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This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

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

Doctor of Philosophy in Biology

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Graduate Programs in Biology

For information on the University's basic requirements for the Ph.D. degree, see the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin. Training for a Ph.D. in Biology is focused on learning skills required for being a successful research scientist and teacher, including how to ask important questions and then devise and carry out experiments to answer these questions. Students work closely with an established adviser and meet regularly with a committee of faculty members to ensure that they understand the importance of diverse perspectives on experimental questions and approaches. Students learn how to evaluate critically pertinent original literature to stay abreast of scientific progress in their areas of interest. They also learn how to make professional presentations, write manuscripts for publication, and become effective teachers.

ADMISSIONS

Preparation for Graduate Study—Students seeking entrance to graduate study in Biology ordinarily should have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in Biology at Stanford. However, students from other disciplines, particularly the physical sciences, are also encouraged to apply. Such students are advised at the time of initial registration on how they should complete background training during the first year of graduate study. In addition to the usual basic undergraduate courses in biology, it is recommended that preparation for graduate work include courses in chemistry through organic chemistry, general physics, and mathematics through calculus.

Application, Admission, and Financial Aid—Prospective graduate students should apply online at http://gradadmissions.stanford.edu. The department's program is divided into three separate tracks: ecology/evolution/population biology; integrative/organismal; and molecular/cellular/developmental/genetic/plant. Included in these tracks is the option to conduct research at Hopkins Marine Station. These concentrations are reported to the department; they are not declared on Axess.

Applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test. The GRE subject test is not required. Applicants should plan on taking the GRE at least one month prior to the application deadline to ensure that official scores are available when applications are evaluated.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is competitive, and in recent years it has been possible to offer admission to only 10 percent of the applicants.

Qualified applicants should apply for nationally competitive predoctoral fellowships, especially those from the National Science Foundation.

Admitted students are typically offered financial support in the form of Stanford Graduate Fellowships, research assistantships, NIH traineeships, or Biology fellowships.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The following requirements must be completed by all students:

  1. Course work is planned in consultation with an advising committee assigned for a student's track. In addition, students must take a course on the ethical conduct of research: BIO 312 for the ecology/evolution/population biology track; MED 255 for the integrative/organismal and molecular/cellular/developmental/genetic/plant tracks.
  2. Teaching experience and training are part of the graduate curriculum. Each student assists in teaching one course in the department's core lecture (41, 42, or 43) or lab (44X, 44Y) series, and a second course that can be either a core course or other Biology or Hopkins Marine Station course. Three quarters of teaching are required for ecology, evolution, and population biology students.
  3. Graduate seminars devoted to current literature and research in particular fields of biology are an important means of attaining professional perspective and competence. Seminars are presented under individual course listings or are announced by the various research groups. Topics of current biological interest are presented by speakers from Stanford and other institutions. During the first year of study, graduate students are required to attend seminars and make one formal seminar presentation which must be evaluated by a minimum of two faculty members.
  4. By June 1, each first-year student is expected to have selected a lab in which to perform dissertation research and to have been accepted by the faculty member in charge. Students and faculty must wait until April 1 to discuss the choice of a dissertation lab.
  5. During the second year, students are required to write a dissertation proposal which is evaluated by a committee of three faculty (the dissertation advising committee) in an oral presentation. Advancement to candidacy depends on satisfactory completion of the dissertation proposal.
  6. Third year and beyond: each student must meet with the advising committee at the beginning of the third year, and each year thereafter prior to the end of the Spring Quarter. Advanced students are required to meet with their committee at least twice a year.
  7. Residency requirement: a minimum of 135 units of graduate registration is required of each candidate.
  8. The doctoral dissertation must be presented to an oral examination committee comprised of at least five faculty members. In addition, the final dissertation must be approved by the student's reading committee, comprised of at least three faculty members and by a graduate degree progress officer in the Registrar's Office. Upon completion of this final requirement, a student is eligible for conferral of the degree.

TRACK SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the general requirements listed above, students must also complete requirements within their track.

Molecular, Cellular, Developmental, Genetic, and Plant Track—

  1. First year:
    1. advising committee: shortly after arrival, each entering student meets with the first-year advising committee. The committee reviews the student's previous academic work and current goals and advises the student on a program of Stanford courses, some of which may be required and others recommended. Completion of the core curriculum (below) is required of all students.
    2. core curriculum:* students are required to take the following courses for a letter grade, unless previous course work has fulfilled these requirements:

    BIO 203. Advanced Genetics

    BIO 214. Advanced Cell Biology

    BIO 301. Frontiers in Biology: satisfies first-year talk requirement; must be taken Autumn and Winter quarters.

