EE-PHD - Electrical Engineering (PhD)

The University requirements for the Ph.D. degree are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this Bulletin.

Admission to a graduate program does not imply that the student is automatically a candidate for the Ph.D. degree. Advancement to candidacy requires superior academic achievement, satisfactory performance on a qualifying examination, and sponsorship by two faculty members: a dissertation advisor and a second reader. Enrollment in EE 391, Special Studies, is recommended as a means for getting acquainted with a faculty member who might be the dissertation advisor.

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program must take the department qualifying examination. Students must pass the qualifying exam prior to the end of Winter quarter of their second year of study. Students who have never taken the qualifying examination or have not passed the qualifying exam will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program for failure to progress. Such students may be allowed to complete a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

Upon completion of the qualifying examination and after securing agreement by two faculty members to serve as dissertation advisor and second reader, respectively, the student files an Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree. The dissertation advisor must be a member of the Academic Council.  One of the two faculty members must have either a full or a joint appointment in the Electrical Engineering Department. Students are required to advance to candidacy prior to the end of their second year in the graduate program. Students who do not advance to candidacy by the end of their second year will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program for failure to progress. Such students may be allowed to complete a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering instead.

After receiving department approval of the Application for Candidacy, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree.

Degree Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to maintain good academic standing and graduate with the EE Ph.D. degree.

The Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering is a specialized degree, built on a broad base of science, mathematics, and engineering skills. The course program must reflect competency in Electrical Engineering and specialized study in other areas relevant to the student's research focus. Students should discuss their course selection with their dissertation advisor.

Students in the Ph.D. program are required to complete 135 units of unduplicated coursework. Note that up to 45 units of a master's degree earned at Stanford or another institution in Electrical Engineering or other science/engineering/math fields may be counted toward the 135 units required for the doctoral degree. 

The proposed program of study must be listed on the Application for Candidacy for Ph.D. Degree. Any deviations from these guidelines must be accompanied with an explanation and the approval of the dissertation advisor. All deviations must be approved by the Associate Chair of Graduate Education (submit all requests for program deviations to the Degree Progress Officer).

The Ph.D. program must satisfy the following minimum unit guidelines: 

·      1 unit of seminar course EE 301 (Introductory Research Seminar in Electrical Engineering). Students must take this course in autumn quarter of their first year.

·      21 units of letter-graded lecture/lab courses at the 200 level or above in STEM fields - engineering, natural sciences, math, or statistics.

·      Students who want to earn a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering should choose courses that fulfill the EE MS Depth and Breadth requirements described in the EE Graduate Handbook (see the MS section).

The remaining units required to complete the 135 total units may be comprised of:

·      Special Studies (e.g. EE390 or EE391)

·      research units (e.g. EE400)

·      seminar units

·      additional lecture/lab courses taken CR/NC or for letter grades.

·      non-departmental units in nontechnical areas

Students who wish to receive a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford may count the 21 units of lecture/lab courses mentioned above toward the requirements for that degree (45 total units are required to earn a Master’s degree).  They must submit the Graduate Authorization Petition in Axess to open the degree and then submit the MS Proposal form that lists the courses taken in fulfillment of that degree.  Ph.D. students that wish to open the Master’s degree must confer the degree within 3 years of the first Master’s degree quarter.

Students wishing to earn an MS degree in a different science or engineering department at Stanford instead of EE in partial fulfillment of the 135 units may submit a request to the Degree Progress Officer, to be reviewed by the Associate Chair of Graduate Education. 

For complete requirements and additional information, see the department's website.

Financial Assistance

The Department awards a limited number of fellowships, teaching and course assistantships, and research assistantships to incoming graduate students. Applying for financial assistance is part of the admission application.