GRADUATION INFORMATION - FAQs
Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions regarding graduation requirements, procedures and deadlines.
Students should still refer to the Degree Requirements section of the Graduate Bulletin and their program for more details concerning specific program requirements.
NOTE: Students in the School of Professional Development in the MA in Liberal Studies, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Professional Studies and certain Advanced Graduate Certificates should refer to the SPD Bulletin or website (http://www.sunysb.edu/spd/) for degree requirements and procedures.
Students in the Health Sciences Center in the Public Health, Nursing, Health Technology and Social Welfare Master’s programs should refer to their program or HSC Bulletin or website (http://www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/ ) for degree requirements and procedures.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
THESIS/DISSERTATION INFORMATION
CEREMONY INFORMATION
AWARDING THE DEGREE
SUMMARY OF DEADLINES
CONTACTS
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 
For all degrees
APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
The deadline to apply for December 2009 graduation is Monday, September 21st.
How do I apply?
THESIS/DISSERTATION INFORMATION
The thesis/dissertation deadline date for December 2009 is Friday, December 11th.
• Students must submit the final version of their thesis/dissertation on or before this date to be considered for that semester’s graduation. No extensions will be granted.
• E-mail submissions are NOT accepted for electronic theses/dissertations.
• Students who submit after the deadline date will become a candidate for the following semester and will need to reapply for graduation and register appropriately.
Where and when do I submit my thesis/dissertation?
• Theses/Dissertations are submitted to the Graduate School, located in the Computer Science Building on the second floor, Room 2401.
• Fall 2009 Submission Hours:
• If you can submit during the posted submission hours, you do not need an appointment.
• If you cannot submit during the posted submission hours, you may make an appointment for an alternate time.
• Appointments must be made at least one day in advance via email, and confirmation of the requested appointment is required. To set up an appointment, e-mail: Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Do I have to wait until the week of the submission deadline to submit my thesis/dissertation?
No. If you are ready to submit your thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School early in the semester, you can do so without it affecting your student status, even if you submit on the first day of classes. When a student submits their thesis or dissertation, nothing regarding their student status in the University system is changed:
Students’ manuscripts must be prepared according to the guidelines. On the Graduate School website, go to Graduation Information – Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. You may also e-mail Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu with any questions.
CEREMONY INFORMATION
When are ceremonies held?
December Doctoral Hooding Ceremony - Tuesday, December 22nd
AWARDING THE DEGREE
How do I get cleared for the degree?
SUMMARY OF DEADLINES
*The Advancement to Candidacy deadline relates to G4 doctoral students who are going to be advanced to candidacy (G5 status). The advancement to candidacy request must be received by the Graduate School from the program by this date for the advancement to take effect Fall 2009.
CONTACTS
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Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions regarding graduation requirements, procedures and deadlines.
Students should still refer to the Degree Requirements section of the Graduate Bulletin and their program for more details concerning specific program requirements.
NOTE: Students in the School of Professional Development in the MA in Liberal Studies, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Professional Studies and certain Advanced Graduate Certificates should refer to the SPD Bulletin or website (http://www.sunysb.edu/spd/) for degree requirements and procedures.
Students in the Health Sciences Center in the Public Health, Nursing, Health Technology and Social Welfare Master’s programs should refer to their program or HSC Bulletin or website (http://www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/ ) for degree requirements and procedures.
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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
THESIS/DISSERTATION INFORMATION
CEREMONY INFORMATION AWARDING THE DEGREE SUMMARY OF DEADLINES CONTACTS |
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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS For all degrees
- Registration: Students must be registered for the semester in which they intend to graduate. Spring (May) and Fall (December) candidates must register for at least one graduate credit; Summer (August) candidates may register for zero credits in either summer session, but it still must be graduate level.
- Application for Graduation: Students must apply for graduation
for the semester they intend to graduate. If degree requirements are
not met, students must reapply for a subsequent degree awarding period.
Degree applications are not carried forward.
o NOTE: Students need to apply for graduation regardless of whether they want to attend any of the graduation ceremonies.
o NOTE: Students who are obtaining a Master’s Degree while still pursuing a Doctorate need to apply for graduation for the Master’s Degree. - GPA: Students must achieve a 3.0 overall GPA in all graduate courses taken at Stony Brook.
- Credits: Students must attain at least 30 credits of graduate work. Check with your program for specific credit amounts.
- Thesis Submission: Students who are preparing a thesis for submission to the Graduate School must submit the final version of their thesis to the Graduate School by the posted deadline. The format of the thesis must be prepared according to the Guidelines. (see the section on theses/dissertations for more information).
