PhD Minor

Graduate Studies in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences involve academic coursework and independent research. Students are prepared for careers as professional scientists in research, education, or the application of the Earth and planetary sciences to mineral, energy, water, and space resources. Course programs in the areas of faculty interest are tailored to the students’ needs and interests with the aid of their research advisor. Students are encouraged to include courses offered in other departments at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and other departments across the university in their program.

The Earth and Planetary Sciences PhD minor is available to doctoral students enrolled in other Stanford departments who wish to incorporate graduate-level study and research in Earth and Planetary Sciences into their degree programs. 

Program Learning Outcomes

The PhD minor is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship, high attainment in a particular field of knowledge, and the ability to conduct independent research. To this end, the objectives of the doctoral program are to enable students to develop the skills needed to conduct original investigations in a particular discipline or set of disciplines in the earth sciences, to interpret the results, and to present the data and conclusions in a publishable manner.