples from relevant literature (e.g., Psychological Bulletin). Examples of previously approved Dissertation Proposals may be available from your advisor, the Area Chair, or in Cubberley Library.

Overview

Psychology in education at Stanford can be traced back to the creation of the university in the 1890s. However, the first formal program in psychology and education was organized in the early 1960’s under the title of Psychological Studies in Education (PSE). PSE continued until the spring of 2010 when the faculty decided to rename its program – Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS). This change was made to align the program with contemporary perspectives in developmental studies and with advances in the psychology of learning and teaching that reflect cognitive, social, and neuroscience research methodologies and findings.

Leland and Jane Stanford had specified a Department of History and Art of Education in their founding grant. David Starr Jordan, who had been President at Indiana University, became the first Stanford President; the Indiana connection would prove to be especially productive for both psychology and education at Stanford in the coming decades.

President Jordan appointed Earl Barnes from Indiana as one of his first faculty members, and a one-man Department of Education, in 1891. Barnes taught the history of education, but he also began courses and research projects to pursue his interest in child study, following the style of G. Stanley Hall, one of the pioneers of American developmental psychology. However, Barnes abruptly resigned for personal reasons in 1897 and the Chair went to E.H. Griggs, a professor of ethics. The ethics and education departments were then combined and Griggs hired another of Jordan’s former associates from Indiana, Ellwood P. Cubberley, as an assistant professor to cover the education side.

When Griggs suddenly left Stanford in 1898, Cubberley was given a probationary period by Jordan to prove that education could be made a scientifically respectable field of scholarship. Cubberley did so using his background in physics, but also his growing knowledge of psychology gained from study leaves to Columbia’s Teachers College, where he worked with the famous psychologists J. McKeen Cattell and E.L. Thorndike, among others.

The Department of Education prospered, especially after Cubberley was made Professor of Education in 1905. In 1908, he hired John A. Bergstrom, also from Indiana, as the first Stanford Professor of Educational Psychology. Bergstrom died within a year, so the position was next offered to Lewis M. Terman, Bergstrom’s former Indiana student, starting in 1910. Also arriving on the faculty in 1911 was Jesse B. Sears, who had been an undergraduate at Stanford and then a graduate student at Chicago and Columbia as well as Wisconsin.

Sears and Terman became close friends and colleagues. Although Sears went on to teach in educational administration and research on school surveys, it is noteworthy that his diverse graduate work included studies with three of the founding fathers of educational psychology: John Dewey, Charles Judd, and E.L. Thorndike.

It is also noteworthy that Sear’s son Robert conferred with Terman while a Stanford undergraduate, and chose his career in psychology as a result; Robert Sears ultimately returned to Stanford in the 1950’s to become Professor of Psychology, Department Chair, and then Dean of Humanities and Sciences. Terman’s son Frederick, meanwhile, became a radio engineer, then Dean of Engineering at Stanford, and finally an illustrious Provost; Fred Terman was the academic advisor of Hewlett and Packard, and is regarded as the “Father of Silicon Valley.”

Psychology in education owes its lasting place at Stanford to Lewis Terman. With Cubberley and Sears as strong supporters, Terman pursued programs of research that placed Stanford on the psychological map. He pioneered the longitudinal approach to research on child development with his study of gifted children, and he mounted other major studies on the health and welfare of children and their development both in and out of schools. Both Fred Terman and Robert Sears, incidentally, were subjects in Terman’s study for gifted children. So was Lee J. Cronbach, whose career in educational psychology and measurement would also bring him to the Stanford education faculty. Robert Sears and Cronbach eventually became co-directors of the Terman Gifted Children Project at Stanford.

As Terman built the psychology emphasis in education, Cubberley continued to strengthen the GSE faculty in other directions. The GSE was founded in 1917 with Cubberley as its first Dean. It has progressed ever since, from strength in history, to the development of professional dimensions of education in curriculum, teacher training, educational administration, and international development, and then into social sciences, statistics, and philosophy related to education and educational research.

Meanwhile, the Stanford Psychology Department had been established in 1892 with Frank Angell, a psychophysicist and student of Wilhelm Wundt, as chair. In 1899, Lillian Martin, also a psychophysicist, was added. The two were excellent teachers, but unproductive researchers, and the department remained undistinguished. Only one Ph.D. was produced in the Angell years, and this came from “psychical” research funded by bequests from Leland Stanford’s youngest brother, T.W. Stanford. The recipient, J.F. Coover, became a psychology faculty member. However, the term “psychological science” later appeared in T.W. Stanford’s will (apparently due to the influence of Jordan) and then-President Ray Lyman Wilbur took advantage of this wording to start, finally, a successful psychology department.

Unfortunately, Cubberley, Angell, Coover, Terman, and Wilbur were unable to cooperate. They failed to agree on what was “basic” and what was “applied,” but they also had radically different views of the future for psychology at Stanford. For the next faculty appointment, Angell and Coover wanted a clinical neurologist and abnormal psychologist named S.I. Franz. Cubberley and Terman wanted the young Karl Lashley whom Terman saw as the future of basic neuropsychology. Ultimately, it was E.L. Thorndike who advised Cubberley and Wilbur that Terman should head psychology at Stanford, not the others; in Thorndike’s words, he was one of the “most promising younger men in psychology.” Terman became head of the Stanford Department of psychology in 1922.

Terman’s psychology group consisted of: W.R. Miles in experimental psychology; Coover: C.P. Stone, who was a Lashley student; Maud Merrill, who was Terman’s student and coworker; and Gertrude Trace, appointed by Angell. Soon, however, Terman expanded. E.K. Strong was added in 1923; he became famous for his research on vocational interests.

