Orientation & Information for New Students

Welcome to the Graduate School at Stony Brook!

Dear Graduate Students,

We are delighted that you have chosen to continue your studies at Stony Brook University and look forward to having you join our community of scholars. As graduate students, you are our number one priority, and we are committed to providing the environment and resources you need to succeed here.

This is a very exciting time at Stony Brook! Though relatively young, we have grown rapidly into a top-10 public research university. Our first PhD was awarded in 1966, but Stony Brook already has over 8,600 doctoral alumni and we have granted over 30,000 graduate degrees in total! We offer graduate programs in over 50 fields in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the College of Business, the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, the School of Journalism, the School of Medicine, the School of Health Technology and Management, the School of Nursing, the School of Social Welfare, the School of Dental Medicine, and the Graduate Arts Campus at Southampton.

This rapid expansion accompanies an equally sharp rise in excellence: U.S. News & World Report ranks Stony Brook among the top 40 public universities in the nation. Its membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places Stony Brook among the top 62 research institutions in North America. As part of the management team of Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University joins a prestigious group of universities that have a role in running federal R&D labs.

As graduate students, you are our number one priority and we are committed to providing the environment and resources you need to succeed here. Currently, we provide: a community of scholarship; support funds through the prestigious Graduate Council Fellowships and Turner Fellowships; an array of professional development workshops; support for professional travel through the Graduate Student Organization; and advocacy whenever needed through the services of the Graduate Student Advocate. Each year, we also recognize the outstanding achievements of our graduate students in teaching and research through our annual Graduate Awards. I am currently working with Advancement and the Graduate Student Organization to further expand our services and activities.

In addition, we offer world-class facilities to meet the needs of our students and faculty. As the premier academic medical center on Long Island, Stony Brook Medicine offers many opportunities for research in the health sciences. Our 246-acre Research and Development Park is anchored by the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technologies, which provides a vibrant test bed for emerging wireless technologies, and the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, which focuses on innovative energy research, education, and technology deployment. Stony Brook has facilities that stretch from our Southampton location to South Korea, Madagascar, and the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya. Here on Long Island our location midway between Brookhaven National Laboratory, the nation's foremost Department of Energy research laboratory, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the nation's leading privately funded biological research facility provides many unique opportunities for our graduate students. Our students also enjoy access to advanced doctoral courses at other major universities in New York City as the result of Stony Brook's membership in the Inter University Doctoral Consortium.

Stony Brook's future depends on its ability to recruit and retain outstanding graduate students, so the Graduate School, the Administration, and the faculty extend a warm welcome to you. We are committed to helping you realize your academic and professional goals, so please don't hesitate to contact us if you think we can be of assistance. We have compiled resources in this section, including our online orientation,  new student roadmap and resource directory, that I think you will find very helpful as you start your education here at Stony Brook.

Sincerely,

Celia Marshik