stanford university phd business

Stanford GSB Application Portal

Welcome to the Stanford GSB application portal. You can view your in-progress application(s) or start a new application below. The Stanford GSB PhD Program application deadline is December 1, 2024 at 5pm PST. The Stanford GSB Research Fellows Program’s application is due by October 18, 2024, for full consideration. The program has rolling admissions until March 1, 2025. Please be reminded that all application materials, including recommendation letters, must be submitted by the application deadlines. We cannot guarantee review of any materials submitted after the deadlines. 

To learn more about required application materials and deadlines, please see:  

GSB PhD Program If you need assistance with your PhD application, please email [email protected] .

Research Fellows Program If you need assistance with your RF application, please email [email protected]

IDDEAS@Stanford If you need assistance with your IDDEAS@Stanford application, please email [email protected] .  

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The PhD program requires three years of full-time graduate study, at least two years of which must be at Stanford. Typically, however, students take four to five years after entering the program to complete all PhD requirements. The University requires a minimum of 135 units for a PhD, up to 45 units of which may be transferred from another graduate program, or used toward a master's degree at Stanford.

Areas of research

Breadth requirement, qualification procedure requirements, degree progress and student responsibility.

Oral examination

Doctoral students are required to take a number of courses, both to pass a qualifying exam in one of these areas, and to complete a dissertation based on research which must make an original contribution to knowledge. The PhD is generally organized around the expectation that the student acquires a certain breadth across all areas of the department, and depth in one area.

The current areas are: Computational Social Science Decision and Risk Analysis Operations Research Organizations, Technology and Entrepreneurship Policy and Strategy Quantitative Finance

Each student admitted to the PhD program must satisfy a breadth requirement.

All first year students are required to attend and participate in MS&E 302 Fundamental Concepts in Management Science and Engineering, which will meet in the Autumn Quarter.

Each course session will be devoted to a specific MS&E PhD research area. At a given session, several advanced PhD students in that area will make carefully prepared presentations designed for first-year doctoral students regardless of area. The presentations will be devoted to: (a) illuminating how people in the area being explored that day think about and approach problems, and (b) illustrating what can and cannot be done when addressing problems by deploying the knowledge, perspectives, and skills acquired by those who specialize in the area in question.

Faculty in the focal area of the week will comment on the student presentations. The rest of the session will be devoted to questions posed and comments made by the first-year PhD students.

During the last two weeks of the quarter groups of first year students will make presentations on how they would approach a problem drawing on two or more of the perspectives to which they have been exposed earlier in the class.

Attendance is mandatory and performance will be assessed on the basis of the quality of the students’ presentations and class participation.

Each student admitted to the PhD program must pass an area qualification procedure. The purpose of the qualification procedure is to assess the student’s command of the field and to evaluate his or her potential to complete a high-quality dissertation in a timely manner. The student must complete specified course work in one of the areas of the department. The qualification decision is based on the student’s coursework and grade point average (GPA), on the one or two preliminary papers prepared by the student with close guidance from two faculty members, at least one of whom must be an MS&E faculty member, the student’s performance in an area examination or defense of the written paper(s), and an overall assessment by the faculty of the student's ability to conduct high-quality PhD research. Considering this evidence, the department faculty will vote on advancing the student to candidacy in the department at large.

The qualification procedure is based on depth in an area of the student’s choice and preparation for dissertation research. The qualification process must be completed by the end of the month of May in the student’s second year of graduate study in the department. The performance of all doctoral students will be reviewed every year at a department faculty meeting at the end of May or beginning of June. PhD qualification decisions will be made at that time and individual feedback will be provided.

The PhD qualification requirements comprise the following elements:

Courses and GPA: Students must complete the depth requirements of one of the areas of the MS&E department. All courses used to satisfy depth requirements must be taken for a letter grade, if the letter-graded option is available. Course substitutions may be approved by the doctoral program advisor or the MS&E dissertation advisor on the candidacy form or on a request for graduate course substitution form. A student must maintain a GPA of at least 3.4 in the set of all courses taken by the student within the department. The GPA will be computed on the basis of the nominal number of units for which each course is offered.

Paper(s): A student may choose between two options. The first option involves one paper supervised by a primary faculty advisor and a second faculty reader. This paper should be written in two quarters. The second option involves two shorter sequential tutorials, with two different faculty advisors. Each tutorial should be completed in one quarter. In both options, the student chooses the faculty advisor(s)/reader with the faculty members’ consent. There must be two faculty members, at least one of whom must be an MS&E faculty member, supervising and evaluating this requirement for advancement to candidacy. The paper/tutorials must be completed before the Spring Quarter of a student’s second year of graduate study in the department if the student’s qualifying exam is during the Spring Quarter, and before the end of May of that year otherwise.

