Engineer Degree (GAP 4.3)
Summary
Details all university requirements for the Engineer degree.
Rationale
Stanford University has authorized the granting of the degree of Engineer. The degree of Engineer is intended for those who desire more graduate training than can be obtained in a Master of Science program. It differs from the Ph.D. primarily in looking toward professional engineering work rather than toward theoretical research or university teaching. The Engineer degree is normally awarded at the completion of a comprehensive two-year program of graduate study and requires a thesis.
1. POLICY
In addition to completing the general requirements for advanced degrees and the requirements specified by their department, candidates for the degree of Engineer must be admitted to candidacy and must complete a thesis per the specifications below.
1.1 Residency
The Engineer degree requires 90 units of completed credits (see GAP 3.2, Residency Policy for Graduate Students). Up to 45 units completed at Stanford toward a master’s degree or accepted as transfer credit in an Engineering discipline may be used toward the 90-unit residency requirement for the Engineer degree.
1.2 Candidacy
The Application for Candidacy for Degree of Engineer is an agreement between the student and the department on a specific program of study to fulfill degree requirements. Students must apply for candidacy by the end of the second quarter in the Engineer program by filing the Application for Candidacy. Honors Cooperative students must apply by the end of the fourth quarter of the program. Candidacy is valid for five calendar years.
1.3 Thesis
A University thesis is required for the Engineer degree. The thesis must be in English. Standards for professional presentation of the thesis have been established by the Committee on Graduate Studies and are detailed in Directions for Preparing Theses for Engineer Degrees.
The thesis for the Engineer degree is expected to be an original contribution to scholarship or scientific knowledge, to exemplify the highest standards of the discipline, and to be of lasting value to the intellectual community. The guidelines have been established to fulfill this commitment and represent the minimum standards for professional presentation of the work. A thesis that does not conform to the minimum University standards may have to be redesigned and resubmitted, with the possibility of delay in conferral of the degree. The Office of the Registrar publishes the directions and is responsible for review of theses for the Engineer Degree.
Three copies of the thesis, bearing the approval of the adviser under whose supervision it was prepared, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the published quarterly deadline. A fee is charged for binding copies of the thesis.
The student must be enrolled in the term in which the thesis is submitted. The period between the last day of final exams of one term and the first day of the subsequent term is considered an extension of the earlier term. Students submitting a thesis during this period would meet the registration requirement but would be eligible for degree conferral only in the subsequent term.
The deadline for submission of theses in order to have the degree conferred at the end of the quarter is published in the academic calendar. Some departments may set earlier deadlines for submission of theses. Thesis deadlines are strictly enforced, and no exceptions are made. The final thesis with all required signatures must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the published deadline.
2. IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
2.1 Candidacy
| PROCESS STEPS | RESPONSIBILITY | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Submits the Application for Candidacy for Degree of Engineer to the major department prior to the end of the second quarter of enrollment in the program (fourth quarter for Honors Cooperative students). | Student |
| 2. | Reviews the application for compliance with both department and University requirements for the degree. Enters the candidacy information into PeopleSoft Student Administration. | Department |
| 3. | Approves changes in courses or other requirements made after the Application for Candidacy is filed (must be by the same offices who approved the original application, typically the adviser and department chair, or designee). Completion of the work specified and subsequent revisions are verified by the department prior to approving TGR status or conferral of the degree. | Department, Adviser, Chair |
2.2 Thesis
| PROCESS STEPS | RESPONSIBILITY | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Reviews the Directions for Preparing Theses for Engineer Degrees and prepares the thesis according to University standards. Students are encouraged to obtain this information before the final preparation of the manuscript in order to avoid costly and time-consuming revisions. Previously-published theses should not be used as a guide for preparation of the manuscript. |
Student |
| 2. | Makes appointments for both a thesis format check and for thesis submission. Format checks will not be done in the final week of the submission deadline. To assure a time slot, appointments for format checks and submissions should be made well in advance. | Student |
| 3. | Enters any changes in the primary adviser and completion of all relevant milestones in PeopleSoft Student Administration. | Department |
| 4. | Certifies that he or she has reviewed the final draft of the thesis as submitted to the Office of the Registrar on the Certificate of Final Reading of Thesis (form is included in the Directions for Preparing Theses for Engineer Degrees). | Adviser |
| 5. | Submits the thesis and other required documents, including the Certificate of Final Reading of Thesis, on or before the published deadline. Some departments may set earlier deadlines for submission of theses. Detailed instructions and a Checklist for Submission of Dissertation can be found in the Directions for Preparing Theses for Engineer Degrees. |
Student |
| 6. | Files an application to graduate in Axess before submitting the thesis. The quarterly deadlines for applying to graduate are published in the academic calendar. | Student |
| 7. | Verifies that the format of a completed thesis follows university directions, that the signature is that of the adviser as entered in PeopleSoft by the department, and that all requirements have been met for degree conferral. | Registrar |
