Information on this page concerns only the current graduate students.

Rules pertaining the graduate studies at the Computer Science Department at Stony Brook are contained in two main policy documents. Please study both documents very carefully to avoid costly mistakes.

• The Graduate Program Handbook
  Detailed description of the Computer Science program. To successfully complete the program students must thoroughly understand and follow the rules described herein.
• Graduate School Bulletin
  This document includes the policies of the Graduate School, which apply to all graduate programs at Stony Brook.

Unless you are a part-time student, you must maintain full-time status. Students who do not will see their financial aid revoked and international students will find themselves "out of status." If you are an M.S. student in your last semester, you can request an "underload," as explained in the Graduate School Bulletin. To do so, you must see the Graduate Secretary. The following document contains more information on how to determine the proper number of credits needed for a full time status.

The following links contain related information which can help you navigate the administrative waters safely.

• Other policies of the graduate school
• International Services
  If you are an international student, keep in touch with this department. Here you will get help and consultation regarding many issues such as visas, travel abroad, maintaining your immigration status, taxes, insurance, etc.
• Graduate School Forms
  At this site you can download many common forms used by the Graduate School, such as change of personal information, request for a leave of absence, request for a new I-20, etc.

Application for Graduation

The graduate school no longer accepts graduation cards. Instead students should apply for graduation online. Please follow the procedure below to avoid delays and other problems.

• Contact the Computer Science Graduate Secretary and ask for graduation clearance.
• The secretary will check if you have fulfilled all the applicable degree requirements and will notify you when you can proceed with your application. Make sure that you contact the secretary at least 1 week prior to the graduation deadline: Since students tend to file for graduation at the last moment, there is no guarantee that your application will be processed in time if you do not apply early enough.
• After obtaining an OK from the secretary, fill out the following on-line form

Do not file for graduation before the aforementioned clearance is obtained: Filling out the above graduation form without a prior approval from the Department, as explained above, will result in an eventual deletion of the form from the system. This can cause delays and to missing a graduation deadline.

Additional Computer Science Forms:

• M.S. & Ph.D. Advisor selection or change form
Every graduate student must fill out this form, obtain appropriate signatures, and return the form to the Graduate Director. A Ph.D. student must select an advisor by the end of the first semester in the program; an M.S. student must select an advisor by the end of the second semester. Changing an advisor requires filling out another form.
• Permission to Enroll in a Computer Science Course
Students seeking to enroll in a Computer Science or Information Systems course must obtain permission of the instructor. The signed form should be dropped off in room 1440 of the Computer Science Building.
Note that there is a separate form to get a permission to enroll in CSE 587.
• Forms for satisfying M.S. Proficiency requirements
Most likely you received these forms when you first registered with the Graduate Secretary upon your arrival to Stony Brook. M.S. students must have this form filled out in order to be cleared for graduation.The plan for satisfying the proficiency requirements must be prepared and approved by the add/drop deadline of the first semester in the M.S. program.
• Permission to take CSE 587
Taking an undergraduate course under the CSE 587 designation requires an approval of the Graduate Academic Advisor or Graduate Program Director. If you take such a course as part of the M.S. proficiency requirements or a plan for taking Ph.D. qualifying examinations, then the approval is given using the forms satisfying the M.S. Proficiency requirements and taking and passing the Ph.D. qualifying examination.If you need to take CSE 587 and this does not fall under one of the above categories, then you need the above permission form.
• Ph.D. Research Proficiency Examination (RPE) form. You could also download (RPE) form in MS Word format.
Prior to taking an RPE, students must download and fill out this form.In the document you must fill in your name, date of the exam, and the names of the members of your RPE committee. For those using the LaTeX format of the form the instructions for filling out and printing the form appear at the top of the LaTeX document. Once the form is filled out, print it and give it to the Chair of your RPE committee.
• Ph.D. Defense Announcement
This form must be filled out electronically (MS Word) by Ph.D. students 4 weeks before Thesis Defense. The form should then be sent by email to the Computer Science Graduate Program Director.