Area qualification: In addition, during the second year, a student must pass an examination in one of the areas of the MS&E department, or defense of the written paper(s). The student chooses the area/program in which to take the examination. This area examination will be written, oral, or both at the discretion of the area faculty administering the exam. Most areas offer the qualifying exam only once per year, which may be early in the second year.

Each doctoral student’s progress is reviewed annually by the MS&E faculty. Typically, this occurs at a faculty meeting at the end of Spring Quarter, and appropriate email notifications are sent over the summer to the students and their advisors. It shall be the responsibility of the student to initiate each required step in completing the PhD program. To maintain good standing in the PhD program,

First year students must: 1. Complete 30 units, including MS&E 302 and doctoral courses taught by faculty in their research area; 2. Develop relationships with faculty members who can potentially serve as dissertation advisor or reading committee member. A faculty member is more likely to accept the responsibility of supervising the research of a student whom he or she knows fairly well than a student whose abilities, initiative, and originality the faculty member knows less. It is recommended that students participate in research rotations with MS&E and related faculty to facilitate the development of these relationships.

Second year students must: 1. Complete at least two one-quarter research rotations or tutorials, or one two-quarter research rotation, tutorial, or research paper, continuing to develop relationships with faculty members who might serve as dissertation advisor or reading committee member; 2. Pass an area qualifying exam or defense of the written paper(s); 3. Submit a candidacy form signed by at least one MS&E faculty member with whom they have or will complete research rotations, tutorials, or papers, and listing the course requirements agreed upon by both the student and the program advisor; 4. Complete 30 units, including most, if not all, of the required courses listed on the candidacy form; 5. Be advanced to candidacy by the faculty.

Third year students must: 1. Submit a progress form listing the dissertation topic and signed by the dissertation advisor (if the dissertation advisor is not an MS&E faculty member, the form must also be signed by an MS&E faculty member who agrees to be on the student's reading committee, as well as the student's point of contact within the department); 2. Complete 30 units, including any remaining depth courses.

Fourth year students must: 1. Select a reading committee (a dissertation advisor and two readers) with at least one member from the student's major department, and submit the reading committee form signed by each member on the reading committee; 2. Make satisfactory progress on their dissertation as determined by their dissertation advisor; 3. If the student has not transferred any previous graduate units to Stanford, complete 30 dissertation units.

Students beyond their fourth year must make satisfactory progress on their dissertation as determined by their dissertation advisor and approved by the faculty. Indeed, the dissertation advisor will have to present the case to (and seek approval for good standing of the student from) the faculty in the annual faculty meeting for student review. It should be noted that each student inherently has to pass the oral examination (see below) and submit their dissertation before their candidacy expires.

Oral Examination

As administered in this department, the University oral examination is a defense of the dissertation; however, the candidate should be prepared to answer any question raised by any members of the Academic Council who choose to be present. The examining committee consists of the three members of the reading committee as well as a fourth faculty member and an orals chair. The chair must be an Academic Council member and may not be affiliated with either the Department of Management Science and Engineering nor any department in which the student's adviser has a regular appointment; emeriti professors are eligible to serve as an orals chair. It is the responsibility of the student's adviser to find an appropriate orals chair. The University oral examination may be scheduled after the dissertation reading committee has given tentative approval to the dissertation.

The student must be enrolled in the quarter of their oral examination. Students should schedule three hours for the oral examination, which usually consists of a 45-minute public presentation, followed by closed-session questioning of the examinee by the committee, and committee deliberation. The student needs to reserve a room, and meet with the student services manager to complete the oral examination schedule and pick up other paper work. This paperwork, along with an abstract, needs to be delivered to the orals chair at least one week prior to the oral examination.

Doctoral Program

The Ph.D. program is a full time program leading to a Doctoral Degree in Economics.  Students specialize in various fields within Economics by enrolling in field courses and attending field specific lunches and seminars.  Students gain economic breadth by taking additional distribution courses outside of their selected fields of interest.

General requirements

Students  are required to complete 1 quarter of teaching experience. Teaching experience includes teaching assistantships within the Economics department or another department .

University's residency requirement

135 units of full-tuition residency are required for PhD students. After that, a student should have completed all course work and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status.

Department degree requirements and student checklist

1. core course requirement.

