Advising

The Department of Biology is committed to providing academic advising that supports graduate students’ scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee.

Advising is available for all MS students. There are two departmental sources for advising:

1. Faculty Advising – faculty advisors assist students in planning a coherent program of study and must sign off on the required Program Proposal. The student is responsible for finding an advisor from the Department of Biology. Signed program proposals opens in a new tabmust be submitted by all MS students.

2. Staff Advising – The graduate student services manager in the Student Services Office (Gilbert 118) is available to help students with administrative matters including, but not limited to, petitioning requirements, reviewing course schedules, and advising about the general requirements for the MS degree.

Resources for finding a faculty advisor are available online at https://biology.stanford.edu/people/faculty opens in a new tab

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship.

As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

The program director and staff monitor academic progress and student completion of program requirements and milestones.

Additionally, the program adheres to the advising guidelines and responsibilities listed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education opens in a new tab (VPGE), in the Graduate Academic Policies opens in a new tab (GAP), and in Graduate Advising.