Forms for Doctoral Students

At the end of the first year, 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. This milestone is to be completed by the end of the third quarter, but may be completed anytime prior to the first day of the fourth quarter without the student being required to request an extension. If a student requires an extension, they must consult with their advisor and have the advisor email the Doctoral Programs Officer a statement of support. For more information on this milestone, consult the general and area specific requirements outlined in the Doctoral Degree Handbook for your year of admission.

Required forms to submit

The required forms to submit to the Doctoral Programs Officer are the preliminary Graduate Study Program (GSP) and the first-year review form for your area. Fill out and print your preliminary GSP and your area’s first year review form and bring both forms to your first-year review for your advisor(s)/committee to sign. All forms should be signed and returned to the Doctoral Programs Officer as soon as possible after the review.

• Graduate Study Program Form (GSP)
  This preliminary version of the GSP should be part of your portfolio submitted to the committee. You and your program advisor(s) must sign the GSP before submitting it to the Doctoral Programs Officer after your review. The Doctoral Programs Officer will review your GSP and forward it to the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs for final review and signature, if approved.
• CTE First-Year Review Form (only for CTE students)
  This form should be completed, signed by each reviewer, and submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer immediately following the review.
• DAPS First-Year Review Form (Preliminary Review)(only for DAPS students)
  This form should be completed, signed by each reviewer (as well as the student), and submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer immediately following the review.
• SHIPS First-Year Review Form(Third Quarter Review) (only for SHIPS students)
  This form should be completed, signed by each reviewer, and submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer immediately following the review.

Informational documents

• Committee Composition
  This document outlines the requirements for your First Year Review, Second Year Review, Dissertation Proposal Hearing, Dissertation Reading, and Oral Exam Committees. Each is a separate and distinct committee; however, the same members often serve on more than one of your committees.
• SHIPS 3rd Quarter Review Guidelines 
  This document provides guidelines for the review portfolio and process.

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. Consult the general and area specific requirements outlined in the Doctoral Degree Handbook for your year of admission.

We encourage students to make their completed qualifying papers (QP’s) publicly available through the Stanford GSE Open Archive, an online repository of working papers, published articles, and other materials produced by faculty, staff, and students. GSE students voted in favor of having an open access policy to make their scholarly articles available for free to scholars, educators, policymakers, and the public worldwide. More information about the GSE Open Archive can be found here: Open Archive Policies and Resources.

Required forms to submit

The required forms to submit to the Doctoral Programs Officer are the final Graduate Study Program (GSP) and the second-year review form for your area. Fill out and print your final Graduate Study Program and your area’s second year review form and bring both forms to your second-year review for your advisor(s)/committee to sign. Students are eligible to advance to candidacy after successful completion of the second-year review/QP. Please ensure the section of the form that indicates approval of advancement to candidacy is filled out. If revisions are required, the student will not be eligible for candidacy until the student has obtained written confirmation from the advisor that all revisions have been completed and submitted this confirmation to the Doctoral Programs Officer. All forms should be signed and returned to the Doctoral Programs Officer as soon as possible after the review.

• GSP 
  This final version of your GSP should be part of the portfolio submitted to your committee two to four weeks before the review. You and your program advisor(s) must sign the GSP and submit it to the Doctoral Programs Officer immediately after your review. (Although this is your "final" GSP, future changes can be made via the Academic Program Revision form.) The Doctoral Programs Officer will review your GSP and forward it to the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs for final review and signature, if approved.
• CTE Qualifying Review Summary Sheet (only for CTE students)
  This form should be completed by your program advisor and signed by each member of your review committee, including your advisor, immediately after your review.
• DAPS Specialty Review Evaluation and Summary Sheet (only for DAPS students)
• This should be completed by your primary and secondary advisors and signed by each member of your review committee, including your advisors, immediately after your review. This form requires the student’s signature as well.
• SHIPS Assessment of Qualifying Paper(only for SHIPS students)
  One form should be completed and signed by each review committee member, including your program advisor. 

