M.A. Degree

On this page:

• Program Overview
• M.A. Degree Requirements
• Guidelines for Getting Admitted to the PhD Program
• Funding and Tuition
• Sample Schedules for the MA Program

Program Overview

The goal of the MA in Physics degree program is to offer a superb graduate education that prepares you for either the challenges of today’s workplace or the requirements of a Ph.D. program. To meet these different needs, the program offers a great deal of flexibility, ranging from an option focused on preparing students for industry to an option built around advanced graduate coursework. Approximately 50% of our incoming class goes on to a PhD program, either our own or elsewhere. In Fall 2026, approximately 25% of the MA class joined the PhD program at Stony Brook.

The MA degree is offered both as an option without a thesis, which requires passing the Comprehensive Exam at the Master level, and as an option with a thesis, which does not require the comprehensive exam. See M.A. Degree Requirements below for the full details of both options.

M.A. Degree Requirements

An MA degree requires a minimum of 30 credits in graduate courses deemed appropriate by the Physics graduate program. No more than 6 credits of comparable graduate courses taken at another university can be transferred. Transfer eligibility must first be approved in writing by the Stony Brook professor teaching the comparable course, and then by the Graduate Program Director, who authorizes the departmental approval. Such credit transfers should be requested in the student’s first semester at Stony Brook. The requirements for the Master’s degree can be satisfied in two ways.

MA Thesis Track (Recommended)

We encourage most MA students to follow the thesis track. The requirements are:

• Passing of a satisfactory program of study approved by the Graduate Program Director. Normally such a program includes at least two approved graduate courses and two semesters of the three possible graduate seminars (PHY 598, PHY 599, and PHY 664). The total number of credits with passing grades (which normally is B or better), including the Master’s Research credit, should be at least 30.

• Completion of a Master’s Thesis. The Master’s project is supervised by an advisor and has to be documented in the format of a scientific paper or a thesis. The thesis should be a single-author work in which any contributions from other members of the research group the student is working with are made clear. Naturally there may be many such contributions, and this is entirely fine, but it should be clear that the student performed a significant piece of research work themselves.

  There is no need to submit the Master’s thesis to the graduate school, but if it is submitted, it must be prepared in accordance with the guidelines presented in the university’s “Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations.” The Master’s thesis is not expected to be especially long – it can be in the form of a scientific paper or a thesis similar in style to a PhD thesis. While we do not have precise guidelines, a reasonable expectation might be that it would be between 20-50 pages long (regular 11-12pt font pages, not two-column journal pages). The thesis should demonstrate that the student has obtained an understanding of the background to the research question and has made progress on that question. It is not a requirement that the work be sufficiently original or complete to be published, though if a Master’s thesis does contain publishable work we highly encourage both the student and advisor to see that publication occurs, even if that doesn’t happen before graduation.

Students in this track are not required to take the Comprehensive Exam. They are nonetheless encouraged to do so, especially if they intend to apply to the PhD program – see Guidelines for Getting Admitted to the PhD Program.

Thesis Defense and Committee

The Master’s defense is an oral presentation, generally a talk of around 30-40 minutes, so that the total duration of the defense (including questions) is around one hour.

The defense committee consists of three faculty: the student’s advisor and two others. Two of the three must be Stony Brook faculty; the third may be an external member, in which case the external member’s CV must be provided. The advisor is one of the three but cannot chair the committee – one of the other two members chairs.

Students arrange their own committee, defense time, and location. After the defense, the chair should email the Graduate Program Director and the graduate coordinator confirming that the thesis was accepted, and a copy of the thesis should be sent to the Graduate Program Director and coordinator.

Exam-Based Track (Not Recommended)

Most students should complete a thesis while at Stony Brook. However, for theoretically inclined students, the non-thesis track may be an appropriate option. In this case, the academic transcript should also ideally include advanced theoretical coursework. Discuss this option with the Graduate Program Director. The requirements are:

• Passing all parts of the Comprehensive Exam at the Master level.
• Passing of Graduate Courses approved by the Graduate Program Director with a grade of B or better. The number of courses should be such that the minimum of 30 credits is satisfied. An approved program usually includes two semesters of the Graduate Seminar Courses (PHY 598, PHY 599, or PHY 664).

Guidelines for Getting Admitted to the PhD Program

Admission to our PhD program is not guaranteed. Historically, roughly 25% of MA students are admitted into our own PhD program, and roughly 25% go on to PhD programs elsewhere.