- G5 Status: Doctoral students (with the exception of DMA students) must be advanced to candidacy (G5 status) for at least one year prior to graduating.
- Defense Committee: Doctoral students must have their defense committee approved by the Graduate School. The program needs to send a committee approval request form to the Graduate School by Day 15 of the semester the student is defending, or four weeks prior to the defense date, whichever comes first. Students should check with their program about the status of their committee. For students defending in the Summer, the program needs to send a committee approval request form to the Graduate School by the end of the first week of Summer Session I classes. NOTE: Students do not fill out this form; the form is prepared by and sent by the program to the Graduate School.
- Doctoral Defense Announcement: Students are required to have their defenses posted, and must fill out a Doctoral Defense Announcement form found online at the Graduate School website (go to Forms – Doctoral Defense Announcement). Students must follow the instructions that are indicated in a link next to the form. NOTE: Failure to have a Doctoral Defense Announcement form submitted to the Graduate School according to procedure and in a timely manner may result in the student having to defend their dissertation a second time.
- Dissertation Submission: Students must submit the final version of their Dissertation to the Graduate School within three months of a successful defense. Students must submit by the posted deadline of a semester (for example, a student must submit by the posted deadline for December 2009 if they intend on graduating in December 2009). The dissertation must be prepared according to the Guidelines. (see the section on theses/dissertations for more information).
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APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
The deadline to apply for December 2009 graduation is Monday, September 21st.
How do I apply?
The Application for Graduation is found under the Graduation Information section of the Graduate School website.Will I receive a confirmation?
- Once a student’s degree application is processed in the system, an e-mail notification will be sent out. This will contain information on graduation and related procedures. You should expect to receive this e-mail notification about 1-2 weeks after you apply.
- Students should keep the summary page that appears after applying for their records.
If you need to change your degree date, you will need to reapply for graduation for a new degree date.What if I need to change my diploma name, diploma address, or dissertation title?
If you need to update any of the above information, and your degree date will remain the same, do not apply again. E-mail Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu with your updated information.When will my application show up on the system?
When you apply, your degree candidacy won’t show up immediately on the system. The Graduate School runs retrievals of online applicants periodically, so you should expect the application to show up approximately one week after you apply.I applied for graduation, but cannot register for the semester that follows the degree date. What should I do?
Sometimes students who apply for graduation will not become term activated (eligible to register) for the following semester because the system ‘thinks’ they are graduating. If you find that you need to cancel your degree application, e-mail your program coordinator and Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.Is this application also for attending the graduation ceremonies?
- No. The Application for Graduation from the Graduate School is separate from the Ceremony Attendance Form. The Ceremony Attendance form is from the office of Conferences & Special Events, and is only to be filled out if a student wishes to attend any of the ceremonies.
- See the Ceremony Information section for more details.
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THESIS/DISSERTATION INFORMATION
The thesis/dissertation deadline date for December 2009 is Friday, December 11th.
• Students must submit the final version of their thesis/dissertation on or before this date to be considered for that semester’s graduation. No extensions will be granted.
• E-mail submissions are NOT accepted for electronic theses/dissertations.
• Students who submit after the deadline date will become a candidate for the following semester and will need to reapply for graduation and register appropriately.
Where and when do I submit my thesis/dissertation?
• Theses/Dissertations are submitted to the Graduate School, located in the Computer Science Building on the second floor, Room 2401.
• Fall 2009 Submission Hours:
- Monday-Friday, 10-12 & 2-4 or by appointment.
- Holiday Hours:
- Wednesday, November 25: 10-12 and 2-3
- Thursday, November 26: Office closed
- Friday, November 27: Office closed
- Thursday, December 24: 10-12 only
- Friday, December 25: Office closed
- Thursday, December 31: 10-12 only
- Friday, January 1, 2010: Office closed
- Students should not come in for the first time on the deadline day.
- Students should submit their thesis/dissertation as early as possible during the semester.
- Students should come in as early as possible during the submission hours.
- Note: Students should check the posted submission hours before coming to the Graduate School in case there have been any adjustments made to the hours.
• If you can submit during the posted submission hours, you do not need an appointment.
• If you cannot submit during the posted submission hours, you may make an appointment for an alternate time.
• Appointments must be made at least one day in advance via email, and confirmation of the requested appointment is required. To set up an appointment, e-mail: Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Do I have to wait until the week of the submission deadline to submit my thesis/dissertation?
