stanford computer science phd application

Email forwarding for @cs.stanford.edu is changing. Updates and details here . CS Commencement Ceremony June 16, 2024.  Learn More .

PhD Admissions

Main navigation.

The Computer Science Department PhD program is a top-ranked research-oriented program, typically completed in 5-6 years. There are very few course requirements and the emphasis is on preparation for a career in Computer Science research. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission in a Stanford graduate program, applicants must meet:

• Applicants from institutions outside of the United States must hold the equivalent of a United States Bachelor's degree from a college or University of recognized good standing. See detailed information by region on  Stanford Graduate Admissions website. 
• Area of undergraduate study . While we do not require a specific undergraduate coursework, it is important that applicants have strong quantitative and analytical skills; a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science is not required.

Any questions about the admissions eligibility should be directed to  [email protected] .

Application Checklist

An completed online application must be submitted by the CS Department application deadline and can be found  here .

Application Deadlines

The online application can be found here  and we will only one admissions cycle for the PhD program per respective academic term.

The PhD Program in Computer Science FAQ

Welcome to Graduate Admissions

Learn about university-wide admission requirements and processes for MA, MS, PhD, and other non-professional graduate programs.

Your Starting Point for Graduate Study at Stanford

Browse this website to learn about university-wide requirements and processes for admission to MA, MS, PhD, and other non-professional graduate programs in the following Stanford schools:

Graduate School of Education | School of Engineering | School of Humanities & Sciences | School of Medicine | Doerr School of Sustainability

Explore Graduate Programs

Applying to a Professional School?

The professional schools have separate admissions offices and applications. Visit their websites below for information about applying to their graduate programs.

• Graduate School of Business: MBA | MSx | PhD
• School of Law: JD | Advanced Degrees
• School of Medicine: MD | MS in Physician Assistant Studies

Why Stanford?

Consider joining Stanford’s globally diverse graduate community of 9,300 students.

• Watch Playlist: The Stanford Grad Experience and Advice to Prospective Students
• Visit Stanford’s Seven Schools
• See How Diversity Works at Stanford
• Fund Your Graduate Study
• Explore Campus Resources
• Pursue Leadership Development and Funding with Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Email forwarding for @cs.stanford.edu is changing. Updates and details here . CS Commencement Ceremony June 16, 2024.  Learn More .

Main navigation

CS-MS - Computer Science (MS)

Program overview.

The MS in Computer Science is intended as a terminal professional degree and does not lead to the PhD. Most students planning to obtain a PhD degree should apply directly for admission to the PhD program. Some students, however, may wish to complete the master’s program before deciding whether to pursue a PhD. To give such students a more significant opportunity to become familiar with research, the department has a program leading to a master’s degree with distinction in research. This program is described in more detail below.

Applications to the MS program and all supporting documents must be submitted and received online by the published deadline. Information on admission requirements is available on the department’s website; see the department’s deadlines page. Exceptions are made for applicants who are already students at Stanford and are applying to the coterminal program.

MCiM Alumni Spotlight Meet Ashwin!

The Next Generation of Leaders Meet our MCiM 2023-24 cohort

A Degree Program Blending Stanford's Expertise in Medicine, Business and Technology Learn More About Why MCiM

The master of science in clinical informatics management.

Developing Leaders to Transform Health Care

The Master of Science in Clinical Informatics Management (MCiM) is a unique degree program combining medicine, business and technology. MCiM prepares the next generation of leaders who can efficiently oversee and implement novel uses of technology within health care; gain core business skills, new health sector insights, and a management-focused and ethical understanding of digital innovations applied to the health care needs of diverse populations. The only cross-disciplinary program of its kind on the West Coast, MCiM cultivates a supportive learning environment to develop leaders who seek to advance diversity, equity and inclusiveness in health care– locally, regionally and globally.

A Program for Leaders

Business and technology skills applied to digital innovations are critical to improving quality, equity and efficiency in health care — an imperative that COVID-19 has only underscored.

What makes MCiM a program that can uniquely serve and address your learning needs to transition into a role where you can harness the power of digital innovations to deliver high-quality, cost-effective health care? 

Admissions Process

Join the 2024-2025 MCiM Cohort! Our program is now accepting applications. Candidates who are accepted will begin their studies on campus in June 2024.

Application Deadlines

Round 1: November 10, 2023

Round 2: January 12, 2024

MCiM follows a robust, holistic admissions process that welcomes applicants with a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate their academic readiness for a rigorous intellectual experience and their topical interest in this exceptional program.

Program Format

MCiM is a 12-month degree program with a set curriculum that blends the quality of a Stanford professional education with a flexible class schedule and learning format. Students move through the set courses as a cohort for the entire year.

Classes are held every other week, Friday and Saturday, and supplemented through online assignments and learnings. The program format is ideal for working professionals, with the majority of students completing the program alongside their full-time work. 

Student Profile

MCiM is designed for individuals from a variety of backgrounds who share the drive to advance their careers and the passion to innovate the $4 trillion US healthcare system. 

At the intersection of medicine, business, ethics, and technology, MCiM offers a unique opportunity to cultivate team and relationship-building in a diverse learning environment. We thereby aim to develop a cadre of professionals in health care with a commitment to inclusivity and to promoting greater diversity in leadership roles.

Commitment To Diversity

Health equity and health justice.

Achieving Stanford Medicine's vision of health equity and health justice requires tackling some of the most difficult challenges in health care in the US and globally. The establishment of MCiM brings a new set of tools and perspectives to this challenge-how can we use technology to achieve health equity. The MCiM curriculum approaches this question from several different perspectives: how do we develop technology to reach the most underserved populations; how do we use technology to make health care more accessible and affordable; and how do we use technology to improve the quality of care.

These are not just technology challenges-embedded in each of these questions is a business model question that has remain unaddressed in most efforts to address health care disparities. MCiM is unique in tackling health equity from both a business model and technology perspective. Further, our integration of biomedical ethics throughout the program brings a new set of perspectives and insights for our students dealing with difficult perspectives on these questions.

Discussions in the classroom bring these challenging topics to life:

• Can a voice interface be used to overcome literacy and language challenges in achieving population health?
• Patient navigators have shown the benefit of reducing complexity of care, but these programs are costly. Can we use service operations to create a better experience to reduce complexity of care as a means of reducing health disparities? Can we create digital patient navigators to ensure care coordination for patients receiving complex sets of services?
• Can personal health records improve the quality of care and adherence to guideline-based care in the US and abroad?

Stanford Medicine REACH Initiative

The Social Justice and Health Equity (SJ&HE) Curriculum Thread was initiated in the Summer of 2020. Following the recruitment of its faculty lead, Dr. Italo Brown, its committee has been tasked with a comprehensive review of the Stanford Medical School Curriculum to identify strengths and gaps in addressing anti-racist education, health equity and other social justice issues for both our clerkship and pre-clerkship curricula. Following the review, Dr. Brown spearheaded the implementation of important reforms to the existing medical school curriculum by working with course directors, faculty, students and staff to revise the existing educational materials. Our expectation is that anti-racist education will be a permanent thread included within the Stanford Medical School Curriculum.

The Racial Equity to Advance a Community of Health (REACH) post-baccalaureate research program provides highly motivated scholars the opportunity to engage in a 1-2 year research opportunity with structured professional development and academic training components. Individuals may consider completing MCiM during their REACH research activities to provide additional curriculum pathways to foster individualized career development.

Please visit https://med.stanford.edu/reach/programs/md-ms.html to find out more about the REACH Initiative at Stanford Medicine