PhD at Stanford University – Parag Agrawal’s Alma Mater

There cannot be a single aspirant who wants to study abroad and has not heard about Stanford University. Learners have an unprecedented amount of academic freedom at Stanford. The Stanford curriculum is flexible enough to give students the chance to pursue programs from different areas. It is a representation of the tenets of a solid liberal arts education. It’s an excellent place to advance your education, with 17 Nobel Laureates and 4 Pulitzer Prize winners among its alumni. Through this blog, let’s learn what it takes to get a PhD from Stanford and get a glimpse into some of its illustrious alumni’s educational journeys, Ex Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal.

PhD at Stanford University

All of Stanford University’s PhD programmes are intended to produce great educational scholars with in-depth knowledge of the theoretical, applied, and policy topics they examine. Doctoral programmes typically accept between 25 and 35 new students per year. Students have significant educational advantages due to the small size of doctoral cohorts because they receive individualised attention from their advisors and have several opportunities to form close collegial relationships with other students.

Name of the Course	PhD.
Program Length	5 Years (Average Length)
Program Requirements	SOP LORs– 3 Resume/CV
English Language Proficiency Test	TOEFL– Computer Based- 250 TOEFL – Internet Based- 100 TOEFL – Paper Based- 600
Application Fee	$125 (INR 10,159)
Application Fee Waiver	Yes, For applicants, Stanford provides three different forms of application cost waivers: -GRE Fee Reduction Certificate-Based Waiver -Diversity Program Participation-Based Waiver -School-Based Waiver

Why Study at Stanford University?

Situated in California, a populated state on the West coast of the United States, between San Francisco and San Jose. Stanford is one of the world’s top colleges for research and instruction in the world. It was founded in 1891 and has maintained its position as the go-to resource for research and education ever since.

Stanford University is renowned for its proficiency in a broad range of academic and technical sectors, which benefits students by allowing them to learn from the unique experiences of the handpicked academic staff and gain perspective on education. Additionally, Stanford is without a doubt one of the best universities in the world, but it doesn’t stop students from having fun when they’re not in the library.

Stanford is more selective than most Ivies, with an admittance rate of 5.2%. Even better is Stanford’s remarkable 1:1.8 student-to-professor ratio. This guarantees that there will be opportunities for significant interactions and mentorships to develop between students and professors. Additionally, this increased level of focus makes it simpler for teachers to tailor their lessons to each individual student. 

Did you know that Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, Space X and Tesla, and Parag Agrawal, the former CEO of Twitter, both attended the same university? Since they both completed their doctoral degrees at Stanford University in California, the two have the same alma mater. After being accepted into a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Material Science, Musk’s time at the university, however, only lasted for two days.

Stanford University aims to foster the development of people who can use their confidence and leadership skills as a gift when entering the outside world, in addition to educating them. The educational experience of Parag Agrawal, the former CEO of Twitter, serves as perhaps the most ideal illustration. Let’s look at his educational and career background.

Timeline of Parag Agrawal’s Career

Date of Birth	21 May 1984
Age	38 Years
Place of Birth	Ajmer Rajasthan
Hometown	Kharghar, Mumbai
Nationality	Indian
Religion	Hinduism

Agrawal was born in 1984 in Ajmer, Rajasthan. His mother is a retired Economics professor from Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, while his father was a top officer in the Indian Department of Atomic Energy. Parag Agrawal had all the skills necessary to succeed academically at IIT Bombay, earning him a reputation among his teachers as a “topper type” student. At Mumbai’s Atomic Energy Junior College, he finished his final year of higher secondary school in 2001. He won a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad in Antalya, Turkey, that same year. 

Agrawal graduated from IIT Bombay with a Bachelor of Technology in computer science and engineering in 2005. In order to obtain a PhD in computer science at Stanford University under the direction of Jennifer Widom, he relocated to the United States that year.  His Stanford doctoral thesis, entitled “Incorporating Uncertainty in Data Management and Integration,” was released in 2012. Agrawal worked as a software engineer for Twitter beginning in 2011 after completing research internships at Microsoft Research and Yahoo! Research. Following Adam Messinger’s departure, Twitter announced in October 2017 that Agrawal had been appointed as its new chief technical officer.  Agrawal was in charge of Project Bluesky, a project to create a decentralised social network protocol, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced in December 2019.

However, Musk is said to have sacked some of Twitter’s top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, just hours after finalising the $44 billion acquisition. 

We hope this blog has enlightened you and gave you the opportunity to know more about the PhD at Stanford University. Get in touch with the experts at Leverage Edu to more about overseas education in detail.