No. If you are ready to submit your thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School early in the semester, you can do so without it affecting your student status, even if you submit on the first day of classes. When a student submits their thesis or dissertation, nothing regarding their student status in the University system is changed:
- An international student will not be out of status.
- A student with a tuition scholarship or TA/GA/RA will not lose funding.
- A student who lives on campus will not lose housing.
- Students retain all University privileges (such as library access) until their degree is posted to their record.
Students’ manuscripts must be prepared according to the guidelines. On the Graduate School website, go to Graduation Information – Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. You may also e-mail Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu with any questions.
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CEREMONY INFORMATION
When are ceremonies held?
- In May, there are two ceremonies: the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony (which only confers doctoral degrees) and the Main Commencement Ceremony (which confers master’s and bachelor’s degrees).
- The December Commencement Ceremony confers doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees, and includes the Doctoral Hooding ceremony.
- Visit the Conferences & Special Events website (http://stonybrook.edu/cse/) or contact them (631-632-6320; confevents@notes.cc.sunysb.edu) for current dates and times.
December Doctoral Hooding Ceremony - Tuesday, December 22nd
- Masters Candidates: The Graduate School does not have any regulations on which masters students can walk in the December Ceremony. Masters students who have any qusetions about this should contact Conferences & Special Events (631-632-6320 or confevents@notes.cc.sunysb.edu).
- Doctoral Candidates: In order for a December 2009 doctoral candidate to participate in the December Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, the student must have done one of the following by the deadline for students to submit the Ceremony Attendance Form, which is December 4th, 2009:
- Submit the final version of their dissertation to the Graduate School
- Have a Defense Announcement already posted on the Graduate School's website for a defense date prior to the December graduation deadline for dissertation submission.
- December Departmental Ceremonies: The Graduate School does not have any regulations on which students can participate in their departmental ceremonies. Students who have any questions about this should contact their department.
- Students will have have access to the Ceremony Attendance Form on their SOLAR account between October 14th and December 4th. Any questions regarding the Ceremony Attendance Form should contact Conferences & Special Events (631-632-6320 or confevents@notes.cc.sunysb.edu).
- The Graduate School will also send information about the hooding ceremony to all doctoral candidates during the semester.
- Visit the Conferences & Special Events website (http://stonybrook.edu/cse/) for more information.
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AWARDING THE DEGREE
How do I get cleared for the degree?
- The student’s program will send a completion statement to the Graduate School once it is determined that the student completed all requirements for their degree program. This occurs once the semester in which the student expects to graduate is finished. These completion statements are then reviewed and processed by the Graduate School.
- Students should first consult with their program regarding the status of their clearance before contacting any other office.
- The Graduate School begins reviewing students’ records for clearance during the first full week of the month that follows the degree awarding date (degree awarding dates are May, August and December).
- It takes approximately 2-4 weeks to review all candidates’ records.
- When the Graduate School clears you for your degree, the degree is immediately posted to your transcript. At this time, if you request an official transcript from the Registrar, the degree will be reflected on the transcript.
- It takes approximately 8-10 weeks from the date of clearance by the Graduate School for you to receive the diploma from the Registrar.
- Financial holds (such as from Student Accounts, Library, or Parking Services) will prevent the release of your official transcript and diploma. You should make sure all fees/fines are paid by the time you plan to graduate.
- Any questions about the status of your diploma should be directed to the Registrar, as it is that office which handles the preparation and mails them out. You should only contact them about the diploma status if your degree has already been posted.
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SUMMARY OF DEADLINES
| December 2009 Deadline Dates | ||
| Advancement to Candidacy* | Monday, September 14, 2009 | |
| Application for Graduation | Monday, September 21, 2009 | |
| Thesis/Dissertation Deadline | Friday, December 11, 2009 | |
| May 2010 Deadline Dates | ||
| Advancement to Candidacy | TBA | |
| Application for Graduation | TBA | |
| Thesis/Dissertation Deadline | TBA | |
*The Advancement to Candidacy deadline relates to G4 doctoral students who are going to be advanced to candidacy (G5 status). The advancement to candidacy request must be received by the Graduate School from the program by this date for the advancement to take effect Fall 2009.
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CONTACTS
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Graduate School 2401 Computer Science Building, 2nd Floor Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 11794-4433 631-632-GRAD E-mail: Graduate_School_Graduation@notes.cc.sunysb.edu Conferences & Special Events Director’s Suite, Charles B. Wang Center, Suite 302 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 11794-1603 631-632-6320 Website: http://stonybrook.edu/cse/ E-mail: confevents@notes.cc.sunysb.edu |