Students who wish to continue on to the PhD apply through the same general admission pool as any other Doctoral Program applicant – see Application to the Graduate Program for the requirements and process. There is no separate internal fast-track. However, we do review applications from our own MA students with special care and in a dedicated meeting.

Successful candidates typically:

1. Have an advisor who is supportive of their continuing into the PhD program, preferably both financially and academically.
2. Have done well academically in at least two rigorous core courses. Students preparing for PhD admission should not attempt all of the core courses – they should instead concentrate on performing well in a couple of them.
3. Ideally, have taken and passed at least one subject of the comprehensive exam at the PhD level, to demonstrate that their level is commensurate with doctoral students already in the program.

Funding and Tuition

MA students are not guaranteed financial support. Support from a research group is possible but has become increasingly uncommon. Recently, the department has been able to hire a few MA students each semester as teaching assistants, though this is not guaranteed. MA students do not receive tuition waivers or scholarships and are responsible for tuition, which depends on residency status – see Tuition Cost per Residential Status.

Sample Schedules for the MA Program

In most cases the MA program can be completed in three or four semesters, but in exceptional cases of very well prepared students, it is possible to complete it in two semesters and one summer. Realistically, most students wanting to be admitted to a highly ranked US PhD program will need to spend more than two semesters in our MA program to build a good case for admission.

Below we give four examples of approved course sequences for an MA degree. There is a great deal of flexibility, and depending on your interests, courses can be substituted with other physics graduate courses. The schedules below are designed for full-time students with 12+ credits in the first two semesters and 9 credits in the third semester, with an optional fourth semester as needed. All programs of study require approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Schedule I and II prepare students for admission to a PhD program. Schedule I is the default option, which focuses more on research, while Schedule II caters to well-prepared students interested in theory. Doing more research has the advantage that your advisor will be able to write a stronger letter of recommendation.

Underloading in the Final Semester

An MA student (not a PhD student) can request an underload in the last semester of study if fewer than 9 credits are required for graduation. For instance, if you have earned 25 graduate credits and only 5 are required to graduate, you can request an underload to register for only 5 credits. An MA student with an approved underload is still considered a full-time student but will pay less tuition.

Foreign students applying for an underload must inform the Office of Visa and Immigration Services and stay in communication with the Graduate Program Director about the plan.

Note that if you request an underload in a given semester, you must graduate at the end of that semester. Underloading therefore carries some risk, especially for foreign students: failing a course at this stage would prevent the student from graduating, and may require reinstatement through Visa and Immigration Services under the applicable visa rules.

Sample Schedules I and II, shown below, both incorporate the underload option in the last semester.

Default Program for Preparation for Admission to a PhD Program with Master Thesis Research – Schedule I

Undertaking Master’s thesis research is one of the best ways to prepare an application for a PhD program. It gives you skills that will make you a desirable recruit and gives your advisor the insight needed to write a strong letter of recommendation by semester 3 of the program. It is advisable to take at least one core course in each of the first two semesters, but do not overload yourself – performing well academically in both your courses and your research matters more than the number of courses you take.

While it is not required to be at Stony Brook over the summer between Semesters 2 and 3, it can be an excellent opportunity to make significant progress on your research project. Enroll in PHY 800 Summer Research for 0 credits.

Schedule II – Coursework-Focused Program for Preparation for Admission to a PhD Program, with a Focus on Theoretical Physics

This schedule does not include a Master’s thesis, as the student will be very busy with courses. It does require passing the comprehensive exam at the Master level. Students following this track should be confident that they can obtain good grades in demanding courses and pass the comprehensive exam by the start of Semester 4 at the latest.

While it is not required to be at Stony Brook over the summer between Semesters 2 and 3, this is a good time to do a reading project, attend Simons Center talks, and study for the comps. Enroll in PHY 800 Summer Research for 0 credits.

Schedule III – Program Focused on Practical Skills with Master Thesis Research

This is a good option for building practical skills and research experience that could be applied in either further academic research or real-world applications.

While it is not required to be at Stony Brook over the summer between Semesters 2 and 3, it can be an excellent opportunity to make significant progress on your research project. Enroll in PHY 800 Summer Research for 0 credits.

Schedule IV – Sequence Including an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Data and Computational Science

Note: this track requires a full-time fourth semester.

Courses in italics are required for the Certificate. Students should ensure that at least one of the PHY electives they take is listed on the Certificate Course Catalog.