PhD | Petition for MS Degree
Overview
Current CS PhD students who do not already have an MSCS degree can petition to add an MSCS degree. To do so, you need to fill out the "Graduate Program Authorization Petition," which is available via Axess. From the Academics panel in your Student Center, select "Petitions and Forms" from the drop-down menu to submit the Grad Auth electronically. The form must be completed before the application-to-graduate deadline; therefore, do not wait until the last minute.
Petitioning for the MS Degree
There is a $125 application fee to add the Master's program to your PhD program.
You can submit your petition for the MSCS degree after completing the following requirements:
- Aligning with faculty
- Foundation and Breadth Requirements
- Candidacy
Guidelines to add the MSCS degree
Log onto Axess.
- Click on the "Student" tab
- Under the "Academics" header, there is a drop-down menu; select "Petitions and Forms"
- On the next page, select "Graduate Program Authorization Petition"
- Do not click the box by "I wish to discontinue this program..."
- Click the quarter that you wish to receive your MS
- Click "No" to the question asking if you are enrolling in an official joint program
- Under "Requested New Program", indicate "CS"
- Under "Degree", indicate "CS-MS"
- Click "Submit"
Your petition will be routed to Jay Subramanian, Director of Graduate Admissions and PhD Program.
Apply to confer your MS Program
You are eligible to confer your MS Degree after satisfying the following requirements:
- Petition for MS Degree one quarter prior to conferring your MSCS Degree
- Completing your Qualifying Examination
- Minimum of 45 units (and a 3.0 GPA)
Submit your application for conferral on Axess. It will be routed to the MSCS Student Services Director for review and approval.
Do not forget to "Apply to Graduate" for your Master's program, as well as your PhD program on Axess, if you are conferring your MS along with your PhD.
IMPORTANT NOTE: A maximum of 45 units of graduate-level work, either from completion of a Stanford master's degree or taken at an external institution, may be applied to the Stanford requirements for Ph.D. Students who earn a Stanford master's degree and are subsequently awarded any amount of external graduate transfer credit will have their doctoral residency requirement raised from 135 to 180 units.