Informational documents

• Committee Composition
  This document outlines the requirements for your First Year Review, Second Year Review, Dissertation Proposal Hearing, Dissertation Reading, and Oral Exam Committees. Each is a separate and distinct committee, however, the same members often serve on more than one of your committees.
• CTE QP Guidelines (only for CTE students)
  This document provides specific guidelines for writing the Qualifying Paper and procedures for the Second Year Review. We encourage students to make their completed QP’s publicly available through the Stanford GSE Open Archive, an online repository of working papers, published articles, and other materials produced by faculty, staff, and students. GSE students voted in favor of having an open access policy to make their scholarly articles available for free to scholars, educators, policymakers, and the public worldwide. More information about the GSE Open Archive can be found here: GSE Open Access Policies.
• Guidelines for SHIPS Qualifying Paper (only for SHIPS students)
  This document provides specific guidelines for writing the Qualifying Paper and procedures for the Second Year Review. We encourage students to make their completed QP’s publicly available through the Stanford GSE Open Archive, an online repository of working papers, published articles, and other materials produced by faculty, staff, and students. GSE students voted in favor of having an open access policy to make their scholarly articles available for free to scholars, educators, policymakers, and the public worldwide. More information about the GSE Open Archive can be found here: GSE Open Access Policies

Additional forms (If applicable)

• Second-Year Review Extension Form 
  Doctoral students are expected to complete their second year review and advance to candidacy prior to the first day of the seventh quarter (typically fall quarter of the student’s third year); see GAP 4.6. The purpose of this policy is to help assure timely progress toward completion of the PhD. 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 this 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.

(Please note: Students are eligible to apply for candidacy after completing the 2nd year review/QP, including any required revisions.)

Students are eligible to apply for candidacy after completing the 2nd year review. Approval of advancement to candidacy is indicated by the second-year review committee on the second-year review form for the student's area (see previous section). Consult the doctoral degree handbook for more information: Advancement to Candidacy.

Additional forms (If applicable)

• Application for Extension of Candidacy
  Doctoral candidacy is valid for five years. Extensions are rarely approved and only in extenuating circumstances. You should meet with the Doctoral Programs Officer prior to completing this form to discuss your options. Use the form on the University Registrar's website to petition for an extension of candidacy. You should obtain your program or dissertation advisor's signature (whichever one applies) before submitting the form to the Doctoral Programs Officer. The Doctoral Programs Officer will forward your petition to the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs for review and signature, if approved.

Stanford GSE requires doctoral students to write a doctoral dissertation proposal to be reviewed by a committee of three faculty, one of whom will be, or is, your primary dissertation advisor. The proposal hearing normally occurs during the third year of your doctoral program, but sometimes later depending upon circumstances and needs. Note that the dissertation proposal hearing is not required in order for students to advance to TGR status; students can advance to TGR status prior to OR after completing the proposal hearing. Consult the Doctoral Degree Handbook for more information: Dissertation Proposal

Required forms to submit

The required form to submit to the doctoral program officer is the dissertation proposal cover sheet (cover sheet only, not the entire document).

• Dissertation Proposal Cover Sheet
  This form must be signed by all proposal hearing committee members immediately after your hearing. Submit the signed document to the doctoral program officer to indicate your completion of this milestone. Only the cover sheet is required for the doctoral program officer. If revisions are required, the student must submit written confirmation from their committee to the doctoral program officer that revisions have been completed. See more information in the handbook about claiming your $300 Stanford GSE printing credit: Dissertation Proposal

Informational documents

• Committee Composition
  This document outlines the requirements for your First Year Review, Second Year Review, Dissertation Proposal Hearing, Dissertation Reading, and Oral Exam Committees. Each is a separate and distinct committee, however, the same members often serve on more than one of your committees.

After completing the residency requirements for all graduate degree program(s), students should apply for Terminal Graduate Registration status. This student status reflects completion of all coursework on the final Graduate Study Program (GSP). Students must form their reading committee and submit a signed and approved Reading Committee form (see below) before TGR status can be approved. TGR students will be billed at the TGR tuition rate.