Required: Core Microeconomics (202-203-204) Core Macroeconomics (210-211-212) Econometrics (270-271-272).  The Business School graduate microeconomics class series may be substituted for the Econ Micro Core.  Students wishing to waive out of any of the first year core, based on previous coverage of at least 90% of the material,  must submit a waiver request to the DGS at least two weeks prior to the start of the quarter.  A separate waiver request must be submitted for each course you are requesting to waive.  The waiver request must include a transcript and a syllabus from the prior course(s) taken.  

2.  Field Requirements

Required:  Two of the Following Fields Chosen as Major Fields (click on link for specific field requirements).  Field sequences must be passed with an overall grade average of B or better.  Individual courses require a letter grade of B- or better to pass unless otherwise noted.

Research fields and field requirements :

• Behavioral & Experimental
• Development Economics
• Econometric Methods with Causal Inference
• Econometrics
• Economic History
• Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics
• Industrial Organization
• International Trade & Finance
• Labor Economics
• Market Design
• Microeconomic Theory
• Macroeconomics
• Political Economy
• Public Economics

3.  Distribution

Required:  Four other graduate-level courses must be completed. One of these must be from the area of economic history (unless that field has already been selected above). These courses must be distributed in such a way that at least two fields not selected above are represented.  Distribution courses must be passed with a grade of B or better.

4.  Field Seminars/Workshops

Required:  Three quarters of two different field seminars or six quarters of the same field seminar from the list below.   

An Epicenter of Enterprise

Entrepreneurship is in Stanford’s DNA. In keeping with the pioneering spirit of Leland and Jane Stanford, the university fosters an ecosystem of curious, highly driven students and enthusiastic faculty, sharing an aim to make a difference in the world. 

The Graduate School of Business (GSB) — with its motto, “Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World” — embodies the university’s enterprising vigor and entrepreneurial thinking. The school, now housed at the Knight Management Center near here, was established in 1925 at Stanford alumnus Herbert Hoover’s request to thwart the flow of talent to the East Coast. Today, the school has established itself as a leader in management education with programs designed to develop insightful global leaders who drive innovation.

Innovation and Leadership

With seven contiguous schools within walking distance, Stanford students regularly collaborate across disciplines to find breakthrough solutions to society’s challenges, with GSB students providing the management know-how to bring new discoveries to market. Hands-on entrepreneurial training and a signature approach to teaching leadership supply students with the necessary tools to realize their visions amid fast-paced change and disruption.

Igniting Lifelong Learning

Stanford keeps innovation flowing for working professionals and business leaders at key stages in their careers. In addition to its two-year MBA, one-year Master of Science (MSx), and PhD degree programs, the GSB offers non-degree and certificate programs. These include Stanford Executive Education courses, Stanford Ignite certi-ficate programs, and Stanford Seed, a unique business school-led initiative aimed at ending the cycle of global poverty.

Learn together with your colleagues

Participants report that enrolling in a program with colleagues fosters collaborative learning and amplifies their impact.

Please provide your details to get more information about the group-enrollment pricing.

The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.

Congratulations!

Based on the information you provided, your team is eligible for a special discount, for Digital Transformation Playbook: Leverage Technology to Innovate Your Business starting on September 19, 2024 .

We’ve sent you an email with enrollment next steps. If you’re ready to enroll now, click the button below.

Digital Transformation Playbook:

Leverage Technology to Innovate Your Business

Get Your Brochure

September 19, 2024

6 weeks, online 4–6 hours per week

PROGRAM FEE

US$2,950 US$2,714 and get US$295 off with a referral

For Your Team

Enroll your team and learn with your peers

Develop Future-Ready Skills Today

Stanford Graduate School of Business is collaborating with Emeritus to help you build future-ready skills. Register before and receive up to 8% off in early registration benefits to set yourself up for professional success.

Application Details

Program fee, us$2,950 us$2,714, lead the future with a digital-first mindset.

More than ever, digitization is imperative for businesses to sustain competitive advantages and foster innovation. To design and successfully implement digital transformation initiatives, leaders need to be equipped with the right technical knowledge, strategic frameworks, and leadership best practices. Stanford Graduate School of Business, with its deep roots in Silicon Valley, has developed a unique curriculum to guide you on your digital transformation journey.

of new value created in the economy over the next decade will be based on digitally enabled platform business models.

Source : The World Economic Forum

of all information and communications technology (ICT) investments by the end of 2024 will be direct digital transformation investments.

