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This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Doctor of Philosophy in Environment and Resources

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Emmett Interdisiplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER)

E-IPER's Ph.D. requirements, updated annually at http://e-iper.stanford.edu/academics/phd, lay out a scaffold of advising meetings, core courses, program activities, and milestones to guide students' progress. Each student works with a faculty advising team, comprising at least two faculty from different disciplines, to design a course of study that allows the student to develop and exhibit: a) familiarity with analytical tools and research approaches for interdisciplinary problem solving, and a mastery of those tools and approaches central to the student's thesis work; b) interdisciplinary breadth in each of four focal areas: culture and institutions; economics and policy analysis; engineering and technology; and natural sciences; and c) depth in at least two distinct fields of inquiry.

Program specific Ph.D. requirements are outlined in detail in the current year requirements and are summarized below:

  1. Completion of the Ph.D. core course sequence: ENVRES 310, Environmental Forum Seminar; ENVRES 315, Environmental Research Design Seminar; ENVRES 320, Designing Environmental Research; and ENVRES 330, Research Approaches for Environmental Problem Solving, taken concurrently with ENVRES 398, Directed Individual Study in Environment and Resources, each with a letter grade of 'B' or higher. E-IPER Ph.D. students are also required to take EARTHSCI 300, Earth Sciences Seminar, which is required of all incoming School of Earth Sciences graduate students.
  2. Completion of the breadth requirement in all four focal areas (culture and institutions; economics and policy analysis; engineering and technology; and natural sciences) through a sequence of courses, independent study, and/or demonstration of proficiency through prior course work or experience. Specific requirements and approved courses that satisfy breadth in each of the four focal areas as of September 2011 are listed below and in the current Ph.D. requirements document. Updated course lists are available at http://e-iper.stanford.edu/academics/phd/phd-focal-areas. Fulfillment of the breadth requirement must be certified by the student's two lead faculty advisers and the E-IPER faculty director.
  3. Fulfillment of depth in the student's chosen fields of inquiry through additional courses, research, and/or independent studies. The student's two lead faculty advisers must certify that a) the two fields of inquiry are sufficiently distinct such that work integrating the two is interdisciplinary; and b) the student's course work and independent study has provided the substantial depth of understanding normally expected at the Ph.D. level.
  4. Completion of quarterly meetings with advisers during the first year, culminating in the Spring Quarter First Year Big Picture advising meeting; and at minimum, annual meetings thereafter, including the Spring Quarter Second Year Meeting of the Minds, prior to which students must formally identify their two lead advisers and two distinct fields of inquiry.
  5. Submission of a candidacy plan by end of Spring Quarter of the second year, for review at the Second Year Meeting of the Minds and subject to the approval of E-IPER's faculty director. The candidacy plan should document how the student has fulfilled the program requirements to date and include a summary of research ideas and a list of faculty who might serve as qualifying exam committee members.
  6. Completion of the oral qualifying exam and completion of the requirements for candidacy, including at least 25 graded graduate course units (200 level and above) with at least a 'B' average, by the end of Winter Quarter of the third year. The oral qualifying exam committee should include the student's two lead advisers and 2-3 other faculty with expertise in the student's research area. The majority of the oral qualifying exam committee should be members of the Academic Council; the chair of the committee must be an Academic Council member and may not be one of the student's two lead advisers. In exceptional cases, the committee may include a member-at-large who is not a Stanford faculty member as a fourth or fifth member.
  7. Completion of a written dissertation, approved by the student's dissertation reading committee consisting of the student's lead advisers and at least one other member, and passage of the University oral examination in defense of the dissertation following the guidelines outlined in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin. The University oral examination committee comprises the student's two lead advisers, at least two additional members, and a chair who is outside of the departments of the lead advisers, all of whom are normally Academic Council members. Appointment of a non-Academic Council member must be justified and approved by the faculty director.

In addition to the requirements listed above, all Ph.D. students must:

  1. Serve as a teaching assistant for at least one quarter in a course with a discussion section or with an opportunity to lecture in at least two class sessions, in any department or program, including ENVRES 320 or ENVRES 330. Seminars, including Introductory Seminars, may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Students should fulfill the teaching requirement by the end of the third year unless they obtain a firm commitment from a faculty member to TA a future course.
  2. On an ongoing basis, submit grant proposals for external funding, defined as fellowship and/or research funds provided by a government agency, a private foundation, or a University entity other than E-IPER or the School of Earth Sciences.
  3. Participate each year in a Spring Quarter annual review in which the student and lead advisers submit progress reports for review by the E-IPER academic guidance committee.

The following courses may be taken to satisfy the breadth requirement in E-IPER's four focal areas. Updated lists are available at http://e-iper.stanford.edu/academics/phd/phd-focal-areas. Students should consult the Stanford Bulletin's Explore Courses web site to determine the course schedule, location, eligibility, and prerequisites.

CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONS FOCAL AREA

At least two courses are required. Students may choose a course not listed below provided it meets the criteria for this focal area's subject knowledge. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisers in advance and are required to obtain their advisers' signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.

ECONOMICS AND POLICY ANALYSIS FOCAL AREA

One of the prescribed course series listed below, or at least one intermediate course and one advanced course as defined below, satisfies the minimum breadth requirement. Note that any necessary prerequisites (e.g., ECON 50, 51) are additions to the possible sequences below. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisers in advance and are required to obtain their advisers' signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.

Core Economics Series (regular or "N" series for non-economics PhD students)

or

Public Policy Series

or

Management Science & Engineering Series

or at least one intermediate course and at least one advanced course from the lists below:

Intermediate Courses
Advanced Courses

Students who choose economics and/or policy analysis as a field of inquiry are encouraged, and may be required by their advisers, to complete one of the prescribed series in addition to taking one or more of the advanced courses listed above.

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY FOCAL AREA

At least one course is required. This list represents examples of appropriate courses only; students may choose a course not listed below provided it meets the criteria for this focal area's subject knowledge. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisers in advance and are required to obtain their advisers' signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.

NATURAL SCIENCES FOCAL AREA

At least two courses are required. Students may choose a course not listed below provided it meets the criteria for this focal area's subject knowledge. Students are advised to seek approval from their lead advisers in advanced and are required to obtain their advisers' signatures on the breadth certification form as verification that they have met this requirement.

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