Truman Kelley, a joint appointment in educational and psychological statistics, also came in 1923. When Kelley moved to Harvard, his student Quinn McNemar joined the faculty in 1933. Terman also appointed Paul Farnsworth in 1925 and Ernest Hilgard in 1933. Along with Terman and Merrill, McNemar and Hilgard also held appointments in the GSE, beginning in 1935 and 1937, respectively. Hilgard remained a Professor Emeritus of Education and of Psychological Studies in Education, until his death in 2001.

The table below sketches the history of the initial faculty in education and psychology after the 1930s. Terman’s view of psychology within the progressive education movement had three aspects or dimensions that have been represented within psychological studies in education, in one way or another, ever since. In the table, three columns identify these dimensions: Counseling and Health Psychology (CHP), Child and Adolescent Development (CAD), and Educational Psychology. Faculty members are listed in whichever column represents their principal emphasis, but it should be understood that all contributed to psychological studies in education as a whole, beyond their particular specializations. The fourth column shows other Stanford faculty members who have held courtesy appointments in the GSE and who have made significant contributions to education and psychology over the years.

In the 1940s, H. Bonner McDaniel began a formal program in guidance counseling. John Krumboltz, who introduced doctoral research in modern counseling psychology, joined him in 1961. Lois Meek Stolz, from the Department of Psychology, promoted the child development emphasis, until Pauline Sears joined the GSE in 1953. Pauline was the daughter of David Snedden, a Stanford education faculty member, who along with Robert Sears was inspired by Terman while an undergraduate at Stanford. Robert and Pauline married, forming a life-long partnership for research in the psychology of child development.

Lloyd Humphreys, a Psychology Department graduate, taught educational psychology. Arthur Coladarci and his student Frederick McDonald built this field further. A major further addition was Nathaniel L. Gage, who had pioneered psychological research on teaching. When Gage and Lee J. Cronbach arrived in the early 1960’s, along with John Krumboltz in counseling, they joined with Coladarci, McDonald, and Pauline Sears to formally organize the program as Psychological Studies in Education (PSE).

After nearly six decades the program in Counseling Psychology was discontinued in 2003. Students in the program were allowed to continue until they completed all requirements for the Ph.D. including their mandated APA internship. By every measure the program was a success.

Beginning in the fall of 2010 the program changed its name to Developmental and Psychological Sciences (DAPS) and the lines between educational psychology and child and adolescent development were relaxed so that students with their advisors could determine how they want to specialize within DAPS.

The table on the next page shows the continuing flow of faculty along the three dimensions of DAPS (formerly PSE) to the present day. The deanships of I. James Quillen (1953-1966), H. Thomas James (1966-1970), Arthur Coladarci (1970-1979), Marshall Smith (1986-1992), Richard Shavelson (1995-2000), Deborah Stipek (2000-2011; 2014-15), Claude Steele (2011-2014), and Dan Schwartz (2015- ) have marked particular growth periods, but there has never been a period of significant retrenchment. The alumni of PSE/DAPS now number close to a thousand and include many leading researchers in colleges and universities and public and private education and research agencies.

Developmental and Psychological Sciences - Historical Outline

Lewis Terman, 1910-1942
Maud Merrill, 1920-1953
Quinn McNemar, 1935-1965
Ernest Hilgard, 1937-1969

Counseling/Health

• H.B. McDaniel 1947-1968
• John Krumboltz 1961-2015
• Carl Thoresen 1967-2000
• Steven Zifferblatt 1970-1976
• Susan Krantz 1980-1983
• Teresa LaFromboise 1985-

Child & Adolescent

• Lois Meek Stolz 1946-1957
• Pauline Sears 1953-1972
• Edith Dowley 1967-1975
• Joan Sieber 1967-1970
• Robert Hess 1968-1987
• Sueann Ambron 1973-1979
• Alfredo Castaneda 1973-1979
• Martin Ford 1980-1993
• Amado Padilla 1988-
• Robbie Case 1989-1999
• Rafael Diaz 1989-1995
• Kenji Hakuta 1989-2003: 2006-2017
• Brigid Barron 1995-
• Robert Roeser 1996-2004
• William Damon 1997-
• Deanne Perez-Granados 2000-2007
• Na'ilah Nasir 2000-2009
• Deborah Stipek 2000-
• Jelena Obradovic 2009-
• Bruce McCandliss 2014

Educational Psychology

• Lloyd Humphreys 1949-1952
• Arthur Coladarci 1952-1970
• Frederick McDonald 1956-1968
• Nathaniel Gage 1962-1987
• Lee Cronbach 1964-1980
• Richard Snow 1967-1997
• Robert Calfee 1969-1998
• Richard Shavelson 1970-72
• Lyn Corno 1978-1980
• Edward Haertel 1980-2015
• Lee Shulman 1982-1997
• James Greeno 1987- 2003
• David Rogosa 1991-
• Clea Fernandez 1995-1996
• Richard Shavelson 1995-2010
• Michael Kamil 1998-2004
• Daniel Schwartz 2000-
• Roy Pea 2001-
• Sam Wineburg 2002-
• Paulo Blikstein 2008-
• Geoff Cohen 2009-
• Claude Steele 2011-2014
• Candace Thille 2013-
• Ben Domingue 2015-
• Willy Solano-Flores 2016-
• Ayita Ruiz-Primo 2016-

Other Contributors

• Robert Sears 1953-1962
• Alberta Siegel 1957, 1963-1996
• Richard Atkinson 1961-1965
• Nevitt Sanford 1961-1967
• Patrick Suppes 1967-201
• Frank Hawkinshire 1968-1971
• Denis Phillips 1974-1995
• Mark Lepper 1975-2002
• David Rogosa 1980-1991
• Marshall Smith 1986-1992
• Carol S. Dweck 2006-

Note: Charter members of PSE appear in Bold. Years indicate period of service.