Source: IDC’s 2021 FutureScape

Key takeaways.

• DEMYSTIFY THE TECH: Discover the endless application possibilities of AI and ML, cloud, automation, IoT, AR, and VR technologies to support digital transformation initiatives, and build your vocabulary to communicate more effectively with technical specialists.
• LEVERAGE THE TECH: Evaluate the capabilities of these technologies to create business value.
• DEVELOP YOUR STRATEGY: Develop strategies for shaping organizational culture and capabilities to achieve digital transformation.

This program is ideal for professionals and leaders who are:

Building a strong digital culture across their organization, aiming to exceed customer expectations and achieve operational efficiencies to remain competitive through digital initiatives.

Planning to initiate technical projects or have stepped into roles that require a digital-first mindset for driving digital transformation in their departments.

Exploring growth opportunities through digitization and aspiring to broaden their digital knowledge.

Program Modules

• Define the benefits of digital transformation and how it can be applied to challenges faced by organizations to innovate
• Identify digital transformation solutions that address organizational needs and new business models
• Evaluate the capabilities of cloud services to address business needs or capture new opportunities.
• Design a business experiment in which you will explain how to use data analytics and visualization to facilitate business decision making.
• Explore the capabilities and limitations of technologies.
• Articulate the business values and trade-offs of implementing technologies, focusing on opportunities for automation within your organization.
• Evaluate your familiarity with data and gain a deeper understanding of how to apply it to a given business need.
• Identify ways to avoid common pitfalls that hinder data projects.
• Distinguish between three types of machine learning algorithms and how to apply them to address business needs and opportunities.
• Discuss best practices and common pitfalls of artificial intelligence and machine learning implementation.
• Develop a digital transformation road map by evaluating digital initiatives and defining short- and long-term strategic goals
• Formulate strategies to transform individual behaviors and organizational culture to support digital transformation.

For more information on the curriculum, please download the brochure:

Program Walk-Through

Access to Stanford Graduate School of Business proprietary strategy tools and frameworks

Manageable time investment (4-6 hours/week)

Live sessions with faculty

Playbook assignments for you to apply the learnings to your own role or industry

Networking with global peers

Featured case study and industry examples

Feedback on assignments to ensure the relevance of the program material

Certificate of Completion from Stanford Graduate School of Business

Featured Program Elements

The Digital Transformation Canvas

The Digital Transformation Canvas is a five-point framework that helps you flesh out your digital initiatives, which are the basis of your digital road map.

The Benefits, Assets, Threats, and Liabilities (BATL) Framework

The proprietary BATL framework is a tool to help leaders assess new ventures, whether they are internal or external.

Original Case Study

Innovation at Volkswagen: The Story of Digital: Lab by Professor Yossi Feinberg, Mitchel Scott, and Amadeus Orleans.

Capstone Project

Putting all of the elements into practice, you will define your goals, create a digital roadmap, flesh out the initiatives, and outline the next steps to support the implementation of this strategy—giving you a practical game plan to kick-start progress.

Meet The Faculty

Jonathan Levav

King Philanthropies Professor of Marketing

Yossi Feinberg

The Adams Distinguished Professor of Management and Professor of Economics

Jonathan Levav King Philanthropies Professor of Marketing Jonathan Levav received his PhD in marketing from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and his AB in public and international affairs from Princeton University. He is the winner of the Hillel Einhorn Young Investigator Award, awarded biennially by the Society for Judgment and Decision-Making. He is a two time winner of the Distinguished Teaching award. His work has been published in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, and Nature. In addition to his academic work, Jonathan serves as an advisor to many early-stage start-ups.

Yossi Feinberg The Adams Distinguished Professor of Management and Professor of Economics Yossi Feinberg joined Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1998. Apart from being a recipient of the distinguished teaching award, he serves as an editor and reviewer for many leading economic journals. In addition to his academic achievements, Yossi has been a consultant for organizations in various industries, including technology, media, and healthcare. He is also the faculty director of Stanford Ignite, a global innovation program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Featured Guest Speakers

Yael Garten PhD, Director of AI/ML Data Science & Engineering, Apple, and Board Member at Levi Strauss & Co.

Tomek Staszelis MBA, Polpharma

Markus Sieger CEO Polpharma Group, and Vice President of Medicines for Europe

Folasade Ayoola PhD, MBA, Co-Founder/CSO, ElectricFish, and candidate for PhD in Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford

Cristian Corotto Chief Digital Officer, ABB Turbocharging

Sean Pegado Product Analytics Manager, Cisco Meraki

Ravi Teja Chikkam Senior Data Scientist, Cisco Meraki

Mohammed AlShammasi CEO Derayah Finance

Chris Elles Managing Director of Rolling Thunder Harley-Davidson

CERTIFICATE

Upon completion of this program, you will receive a certificate of completion from Stanford Graduate School of Business that you can share with your professional network.

