GEOPH-PHD - Geophysics (PhD)
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Program Overview
Geophysics is a hybrid discipline uniquely devoted to applying physical principles and methods to the study of the complex systems (processes and properties) of Earth and other planets. The undergraduate and graduate programs are designed to provide a background of fundamentals in science, and courses to coordinate these fundamentals with the principles of geophysics. Graduate programs provide specialized training and lead to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. University requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. are described in the Graduate Degrees section of this bulletin.The Department of Geophysics is housed in the Ruth Wattis Mitchell Earth Sciences Building. It has numerous research facilities, among which are a state-of-the-art broadband seismic recording station, high pressure and temperature rock properties and rock deformation laboratories, various instruments for field measurements including seismic recorders, nine dual frequency GPS receivers, and field equipment for measuring in-situ stress at great depth. Current research activities include crustal deformation, earthquake seismology and earthquake mechanics, reflection, refraction, and tomographic seismology, rock mechanics, rock physics, seismic studies of the continental lithosphere, remote sensing, environmental geophysics, and synthetic aperture radar studies.
Director of Graduate Studies
Objectives
The Ph.D. degree is conferred upon evidence of high attainment in Geophysics and the ability to conduct an independent investigation and present the results of such research.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 135 units of graduate study at Stanford must be satisfactorily completed. In addition to the course and breadth requirements described below, students must complete sufficient units of independent work on a research problem to meet the 135-unit University requirement.
The student's record must indicate outstanding scholarship, and deficiencies in previous training must be addressed. As required by the university, all students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 (B) grade point average overall in courses applicable to the degree.
Course requirements
Course requirements are defined within a structure that reflects the nature of scholarship in our department - how we study and what we study, and with a flexibility that reflects the breadth of our department and the field of Geophysics. We require a limited number of courses, given that individual research groups have additional requirements that allow a student to develop the depth and expertise in their specific field of study. Required courses used to fulfill requirements for the Ph.D. in Geophysics must be lecture courses (component LEC) taken for a letter grade, unless S/NC is the only option offered.
The courses taken by students (which include those given here as requirements and all others taken during their degree program) must include at least two STEM lecture courses, which are at the 100 level or above, and at least 3 units, from two different faculty (members of Academic Council) with ≥50% appointments in the Department of Geophysics. This requirement (two classes from two different faculty) can, but need not, be satisfied by the three required “How We Study” classes and the two required “What We Study” classes.
The four areas below broadly describe “how we study”, i.e., how geophysicists approach their research. Students are required to take one of the courses listed below, which are at the 100 level or above and at least 3 units, in three of the four areas.
What we study: “What we study” in geophysics ranges broadly across many areas: atmosphere, climate, cryosphere, energy, freshwater, geomaterials, hazards, oceans, other planets, tectonics/geodynamics/Earth’s interior. In consultation with their faculty advisor, students are required to identify and take two courses, each at least 3 units, that enhance their understanding of “what they study”, or provide breadth and understanding in other areas of “what we study”. Note that none of the courses listed above, as satisfying the “how we study” requirement, can be used to satisfy the “what we study” requirement.
course Students are required to register for and attend the Geophysics Department seminar GP300 for six quarters. We recommend that these quarters be in a student’s first two academic years.
course Frontiers of Geophysical Research at Stanford is highly recommended for all Geophysics graduate students.
ENGR202W Technical Communication, or course Writing Academic English, or other writing classes, are recommended but not required.
The purpose of the Breadth Requirement is to provide students with opportunities to develop the confidence to carry out research in multiple areas. Students cannot advance to TGR status or receive the Ph.D. degree before completion of the Breadth Requirement.
The Breadth Requirement can be met with either secondary research (where the research conducted for the Ph.D. dissertation is referred to as the primary project) or secondary coursework:
1. Secondary Research Project (12 or more graded units)
The secondary research project must stand alone from the primary project as a separate piece of work. The following three scenarios are all acceptable: (1) new problem, new method; (2) new problem, primary project method; (3) primary project problem, new method.