    One of the following:

    BIOC/SBIO 241. Biological Macromolecules

    BIOC 201. Advanced Molecular Biology

    CSB 210. Signal Transduction Pathways and Networks

    MCP 256. How Cells Work: Energetics, Compartments, and Coupling in Cell Biology

    Three additional courses in the student's area of interest, or as advised by committee.

    1. Lab rotations:* first-year students are required to complete rotations in three different laboratories. The first rotation must be in a lab in the Department of Biology.

* Written petitions for exemptions to core curriculum and lab rotation requirements are considered by the advising committee and the chair of the graduate studies committee. Approval is contingent upon special circumstances and is not routinely granted.

2. Second year: Each student must pass a qualifying exam.

  1. dissertation proposal: during Winter and Spring quarters of the second year, the student must prepare a dissertation proposal that outlines the student's projected dissertation research, including an expert assessment of the current literature. An oral examination is held after submission of the proposal to the dissertation advising committee. The student's adviser is a silent member of the examination committee; the other members of the dissertation advising committee can provide feedback. Advancement to candidacy is contingent upon completion of the dissertation proposal and oral exam. The written proposal is due by March 31 and the oral defense must take place no later than May 1. Failure to complete these requirements on schedule results in formal warnings and eventual dismissal from the program.

3. Third year and beyond:

  1. dissertation and dissertation defense: a completed draft of the dissertation must be turned in to the student's oral examination committee at least one month before the oral exam is scheduled to take place. See University guidelines for the composition of this committee in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

Integrative/Organismal Track—

  1. First year:
    1. advising committee: shortly after arrival, each entering student meets with the first-year advising committee. The committee reviews the student's previous academic work and current goals and advises the student on a program of Stanford courses, some of which may be required and others recommended.
    2. core curriculum: Students are required to take BIO 306, Current Topics in Integrative and Organismal Biology. Students specializing in integrative biology may also be asked to take appropriate graduate-level courses such as DBIO 210; MCP 215; NBIO 206, 216; or PSYCH 228.
    3. first-year paper: students must submit a paper that is evaluated by the advising committee before the end of Spring Quarter of the first year. This paper should be a step toward the development of a dissertation proposal and may consist of an analysis of new data or a literature review and synthesis. The first-year paper must be evaluated by a minimum of two faculty members.
  2. Second year:
    1. dissertation proposal: during Spring quarter of the second year, the student must prepare a dissertation proposal that outlines the student's projected dissertation research, including an expert assessment of the current literature. An oral examination is held after submission of the proposal to the dissertation advising committee comprised of three faculty members. Advancement to candidacy depends on completion of the dissertation proposal and oral exam. The written proposal is due by May 15, and the oral defense must take place no later than June 15. Failure to complete these requirements on schedule will result in formal warnings and eventual dismissal from the program.
  3. Third year and beyond:
    1. dissertation and dissertation defense: a completed draft of the dissertation must be turned in to the student's oral examination committee at least one month before the oral exam is scheduled to take place. See University guidelines for the composition of this committee in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

Ecology, Evolution, and Population Biology Track—

  1. First year:
    1. advising committee: each entering student is assigned a first-year advising committee whose function is to develop a schedule of required and recommended courses and to meet once each quarter with the student during the first year.
    2. core curriculum: Students are required to take BIO 302, 303, 304, Current Topics and Concepts in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution.
    3. first-year paper: each student must submit a paper that is evaluated by the advising committee before the end of Spring Quarter of the first year. This paper should be a step toward the development of a dissertation proposal and may consist of an analysis of new data or a literature review and synthesis. The first-year paper must be evaluated by a minimum of two faculty members.
  2. Second year:
    1. dissertation proposal: during Spring quarter of the second year, the student must prepare a dissertation proposal that outlines the student's projected dissertation research, including an expert assessment of the current literature. An oral examination is held after submission of the proposal to the dissertation advising committee comprised of three faculty members. Advancement to candidacy depends on completion of the dissertation proposal and oral exam. The written proposal is due by May 15, and the oral defense must take place no later than June 15. Failure to complete these requirements on schedule will result in formal warnings and eventual dismissal from the program.
  3. Third year and beyond:
    1. dissertation and dissertation defense: a completed draft of the dissertation must be turned in to the student's oral examination committee at least one month before the oral exam is scheduled to take place. See University guidelines for the composition of this committee in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.

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