Required Forms to Submit

The two forms required to submit to the Doctoral Programs Officer in order to go TGR are the Request for TGR Status Form and the Reading Committee form (see below). If there are any discrepancies between the courses you listed on your final Graduate Study Program and your transcript (i.e. the courses you ended up taking), please also submit the Academic Program Revisions form (from the “additional relevant forms” section below). Please note that, while the Request for TGR Status form notes that the deadline to submit the form is the first day of the quarter during in which the student wishes to go TGR, the Doctoral Programs Officer normally sets an earlier deadline to allow time for processing. Please adhere to any deadlines set by the Doctoral Programs Officer if this is the case.

• Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) Status Request- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  Doctoral students are normally eligible for TGR status when 135 quarter units of graduate residency credit are earned, including external transfer credit, when applicable. You must be finished with all regular coursework required for your graduate degree(s) (e.g., both the PhD and master's for those pursuing both at Stanford). TGR students enroll under their dissertation advisor's section of EDUC 802 (for zero units) each quarter of the regular academic year (Summer Quarter is optional). This yields a full-time student status because your work on dissertation research and writing equals (or exceeds) eight units worth of coursework. Only the Doctoral Programs Officer and the Registrar must approve your eForm, but students are also responsible for ensuring that their advisor(s) approve of their plans.
• Reading Committee Form
  At least three people must serve on your reading committee, and at least two of them must be members of the Stanford Academic Council. Most regular faculty (e.g., assistant, associate, and full professors) are on the Academic Council. Your primary dissertation advisor must be on the Academic Council. Emeriti are considered members of the Academic Council, but they cannot serve as your primary dissertation advisor (though they may serve as co-advisor). Email confirmations or digital signatures are accepted.

Additional Forms (If Applicable)

• Academic Program Revisions Form
  Use this document to make any changes or updates to your Graduate Study Program (GSP) if there are any discrepancies between your final GSP and your transcript (i.e. between the courses you were planning to take and the courses you ended up taking).
• Petition for Doctoral Committee Members
  If any members of your reading or oral exam committee are not on the Stanford Academic Council, you will need to submit this form and supporting documents. A non-Academic Council member cannot serve as your primary dissertation advisor or chair the oral exam committee, but s/he can serve on your reading and/or oral exam committee(s). They must hold a PhD and provide a curriculum vitae (see instructions on the form). You do not need to petition for Stanford Emeriti participation on your committees; they can serve without special approval. You should complete this form in full, including a brief statement in the section that says "to be completed by department", but you do not need to obtain any signatures on it. The Doctoral Programs Officer will forward the document and attachments to the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs for review and signature, if approved.
• Graduate Petition for Part-Time Enrollment- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  In your final quarter before TGR status, you can take a reduced course load and pay the corresponding unit-based tuition rate only if you need fewer than eight units to complete your graduate residency requirements. (For example, if you have 130 units before Autumn Quarter begins, you could petition to take only five units in autumn and pay the cheaper unit-based tuition. At the conclusion of Autumn Quarter, you would have a total of 135 residency units and could apply for TGR status effective Winter Quarter.) You, your program advisor, and a Bechtel International Center advisor (for F-1 and J-1 visa holders) should sign the form before you submit it to the Doctoral Programs Officer for final processing. The Graduate Petition for Part-Time Enrollment can only be used once during your doctoral program for the purposes of a pre-TGR quarter, and is not required for Summer Quarter enrollment. Part-time enrollment at the unit-based rate is allowable in summer. Note that being enrolled part time may cause loans to go into repayment; it is the student's responsibility to check with loan providers if applicable before applying for graduate tuition adjustment to see if this is the case with their particular provider.

Informational Documents

• Committee Composition
  This document outlines the requirements for your First Year Review, Second Year Review, Dissertation Proposal Hearing, Dissertation Reading, and Oral Exam Committees. Each is a separate and distinct committee, however, the same members often serve on more than one of your committees.

Prior to submitting your final draft of the doctoral dissertation, you must undergo an oral exam during which five faculty committee members test your command of the field of study and confirm your fitness for scholarly pursuits. Click here to view the Oral Exam Guidelines.

