Program in Physics College of Arts and Sciences Stony Brook University, State University of New York

Stony Brook University -- A Globally Ranked Institution

Stony Brook University was founded in 1957 on a site at the heart of Long Island, as one of 4 university centers of the State University of New York (SUNY). Today Stony Brook is recognized as one of the best education and scholarship centers in the nation, and has even garnered international acclaim. London's "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" lists the institution among the top 1 percent of all universities in the world.

A Top Department of Physics and Astronomy

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is located within the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University. Students have the opportunity to conduct studies and research in more than 9 areas of physics, including particle, nuclear, and optical physics.The department has been widely recognized for being among the best in the nation. In regards to their work with the Hadron Collider, ScienceWatch.com named Stony Brook 8th best overall in the U.S., which includes national laboratories, and 3rd best university. One of the most prestigious rankings in the U.S., the National Research Council named the department 14th in the nation in its "Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs." And "U.S. News and World Report" has consistently ranked the department's graduate programs within the top 25 in the nation.

State-of-the-Art Research Facilities in Physics and Astronomy

In addition to offering many onsite research facilities, Stony Brook University is the co-manager and largest user of the nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory, whose facilities focus on the research of physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences. The lab operates a number of major scientific facilities, including the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Students within the department also work closely with the CN Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, a top center for high-energy physics, string theory, and statistical mathematics, and the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics.

Doctoral Program in Physics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers one of the largest Ph.D. programs of its kind in the nation. Including those offered by the Brookhaven National Laboratory, students have access to research possibilities in virtually all areas of physics and astronomy. Ph.D. students are expected to conduct research and overcome new challenges within their specific area of interest, and are given flexibility in their requirements to allow for such.Many Ph.D. alumni hold faculty positions at Stony Brook and at other institutions around the nation, while others hold leading positions in government and industry, or go on to related careers in such areas as medical physics or analysis in technology and financial settings.

A Variety of Master's Degrees in Physics

The physics and astronomy department gears its courses of study and research toward helping students to earn a Ph.D. degree, but the department also offers 3 master's degrees: the Master of Science in Physics with Concentration in Instrumentation (M.S.I.), the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Physics, and the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.). Many exchange students or students on their way to the Ph.D. choose to complete the M.A. program. The M.S.I. program is popular among those interested in instrumentation for physical research. The M.A.T. is offered by the School of Professional Development, and is available for students who want to teach high school level physics.

Supported by an Award-Winning Faculty

Faculty members from Stony Brook have been the recipients of such prestigious awards as the Fields Medal, Pulitzer Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and National Medal of Science. The university even counts 3 Nobel Prize winners among its faculty. Faculty members within the Department of Physics and Astronomy are no exception.

For instance, Professor Chris Jacobsen has held fellowships with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Optical Society of America, and the White House. He has also been presented the International Dennis Gabor Award from Hungary and the Kurt Heinrich Award. His work in x-ray microscopy is published in over 75 first-author refereed publications and 37 dissertations.

Financial Aid, Prizes and Awards Available for Physics Graduate Students

Kiplinger names Stony Brook among their 100 best values in public colleges, in part because of the university's commitment to offering a wide range of financial aid sources. Students can apply for grants, scholarships, loan programs, and employment programs through the campus financial aid office. The university also allocates tuition scholarship budgets to each program director to distribute among students in their program.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy also offers a number of recruitment awards and departmental awards to students who qualify, including the Graduate Council Fellowship, Max Dresden Prize, and Peter B. Kahn Fellowship.

National Ratings of Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University has been ranked among the top universities in the nation by a number of independent sources. "U.S. News and World Report" ranked Stony Brook in their top 100 best national universities and top 50 public national universities. The "Wall Street Journal" ranked it eighth among public universities with students going on to elite graduate programs. And the National Science Foundation recognizes Stony Brook among the top 10 universities for integrating research with undergraduate education.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Physics Master of Arts (MA)
  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Physics Education Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
• Modern Research Instrumentation Master of Science (MS)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Not reported
• Evening/weekend programs available? Not reported
• Distance learning programs available? Not reported
• Terminal master's degree available? Not reported

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees 1 and Required
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• AppliedNot Reported
• AcceptedNot Reported
• Acceptance RateNot Reported
• EnrolledNot Reported
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $100
• Application Fee - International $100
• Electronic applications accepted? Not Reported
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Not Reported
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline January 15th Not Reported Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesGRE General Test
• Doctoral's DegreesGRE General Test
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$4,685
• Out-of-state tuition *$8,340
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year fees$994.00
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitNot Reported
• Application deadlines for financial awardsFebruary 1
• Types of financial support availableNot Reported

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students179
• Female Percentage20%
• Male Percentage80%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students179
• Part-time Percentage1%
• Full-time Percentage99%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino6%
• Black / African American4%
• White / Caucasian70%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian7%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races3%
• Unknown10%