University Graduate Residency Requirements

Residency Unit Requirements for Graduate Students

Each type of advanced degree conferred by Stanford has a minimum residency requirement, which is the number of academic units required by the University to confer the degree. These residency requirements, as well as the maximum allowable transfer units toward residency, are listed below for each degree type. Academic departments and schools offering degrees may establish unit requirements that are higher than the minimum University residency requirement. However, in no case may a student earn fewer units than the University minimum for each degree. 

Students pursuing an Engineer, D.M.A., or Ph.D. will have units from a prior or in-progress Stanford master's degree automatically counted toward residency for the terminal degree; alternatively, they may apply for graduate residency transfer credit using coursework completed at an outside institution (please review the Graduate Residency Transfer Credit process page for information on assessment criteria, and instructions for how to request credit). Adding additional degree programs while a terminal degree is in progress should be done with caution as it may raise a student's total residency requirement. Please see the chart below titled "University Minimum Residency Requirements for Graduate Degree Combinations" to review unit totals required for consecutive or concurrent (dual) degrees.

Graduate students may enroll in a Joint Degree Program, where a pre-determined reduced residency total is assigned to a specific pair of degree plans. Transfer credit is not permitted, nor is reuse of units from additional masters degrees. Both constituent degrees in a JDP must be conferred in the same quarter, except for the LAW-JD which can be conferred first. Please see the chart further below titled "University Minimum Residency Requirements for Joint Degree Programs (JDP)" to review minimum total units for approved Joint Degree Programs (Review the Joint Degree Program policy in the university Bulletin for complete guidelines).

Students must meet all their active programs' residency requirements to be eligible for Special Registration Status. Courses in progress and courses with a grade of "W" do not count toward the residency total. Please review the Graduate Residency Policy in the university Bulletin for complete information.

University Minimum Residency Requirements for Individual Graduate Degrees

Note: The University has authorized the granting of completed M.A.T., Ed.S., and Ed.D. degrees, but they are not actively offered.

* 45 units completed toward a Stanford masters degree in an engineering discipline, OR up to 45 units of approved graduate residency transfer credit, may be counted toward the 90 unit residency requirement for the Engineer degree.

** 45 units completed toward a Stanford masters degree, OR up to 45 units of graduate residency transfer credit, may be counted toward the 135 unit residency requirement for the Ph.D. or D.M.A. degree.

*** 6 units of the total are in an area of scholarly concentration.

University Minimum Residency Requirements for Graduate Degree Combinations (Dual Degrees)

Students with multiple consecutive or concurrent (dual) degree programs must meet residency requirements for any and all types of degree they earn. Engineer candidates who also earned their master's at Stanford are not eligible for transfer residency credit, nor are any master's degree students. Any amount of graduate transfer credit on record will increase the residency requirement of your total degree combinations by 45 units, and may significantly delay the conferral of your degree(s). It is recommended that all programs be added prior to the request for residency credit. Please submit a help ticket to inquire about the removal of graduate residency transfer credit from your record or any additional questions about how it impacts your record. 
_{(Students enrolled in an approved joint degree program should not refer to this chart, and instead review the following chart, "University Minimum Residency Requirements for Joint Degree Programs)}

* Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) students should refer to the CEE program page in the Stanford Bulletin for additional information regarding residency.

University Minimum Residency Requirements for Joint Degree Programs (JDP)

Students pursuing an approved Joint Degree Program must meet the minimum combined unit totals below to be eligible for degree conferral by the Office of the University Registrar. These are the minimum thresholds for meeting the University residency requirement.

Academic departments and schools offering degrees may establish unit requirements that are higher than the minimum University residency requirement. Students may, therefore, be required to meet individual residency requirements for each of the two programs in their JDP to receive departmental approval for graduation; in some cases, this may result in a sum total greater than the university minimum listed below. However, in no case may a student earn fewer units than the University minimum for each degree. In cases where the total required on the chart below differs from the sum total required by both JDP departments, the higher number must be met for degree conferral.

Please review the Joint Degree Program policy in the university Bulletin for full regulations.

** Students in the MBA/ED-MA joint degree program may have a residency requirement ranging from 109 to 129; please confirm your specific requirement with the department.