Admission to the Graduate Program
We are excited that you are considering our Graduate Program. We offer admission to the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. The Ph.D. program is intended for students that wish to pursue a research-oriented career, while the M.S. program is intended for students seeking advanced positions in the software industry. Admission to the Ph.D. program is more competitive than the M.S. program.General information about the M.S. and Ph.D programs at Stony Brook University is available under the Graduate Section.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS ADMISSION DEADLINES APPLICATION PROCESS OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: TOEFL /IELTS FINANCIAL SUPPORT DEFERRAL OF ADMISSIONS TRANSFER OF CREDITS INTO THE M.S. or Ph.D. PROGRAMS M.S. to Ph.D FAQ ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS 
The requirements for admission to graduate study in computer science include.
- Bachelor Degree: A bachelor's degree, usually in a science or engineering discipline or in mathematics, is required. The transcript should show a grade average of at least B (i.e., 3.0/4.0) in
- all undergraduate course work, and
- in the science, mathematics, and engineering courses.
- Minimal Background in Computer Science: Students should have and demonstrate a solid computer science background. College level course work in the main topic areas is suggested. Please refer to ACM Computer Science Curriculum for topic information.
- Submission of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores. The Computer Science GRE subject test is also recommended.
- Submission of the TOEFL Test scores for all students whose native language is not English.
- Acceptance by the Computer Science Department and Graduate School.
ADMISSION DEADLINES
The majority of students are admitted beginning in Fall semesters. We do admit a small number of PhD students and a reasonable number of MS students for the Spring semester. Applications must be submitted prior to the application deadline:
- Fall Admissions : January 15
- Spring Admissions: October 1
APPLICATION PROCESS
All applications for admissions must be submitted online through ApplyYourself. Note that we only accept online applications. The application fee must be paid in order to submit your application.
Each applicant should include the following items with their online application:
- A statement of purpose, describing your interests and motivation to pursue a graduate degree.
- A resume or CV, describing your work experience, course projects, and areas of expertise.
- Three recommendation letters from academia or industry. At least two (2) letters must be submitted by the recommender through the online system. A single paper letter of reference will be accepted. Paper letters must be sent in sealed envelopes with recommenders signature across seal and include the paper recommendation form downloadable on ApplyYourself. Note: Paper letters will slow down the review process of your application.
Any additional documents included in your application will be disregarded.
OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
Please arrange for two (2) official transcripts for each institution attended beyond secondary school to be mailed to the address below. Please specify if you are applying for the MS or PhD Program in the address. Transcripts are required to review your application. Please submit them as early as possible. Transcripts can be mailed prior to submittal of the ApplyYourself application.
Stony Brook University
Department of Computer Science - (please indicate if you are applying to the MS or PhD program here)
Graduate Admissions Office - 1st Floor
Stony Brook, NY 11794-4400
U.S.A.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION
The GRE General Test is required of all applicants. Applicants must request ETS forward scores directly to the Graduate School (School code: 2548). Failure to submit GRE scores will prevent review of the application. Photocopies of scores will not be accepted.
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: TOEFL /IELTS
Applicants whose first or native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English prior to matriculation. To be considered for admission, an applicant must present an acceptable score on the TOEFL or IELTS test.
For the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the following minimum score is required:
- 550 (paper)
- 213 (computer)
- 80 (Internet) for general admission
- 90 (Internet - for admission to a doctoral program and to be eligible for consideration for TA/GA support )
An overall score of at least 6.5 with no sub-section below 6, is required on the International English Language Testing System exam (IELTS).
Spoken English :
All doctoral students and students with a TA/GA stipend whose native language is not English must demonstrate a sufficient level of English-speaking proficiency, and may be required to take ESL courses based on these measures. Doctoral and TA/GA students are exempt from ESL courses or a speaking evaluation with one of the following scores:
- IELTS speak: 7
- iBT speak: 28
All other Doctoral and TA/GA students will be required to take the SPEAK test on arrival. You must request official reports to be sent electronically from the Educational Testing Service. Our Institution code is 2548 (TOEFL, TSE, TOEIC). IELTS scores should be sent to us in paper form at this time.
For information concerning the time and place of the TOEFL test contact: http://www.toefl.org FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Admitted Ph.D. students are typically offered financial support in the form of teaching or research assistantships, which include full tuition. Admission into this program is very competitive, though, and you must have the intention of completing this program. M.S. students are typically admitted with no financial aid. A small number of fairly advanced MS students do find research assistantships for full or partial financial support. Many students also find such aid on campus; typically by taking programming jobs for different administrative and academic units. Information regarding tuition and other costs can be found from the Graduate School.
DEFERRAL OF ADMISSIONS
Sometimes students who are admitted into our graduate program cannot attend due to a variety of reasons and request that their admission be deferred to the following semester. Due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, we cannot accommodate such requests. Instead, the student needs to reapply for admission in a subsequent semester, indicating history of past admission.
TRANSFER OF CREDITS INTO THE M.S. or Ph.D. PROGRAMS
Students may transfer up to 9 credits of graduate courses obtained from another university. The following conditions and procedure is required to transfer any credits.
- In order to be counted towards graduation, the credits must be evaluated by one of our faculty members. The evaluation must establish equivalence between a course being transferred from another institution to a Computer Science course in Stony Brook, which is accepted as part of the graduation requirements (see the Graduate Program Handbook). The faculty member must be one of those who are teaching the corresponding graduate course on a regular basis. The professor typically evaluates the course materials/contents, student transcripts, etc. The approval is not automatic and we generally take a very careful look at such transfer requests.
- Graduate courses that do not meet the previous requirement can be transferred without being counted towards graduation. This can sometimes be useful because students who have earned 24 graduate credits of any kind need to be registered for only 9 credits (instead of 12) in order to have full status. Therefore, gaining this status early might reduce tuition liability.
M.S. TO Ph.D
A student in the M.S. program can subsequently apply for admission into the Ph.D. program, but should keep in mind the higher standards for entry into the Ph.D. program. The Computer Science Graduate Program Handbook describes this process, as well as serving as the authoritative source on matters relating to the graduate program.