Required forms to submit

The required form for the oral exam (dissertation defense) is the University Oral Exam form, which must be submitted to the Doctoral Programs Officer at least two weeks prior to the oral exam.

• University Oral Exam Schedule Form
  After getting approval to schedule your oral exam, submit this form to the Doctoral Programs Officer. You do not need to get any signatures. After you submit it, the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs will review your form and sign it, if approved. Be sure to reserve the room for your oral exam and indicate this information on this form before submitting it. Rooms can be scheduled using this website. The Stanford GSE IT group can help with any audio/visual needs.

Informational documents

• Committee Composition
  This document outlines the requirements for your First Year Review, Second Year Review, Dissertation Proposal Hearing, Dissertation Reading, and Oral Exam Committees. Each is a separate and distinct committee, however, the same members often serve on more than one of your committees.
• Oral Exam Guidelines

Additional forms (If applicable)

• Petition for Doctoral Committee Members
  If any members of your reading or oral exam committee are not on the Stanford Academic Council, you will need to submit this form and supporting documents. A non-Academic Council member cannot serve as your primary dissertation advisor or chair the oral exam committee, but s/he can serve on your reading and/or oral exam committee(s). They must hold a PhD and provide a curriculum vitae (see instructions on the form). You do not need to petition for Stanford Emeriti participation on your committees; they can serve without special approval. You should complete this form in full, including a brief statement in the section that says "to be completed by department", but you do not need to obtain any signatures on it. The Doctoral Programs Officer will forward the document and attachments to the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs for review and signature, if approved.

Instructions for preparing and submitting the dissertation can be found below. Students may also petition for graduation quarter (the quarter after they defend) using the form below.

• Directions for Preparing Doctoral Dissertations
  The University Registrar’s Office publishes these general guidelines for dissertation preparation and submission each year. It emphasizes formatting and submission procedures, not content. (You and your reading committee have discretion over content and writing norms within the discipline.) As you near completion of the dissertation, we encourage you to make an appointment with the Registrar’s Office for a format check at any point before submission. To make an appointment, visit the Student Services Center on the 2nd floor of Tresidder Union.
• Doctoral Dissertation Agreement Form
  This form authorizes online publication of your doctoral dissertation and the separate abstract through ProQuest. It is mandatory for all doctoral dissertation submissions.
• Survey of Earned Doctorates
  This document must be submitted to the Registrar's Office during your final appointment. If you find the Survey objectionable, complete only the parts that are not problematic for you. At the very least, you must write your name in the space provided on the first page and state "declined" if you do not wish to participate.
• Graduation Quarter Petition- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  This is a special registration status that enables you to pay only $150 for tuition in your final quarter at Stanford. To qualify, you must complete all coursework and degree milestones aside from the oral exam and/or dissertation submission before the start of your designated Graduation Quarter. In order to qualify, your doctoral program needs to have been “active” in the previous quarter. The university considers a leave of absence to be an active program status. So if you were on an approved leave the prior quarter, that is considered an active status. The Registrar's Office does not make exceptions to these requirements. The $150 Graduation Quarter can only be used once during your doctoral career.

Stanford GSE requires doctoral students to earn either a master's degree or PhD minor outside of the discipline of education, in addition to their doctorate. The various options and related forms are provided below.

