CHINE-PHD - Chinese (PhD)

The Ph.D. program in Chinese is designed to prepare students for a doctoral degree in Chinese literature,  philosophy, or linguistics. The Ph.D. program in Chinese, Archaeology subplan is designed to prepare students for a doctoral degree in Chinese archaeology.

Students are to take the relevant language placement exam, proctored by the Stanford Language Center, for placement into the Chinese language course series and the student's supporting language course series.

Advanced standing may be considered for students entering the Ph.D. program who have already completed an M.A. in Chinese literature or linguistics elsewhere, only in cases when the level of prior course work and research is deemed equivalent to departmental requirements for the Ph.D.

All courses must be taken for a letter grade. Prior to advancing to Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status, graduate students must complete all requirements except passing the University Oral Exam (i.e., dissertation defense), and submitting the final dissertation.

Effective academic advising is a critical component of a successful graduate degree program. At Stanford, all matriculated graduate students are to be advised by a member of the faculty. The nature of academic advising may differ for different programs, students, and at different stages in a degree program. During your time as a graduate student, you will have access to the department staff (in particular the Student Services Officer), the Directors of Graduate Studies (EALC generally has two DGS, one for Chinese and Japanese studies), and the Department Chair, to whom you can refer to for degree progress and policy clarification. 

In order to meet the department’s advising expectations, each student and their advisor meet must meet at least once per quarter for a holistic, structured discussion of the student’s recent progress, short-term plans, and longer-term academic and professional goals and to discuss the steps that the student should take to meet these objectives. 

Students are expected to meet regularly with their advisors and to keep them informed about their academic progress. Each student and their advisor should mutually agree on the frequency of these meetings when the advising relation begins and reassess their frequency at the start of every quarter.

No later than by the end of the second academic year, the student is assigned a faculty advisor. Until the University Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense) has been submitted and the student has graduated, the student and advisor must meet at the beginning of each quarter to discuss intended courses as well as other academic matters. The advisor's suggestions regarding professional issues are especially valuable, as they offer insight into the academic environment beyond one's particular intellectual interests. During the quarters before the University Oral Examination (Dissertation Defense), the student should decide on a faculty member with whom they want to work most closely and approach that person about becoming their advisor; they will serve as the primary advisor until the exam. Once the University Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense) has been passed, the primary advisor will be the person chosen to supervise and direct the dissertation.

The Ph.D. is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship and the ability to conduct independent research and analysis in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Through completion of advanced course work and rigorous skills training, the doctoral program prepares students to make original contributions to the knowledge of East Asian Languages and Cultures and to interpret and present the results of such research.