The topic of the secondary project must be in Geophysics or a related discipline within the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
The secondary project must be supervised by a Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability faculty member (academic council or research faculty), i.e., not the primary faculty adviser or from the primary faculty advisor’s research group.
Completion of the secondary project must result in a publication in a refereed journal, a presentation at a scientific conference or workshop, or a chapter and/or appendix in the Ph.D. thesis.
Students must complete the “Geophysics Secondary Project Advising Expectations Agreement” which must be approved by the primary faculty advisor and the second-research-project advisor.
The Qualifying exam (see below) can include a less than 10-minute presentation of a second project proposal, followed by up to 5 minutes of questions, with the written proposal (5 pages single-spaced including figures) submitted to the Advising Committee and second-research-project advisor at least two weeks prior to the exam. If not part of the Qualifying Exam, a second project proposal must be presented at the first annual review following the qualifying exam, with a 5-page proposal (single-spaced including figures) submitted two weeks prior. If the second project has been completed, it can be presented at this annual meeting, without the need to provide a written proposal.
2. Secondary Coursework (12 or more graded units)
Secondary Coursework is a program of graded (or Instructor-mandated S/NC) lecture courses at the 200 level or higher.
The secondary coursework must be in Geophysics or the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
At least 6 units must come from the Department of Geophysics. The remaining courses may be chosen from courses offered by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Secondary coursework cannot be used to meet other degree requirements at Stanford.
No transfer credit may be used to meet the secondary course requirement.
Students must complete the “Geophysics Secondary Course Requirement Plan” which must be approved by their faculty Advisor.
All Ph.D. students are required to be appointed as a quarter-time Teaching Assistant for at least two quarters. An exception can be made and the requirement reduced to a quarter-time Teaching Assistant for one quarter, with the approval of the faculty advisor, if it is determined that the student’s interests and future plans are such that there is no benefit to the second Teaching Assistantship. The student and instructor are encouraged to review the teaching assistantship-instructor agreement form prior to the start of the teaching assistantship appointment. TA training is required prior to the start of the TA-ship. More information about TA training and support can be found on the CTL website: https://ctl.stanford.edu/ta-training-support
The Ph.D. qualifying exam involves the student and their Advising Committee. If the secondary research project is being discussed, and the second-research-project advisor is not on the Advising Committee, they should also attend the exam. The Advising Committee includes the Faculty Advisor and (if relevant) the co-Advisor plus at least two other Stanford faculty members (members of the Stanford Academic Council). The majority on the Advising Committee must be Geophysics faculty (i.e. two Geophysics faculty on a committee of three, three Geophysics faculty on a committee of four or five, etc.). “Geophysics faculty” are members of the Academic Council with a primary or joint appointment in the Geophysics Department, so this does not include Courtesy or Adjunct faculty. If a faculty member on a student’s advising committee or advising their second research project is on sabbatical or on leave, they will have either agreed to continue serving in an advisory capacity or will have made an alternate arrangement; so the student should check with them to determine the situation and then discuss, as needed, with their faculty advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies.
A research proposal is to be submitted to the Advising Committee at least two weeks prior to the exam. This proposal should be 10-20 pages, single-spaced including figures if using 12-point font (please adjust for other font sizes), with a component that outlines a plan of research for two to three years. The student should check with their Faculty Advisor for their preference on the format and sections/organization of the proposal.
The qualifying exam involves an oral presentation by the student on the research proposal (~30-40 min) followed by questions from the Advising Committee. In terms of planning for the length of the presentation, only clarifying questions will be allowed to interrupt the presentation. The decision as to whether a student passes the exam is made by a vote of the Advising Committee.
Three hours must be booked for the qualifying exam with the duration of the exam not to exceed three hours, but expected to be at least two hours.There will be a break scheduled at the start of the exam at a time decided upon by those present.