• Application for Graduate Residency Credit- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  If you earned a master's degree from another institution prior to beginning your Stanford doctoral program, you may petition to transfer up to 45 quarter units toward your graduate residency. Transferring external credit impacts your ability to earn a Stanford master's degree in addition to your PhD. If you wish to earn, or have earned, a Stanford master's degree, discuss your options with the Doctoral Programs Officer before petitioning to transfer external credit.
• PhD Minor Form- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  If you have not earned a master's degree outside of education and do not plan to do so in the future, you could satisfy the Stanford GSE requirements by adding a PhD minor from another Stanford department to your current doctoral program.
• Individually Designed Distributed Minor (IDDM)
  If you have not earned a master's degree outside of education, and do not plan to do so in the future, you can satisfy the Stanford GSE requirements by adding an IDDM to your current doctoral program. The IDDM is appropriate for students who wish to pursue a minor course of study across various disciplines (e.g., sociology and psychology), which cannot be accomplished via an existing departmental PhD minor at Stanford. The IDDM is internal to Stanford GSE and does not appear on your transcripts. The IDDM form specifies the requirements for this option.
• Graduate Program Authorization Petition (GPAP) on Axess
  If you have not transferred any graduate credit from another institution toward your residency at Stanford, you can petition to add a master's degree outside of education to satisfy the Stanford GSE requirements. (If you have already transferred external graduate credit or earned a Stanford master's degree, contact the Doctoral Programs Officer for your options.) The GPAP should be approved first by Stanford GSE, then by the master's degree department, and finally by the University Registrar's Office. A $50 processing fee will be assessed to your student account after the Registrar's Office processes your GPAP.

Stanford requires continuous enrollment throughout your doctoral program. This means that you need to register as a full-time student (with few exceptions) each quarter of the regular academic year (summer is optional). If you do not register during the regular academic year (excluding summer) and are not on an approved leave of absence, your doctoral program will be discontinued. Reinstatement (i.e., readmission) is at the discretion of Stanford GSE and the University based upon your degree progress to date and potential for degree completion.

• Leave of Absence- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  The granting of leaves is at the discretion of Stanford GSE. One major consideration is good academic standing. If you meet the minimum degree progress standards (e.g., GPA greater than 3.0, appropriate milestones completed to date, etc.) you may be eligible for up to six quarters of total leave during your doctoral program. Your initial leave can be from one to three quarters in duration, and extensions can be requested for up to six quarters of total leave. In other words, you may be able to take one year of leave and then extend it one more year, if need be and with Stanford GSE approval. Because summer enrollment is optional, you do not need to take a leave of absence for Summer Quarter. If you are an F-1 or J-1 visa holder, a Bechtel International Center advisor must sign the leave form. If you receive Veteran's Benefits, the VA representative from the Registrar's Office must sign the leave form. Otherwise, only your signature is required before submitting it to the Doctoral Programs Officer in eForms, though please note that students are also responsible for discussing their plans with their advisor(s).
• Application for Reinstatement in Graduate Study
  If your program was discontinued for failing to enroll during the regular academic year, you can apply for reinstatement or readmission to the doctoral program. Reinstatement is based upon your degree progress to date and potential for completion of the PhD, and is at the discretion of Stanford GSE and the University's Graduate Admissions Office. You need to complete and sign the form, and submit it along with a check in the amount indicated on the form. The Stanford GSE Admissions Officer should receive reinstatement requests. Stanford GSE will review your application, and if approved, forward it to the Graduate Admissions Office for final review and approval.

• Change of Advisor or Reading Committee Member
  This form is used to delete and/or add advisors and reading committee members. The area committee, area chair, and Associate Dean of Educational Affairs review these requests. Before submitting the form to the Doctoral Programs Officer, obtain the signatures of advisors and/or reading committee members who are being added. Notify the faculty member (or members) who is being removed, but you do not need his/her signature. Students must sign this form as well.
• Field of Study Declaration or Change- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  This form is used to change or add a PhD subplan (for example, switching from Sociology of Education to Educational Linguistics, or adding Race, Inequality, and Language in Education as a second subplan in addition to your current subplan). This form can be submitted prior to all coursework for that subplan being completed, but please note that you will not be cleared to go TGR or graduate until all course-related degree requirements have been completed for all subplans. While this eForm does not require advisor approval, students are responsible for ensuring that their advisor approves of their plan to switch or add a subplan.

Students are eligible for three travel fellowship for up to $700 (North America travel) or $1,100 (international travel). Students must be attending a conference or other professional development opportunity.

• Stanford GSE Doctoral Travel Fellowship (save the PDF before you start filling in the form)
  This form must be submitted within 60 days of the conference/professional development opportunity to the Doctoral Programs Officer with advisor signature. Be sure to include a copy of the invitation or program (e.g., letter or email). This supporting documentation is required.