IMMUN-MS - Immunology (MS)

Students in the Ph.D. program in Immunology may apply for an M.S. degree in Immunology only under special circumstances, assuming completion of appropriate requirements. Students must complete:

1. At least 45 units of academic work, all of which must be in courses at or above the 100 level, 36 units of which must be at or above the 200 level.

2. 3 quarters of graduate research (IMMUNOL 399 Graduate Research), consisting of rotations in the labs of three faculty members.

3. Participation in the Immunology journal club (IMMUNOL 305 Immunology Journal Club), and attendance at the Immunology seminar series (IMMUNOL 311 Seminar in Immunology) and at the annual Stanford Immunology Scientific Conference.

4. First Year Rotations Presentations and General Advising Sessions, June. Students present on one of three lab rotations.

5.  Students must submit a master's thesis paper on one of their rotations. This requirement may be waived under special circumstances.

The Immunology Program is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. This includes first year advising by the program director and ongoing advising with the research mentor in subsequent years.  When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the adviser and the advisee. The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is required to be completed by the adviser and advisee annually and entails an extensive interactive written and personal assessment of trainee goals, accomplishments, coursework, and areas for development.  As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the adviser and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Faculty advisers guide students in key areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing of teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

In addition, the advising process includes guidelines and expectations for graduate student professional conduct, which prepares the student to be responsible members of professional communities.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the Graduate Advising section of this bulletin.

Stanford Immunology is home to faculty, students, postdocs, and staff who work together to produce internationally recognized research in many areas of immunology. The long tradition of collaboration among the immunology laboratories at Stanford fosters productive interdisciplinary research, with an emphasis on the application of current approaches to problems in cellular, molecular and clinical immunology. Faculty research interests include both basic science research and bench-to-bedside research. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars receive outstanding training through their participation in research, teaching, seminars, journal clubs, and the annual Stanford Immunology Scientific Conference.