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Admissions FAQs

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Where do I start? Please feel free to visit Community DEI Resources. This is a great starting point when considering your Graduate Career. 

Do I need a Master’s degree to apply to the doctoral program?No. Applicants who have a bachelor’s degree may apply directly to our doctoral program

Does the department of Environmental Social Science offer a MS degree?We do not offer a coursework-only MS degree for non-PhD students. However, a graduate student may request or be advised to withdraw from the doctoral program due to unsatisfactory degree progress, non-admission to candidacy, personal circumstances, or because the student is no longer committed to doctoral study. In these cases, no doctoral thesis will be required, and a Masters may be obtained if criteria are met.

What type of financial aid does the program provide?Generally, all PhD candidates within the program are provided financial support for the first five years.

How do I find out more about the research being done in your department and if I’m a good fit?Faculty profiles list what type of research department faculty are doing, and more information can be found by reading about spec research groups. If you are interested in knowing more, please contact faculty directly. Please note they can only answer questions regarding research. Admission-related questions should be directed to the department at esosadmissions@stanford.edu.

What is the minimum GRE score required in order to be considered for admission?The general GRE test is optional. Therefore, we do not have a minimum GRE score requirement, and we do not track average scores for admitted applicants.

What is the minimum GPA score required in order to be considered for admission?We do not have a minimum GPA requirement. The evaluation of each applicant is based on all the materials in the file and is not exclusively based on GPA.

Do you require a writing sample?No, we do not require writing samples for this application cycle. However, if you have previous published research or writing, please indicate this clearly in your application.