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Apply - PhD

The Application Process

Applications are submitted electronically through the Graduate Admissions office and are forwarded directly to the Civil and Environmental Engineering department for review. All materials, such as transcripts, statement of purpose, supplemental questions, resume (letters of recommendation can be submitted via email in the on-line application), are to be uploaded with your application.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will not accept supporting documents sent directly to the department. The Graduate Admissions web site provides comprehensive and detailed information to guide you through the process. This page provides the department-specific requirements that you will need to fulfill as part of your application. These details are not on the Graduate Admissions web site.

Graduate Admissions Web Site »

Are You Applying for a Masters or a PhD Degree?

For admission to the PhD degree, it is necessary to obtain an M.S. degree first. Thus, if you check off 'PhD' on the application and you have an M.S. degree already, you will be considered for the PhD directly. If you check off 'PhD' on the application and do not have an M.S. degree yet, you will be considered for the M.S. degree but we will be aware that you are ultimately interested in a PhD. In some cases where an applicant does not yet have an M.S. degree, the applicant may be admitted to the PhD subject to completion of the M.S. degree, but these cases are not typical. Once admitted to the MS program, students may apply for the PhD during their MS year with a relatively short application form.

Graduate Application Checklist

A completed application consists of:

Use the address below for mailing official Transcripts to the department. All other documents and supplemental material must be submitted on-line through Graduate Admissions.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT USE REGISTERED OR CERTIFIED MAIL. The United States Postal Service does not deliver such mail to our address. If you wish to have someone at our office sign for your mailing upon receipt, please use a courier service (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL).

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
Admissions Committee
Stanford University
Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building
473 Via Ortega, Room 314, m/c 4020
Stanford, CA 94305

USA

E-Mail: CEE-admissions@lists.stanford.edu

Application

The application is accessed through Stanford's Graduate Admissions web site. Please carefully read all information and instructions.

Statement of Purpose

Your Statement of Purpose should identify personal and professional goals. It should also discuss your development to date and your intentions relative to graduate study and life beyond Stanford. The CEE Graduate Admissions Committee reads your Statement of Purpose with interest because, along with the Letters of Recommendation, it offers insight into who you are as an individual. Your Statement of Purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced).

Supplemental Questions

MS, Engr, and PhD applicants for CEE programs must submit a supplemental questionnaire. (A supplemental form with these questions has been included with the online application.)

The online application is accessed through Stanford's Graduate Admissions web site. Please carefully read all information and instructions.

Letters of Recommendation

Follow the instructions on the Graduate Admissions web site for letters of recommendation.
Warning: The email address provided for each recommendation letter writer must be the official email for their university or workplace. Use of a personal email address for a recommendation letter writer may result in a significant delay in reviewing your application, as the admissions committee will have to contact the letter writer directly to verify the authenticity of the letter.

Letters of Recommendations must be submitted online.

Transcripts

Two original, official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended full time for one year or more are required. Send them to:

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
Admissions Committee
Stanford University
Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building
473 Via Ortega, Room 314, m/c 4020
Stanford, CA 94305

USA

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT USE REGISTERED OR CERTIFIED MAIL. The United States Postal Service does not deliver such mail to our address. If you wish to have someone at our office sign for your mailing upon receipt, please use a courier service (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL).

GRE General Results

All applicants, including foreign students, must take and submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Scores must be from an examination taken within the last five years. If you are also applying for financial aid, plan to take the test on or before the October test date, so that your scores are received in time to be considered for an award.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has modified its administration of the computerized Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for students who take the examination in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Korea. The student must take the Analytical Writing component of the examination at least six weeks prior to taking the verbal and quantitative components of the exam. All three scores will be reported to the schools at once by ETS. The new fiscal year for ETS is July 1 to June 30. The three tests components must be completed within one fiscal year.

TOEFL Results

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Score are required of all applicants whose first language is not English. Exceptions are granted for applicants who have earned a U.S. bachelor's or master's degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States, or the equivalent of either degree from a non-U.S. college or university of recognized standing where all instruction is provided in English. This exception does not apply if the courses were completed in a country where English is spoken but not all courses were provided in English.

Application Submission Tips

Save Your Sheet Protectors for Something Else

Some applicants send their supplementary information inserted into sheet protectors possibly in the hope of making a more visually appealing presentation to their application. Unfortunately the Student Services staff must remove your material from the sheet protectors before it is reviewed by the Admissions Committee and only delays the review of your application. Help us out and avoid the temptation to use sheet protectors.

Video tapes, CDs, Other Material

Each year we receive a volume of supplementary material such as video tapes and other media that, while well intended by the applicants, are too lengthy or otherwise impractical for the Admissions Committee to review. It's best to keep your application to the materials requested and to concentrate on making those have the most positive impact. "Extras" like video and audio presentations will not be reviewed and create a storage problem more than anything else.

Costs

Graduate students should budget at least $600 per quarter for books and supplies above tuition and housing costs. Information on tuition fees, and other typical costs such as for housing may be found on the following sites:

Office of Grad Admissions - Estimated Expense Budget »

Student Housing - Housing Assignments & Rates »

If You Have Questions

For further general information on admission to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, contact CEE-admissions@lists.stanford.edu or call the department at 650-723-3074.

Additional information about graduate admissions for each specific program can be found by navigating to our section on Graduate Programs. If you still have program-specific questions after reading the information on our web site, you can contact the faculty member in charge of graduate admissions for that program by sending email to:

  •    ae-admissions@lists.stanford.edu (Atmosphere and Energy admissions)
  •    ees-admissions@lists.stanford.edu (Environmental Engineering & Science admissions)
  •    efmh-admissions@lists.stanford.edu (Environmental Fluid Mechanics & Hydrology admissions)
  •    sdc-admissions@lists.stanford.edu ( Sustainable Design & Construction admissions)
  •    strgeo-admissions@lists.stanford.edu (Structural Engineering and Geomechanics admissions)