Optional: As stated above under Secondary Research Project, the exam can include a less than 10-minute presentation of a second project proposal, followed by up to 5 minutes of questions, with the written proposal (5 pages single-spaced including figures) submitted to the Advising Committee and second-research-project advisor at least two weeks prior to the exam.
Deadline: As per university policy: Students are expected to complete department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the Ph.D. program. Departmental policy strongly encourages completion of the qualifying exam by the end of the Spring quarter in the second year for students entering in the Fall quarter. A student must petition the Director of Graduate Studies for an exception to this policy before their 6th quarter begins. Please see the Assistant Director of Student Services.
The Ph.D. dissertation must be submitted in its final form within five calendar years from the date of admission to candidacy. Under the supervision of the doctoral dissertation reading committee, the candidate must prepare a doctoral dissertation that is a contribution to knowledge and is the result of independent research.The format of the dissertation must meet University guidelines. The student is urged to prepare dissertation chapters that, in scientific content and format, are readily publishable. The doctoral dissertation is defended in the University oral examination. The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee members are charged to read the thesis draft and to certify via the Department Certificate of Thesis draft form that it is adequate to serve as a basis for the University oral examination. More information about the University dissertation requirement can be found here: https://gap.stanford.edu/handbooks/gap-handbook/chapter-4/subchapter-8/page-4-8-1
Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee [modified from the GAP Handbook] (also repeated under Program Policies)
The doctoral dissertation reading committee consists of the Faculty Advisor and, typically, two other readers. The doctoral dissertation reading committee must have three members and may not have more than five members. At least one member must be from the student’s degree program. Normally, all committee members are members of the Stanford University Academic Council or are emeritus Academic Council members; the Faculty Advisor must be an Academic Council member. Professors who have recently become emeritus and have been recalled to active duty may serve as Faculty Advisor, though they are no longer current members of the Academic Council. The student's department chair or faculty director of graduate studies, according to local policy, may, in some cases, approve the appointment of a reader who is not a current or emeritus member of the Academic Council, if that person is particularly well qualified to consult on the dissertation topic and holds a PhD or equivalent foreign degree, via the Petition for Non-Academic Council Doctoral Committee Members. More information about the doctoral dissertation reading committee can be found in the GAP handbook: https://gap.stanford.edu/handbooks/gap-handbook/chapter-4/subchapter-8/page-4-8-1
Every doctoral student is required to pass a university oral examination. The purpose of the university oral examination is to test the candidate’s command of the field of study and to confirm fitness for scholarly pursuits. The department requires a defense of the dissertation presented upon completion of a pre-final draft that is to be signed-off by the doctoral dissertation reading committee two weeks in advance of the oral examination date. The oral examination is intended to verify that the research represents the candidate’s own contribution to knowledge, and to test the student’s understanding of the research. General questions pertaining to the field as a whole, but beyond the scope of the dissertation itself, may be included. More information about the University Oral examination requirement can be found here: https://gap.stanford.edu/handbooks/gap-handbook/chapter-4/subchapter-7/page-4-7-
University Oral Exam Committee [taken from the GAP Handbook] (also repeated under Program Policies)
The University Oral Examination Committee consists of at least five Stanford faculty members: four examiners and the committee chair from another department. The chair of a Stanford oral examination is appointed for this examination only, to represent the interests of the university for a fair and rigorous process as described above. In order to maintain impartiality, the orals chair may not simultaneously serve on the student's dissertation reading committee. A Petition for Non-Academic Council Doctoral Committee Members for appointment of an examining committee member who is neither a current or emeritus member of the Academic Council may be approved by the chair of the department or by the faculty director of graduate studies, according to local policy, if that committee member contributes an area of expertise that is not readily available from the faculty and holds a PhD or equivalent foreign degree. More information about the University Oral exam committee can be found in the GAP handbook: https://gap.stanford.edu/handbooks/gap-handbook/chapter-4/subchapter-7/page-4-7-1
Students should consult with their faculty advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies as needed, if they have any concerns about meeting the degree requirements.