How do I know if this program is right for me?

After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend that you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email [email protected] , and a dedicated program advisor will follow up with you very shortly.

Are there any prerequisites for this program?

Participants must be 18 years old or above to apply to this program. Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page and in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at [email protected] for assistance.

Note that, unless otherwise stated on the program web page, all programs are taught in English, and proficiency in English is required.

What is the typical class profile?

More than 50 percent of our participants are from outside the United States. Class profiles vary from one cohort to the next, but, generally, our online certificates draw a highly diverse audience in terms of professional experience, industry, and geography—leading to a very rich peer learning and networking experience.

At what other dates will this program be offered in the future?

Check back to this program web page or email us at [email protected] to inquire whether future program dates or the timeline for future offerings has been confirmed.

How much time is required each week?

Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.

How will my time be spent?

We have designed this program to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities, including:

• Engaging with recorded video lectures from faculty
• Attending webinars and office hours as per the specific program schedule
• Reading or engaging with examples of core topics
• Completing knowledge checks/quizzes and required activities
• Engaging in moderated discussion groups with your peers
• Completing your final project, if required

The program is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and demonstrating an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need further clarification on program activities.

A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.

How do I interact with other program participants?

Peer learning adds substantially to the overall learning experience and is an important part of the program. You can connect and communicate with other participants through our learning platform.

What are the requirements to earn the certificate?

Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life. This program is scored as a pass or no pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need further clarification on any specific program requirements.

What type of certificate will I receive?

Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter or resume or display it on your LinkedIn profile. The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program end date, once grading is complete.

Can I get a the hard copy of the certificate?

No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Do I receive alumni status after completing this program?

No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.

How long will I have access to the learning materials?

You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and program materials for 12 months following the program start date . Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants as per the terms of the agreement.

What equipment or technical requirements are there for this program?

Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. In addition, Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts.

Do I need to be online to access the program content?

Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. For maximum flexibility, you can access program content from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet, and any live stream webinars and office hours will require an internet connection as well. However, these sessions are always recorded, so you may view them later.

Can I still register if the registration deadline has passed?

Yes, you can register up to seven days after the published start date of the program without missing any of the core program material or learnings.

What is the program fee, and what forms of payment do you accept?

The program fee is noted at the top of this program web page and is usually referenced in the program brochure as well. Flexible payment options are available (see details below as well as at the top of this program web page next to FEE).

What if I don’t have a credit card? Is there another method of payment accepted?

Yes, you can do a bank remittance in the program currency via wire transfer or debit card. Please contact your program advisor or email us at [email protected] for details.

I was not able to use the discount code provided. Can you help?

Yes! Please email us at [email protected] with the details of the program you are interested in, and we will assist you.

How can I obtain an invoice for payment?

Please email [email protected] with your invoicing requirements and the specific program you’re interested in enrolling in.

Is there an option to make flexible payments for this program?

Yes, the flexible payment option allows participants to pay the program fee in installments. This option is made available on the payment page and should be selected before submitting the payment.

How can I obtain a W9 form?

Please email us at [email protected] for assistance.

Who will be collecting the payment for the program?

Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.

Are there any restrictions on the types of funding that can be used to pay for the program?

Program fees for Emeritus programs with Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.

What is the program refund and deferral policy?

For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here .

Still Not Sure?

Continue exploring available programs.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at [email protected] or Schedule a call with one of our Program Advisors or call us at +1 401 443 9709   (US) / +44 127 959 8043  (UK) / +65 3129 4367 (SG)

Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!

Flexible payment options available. Learn more.

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What We Look For

Each admission decision is based on a comprehensive evaluation of an applicant.

In addition to expecting rigorous academic preparation, the faculty places significant value on an applicant’s qualitative characteristics, such as creativity, imagination, perseverance, ability to provide deep insights and criticism, and (usually) a predisposition toward being independently motivated. They also seek a good fit between the applicant’s research interests and the faculty’s.

Academic Preparation

Applicants who have at least a bachelor’s or comparable academic degree will be considered for admission. Although there are no required courses to begin a doctoral program, it is highly recommended that applicants have a strong background in quantitative methods.

Depending on your individual field of study, it may also be beneficial to have a good understanding of the basic principles of your chosen field: for example, a knowledge of psychology or sociology if you are pursuing graduate work in organizational behavior, or a substantial background in economics and mathematics if you are applying to study economic analysis and policy.

Previous Experience

Prior exposure to research, preferably academic work, is a plus. However, work experience is not required to gain admission into our program.

Varied Backgrounds

The PhD student community includes individuals who come from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. They range from individuals with experience in management and/or industry to those newly graduated from undergraduate programs such as economics, mathematics, or psychology.

Suggested preparation and qualifications for admission into specific fields are detailed in the individual field descriptions.

Specific Requirements by Field of Study

See what’s required for your application.

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Eligibility

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To be eligible for admission to graduate study at Stanford, you must meet the university’s minimum requirements for academic credentials and English proficiency.

Minimum Education Requirements

You must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing.

Stanford’s assessment of a post-secondary degree is based on World Education Services (WES) degree equivalency standards . If you are admitted for graduate study starting in 2025 or later, you may be required to submit a WES evaluation as verification of your academic credentials. For more information, refer to Official Transcripts & Degree Conferral Documents (2025 Entry) .

English Proficiency

As a graduate student enrolled at Stanford, you will be expected to read English with ease, understand rapid idiomatic English as used in lectures and group discussions, and express thoughts quickly and clearly in spoken and written English.

If your first language is not English, you are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) .

Refer to the link above for more information, including Stanford’s minimum TOEFL score requirements and TOEFL waivers/exemptions.

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Graduate School of Business

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Dorjohn Boakye

Phd program support, graduate school of business - phd program office.

• Contact Info Mail Code: 4840 [email protected]

Koryn Calee Dillard

Associate director, phd programs, graduate school of business - phd program office.

• Contact Info Mail Code: 4840 [email protected]

Assistant Dean, PhD Program, Graduate School of Business - PhD Program Office

• (650) 723-9705 (office)

Joan Menees

Associate director, graduate school of business - phd program office.

• 655 Knight Way
• Stanford, California 94305
• (650) 725-4754 (office)

Ena Tablada

Student svcs spclst, graduate school of business - phd program office.

• 655 Knight Way, E146
• Stanford, California 94305-4840
• (650) 723-2831 (office)

FellowshipBard

Fully Funded PhD in Business at Stanford University

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Stanford University, located in Stanford, California, continues to provide an outstanding opportunity for aspiring scholars through its fully funded Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Business.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) offers a comprehensive and cutting-edge education, allowing PhD students to specialize in one of seven distinct fields of study, ensuring a tailored academic experience. These fields include:

• Economic Analysis & Policy
• Operations, Information & Technology
• Organizational Behavior
• Political Economics

PhD Program Requirements

To be eligible for admission to Stanford GSB’s PhD in Business program, applicants are required to demonstrate a strong academic background, a passion for research, and a commitment to advancing knowledge in their chosen field. The application process is highly competitive, with rigorous standards for acceptance.

PhD Funding Coverage

Stanford GSB is committed to ensuring that doctoral students can focus on their studies and research without financial stress. The financial support package for PhD students includes:

Fellowship Stipend: Doctoral students at Stanford GSB receive a competitive stipend to cover living expenses. The exact amount may vary from year to year, so it’s important to refer to the latest information provided by the university.

Research and Teaching Assistantship: PhD students may have the opportunity to work as research or teaching assistants, further enhancing their academic and professional development while providing additional financial support.

Tuition Coverage: In most cases, Stanford GSB covers tuition expenses for PhD students. This enables students to concentrate on their research and academic pursuits without the burden of tuition costs.

Health Insurance: Students typically receive health insurance coverage, ensuring access to necessary healthcare services.

Application Requirement

Academic Transcripts: Applicants should provide transcripts from all previous academic institutions attended, demonstrating strong performance in relevant coursework.

Letters of Recommendation: Typically, three to four letters of recommendation are required, preferably from professors or professionals who can attest to the applicant’s research potential and capabilities.

Statement of Purpose: A well-crafted statement outlining the applicant’s research interests, academic goals, and reasons for pursuing a PhD at Stanford GSB is essential.

Sample of Academic Writing: A writing sample, such as a research paper or thesis, showcases the applicant’s research abilities.

Curriculum Vitae (CV): A CV detailing academic achievements, research experience, publications, and relevant work experience is typically required.

Application Deadline

December 1, 2024

Application Fee

The application fee is $125 and is nonrefundable.

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