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Fall 2026 Graduate Catalog
Computer Science, PhD
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 Return to: Doctoral Programs
Computer Science Department, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Degrees Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
Chairperson: Samir Das, New Computer Science Building 203G (631) 632-1807
Graduate Program Director: Erez Zadok, New Computer Science Building 349, (631) 632-8461
Graduate Academic Advisor: Michalis Polychronakis, New Computer Science Building 355, (631) 632-2463
Graduate Program Manager: Kristen Kalb-DellaRatta, New Computer Science Building 262, Email Contact Preferred: kristen@cs.stonybrook.edu
Graduate Program Coordinator: Vacant, Email Contact Preferred: gradadvising@cs.stonybrook.edu
Graduate Program Admissions Coordinator: Allison Katz, New Computer Science Building 260, Email Contact Preferred: gradadm@cs.stonybrook.edu
Department Website
Program Description
The PhD program is for students interested in obtaining academic or research positions in colleges and universities or in government or industrial research laboratories. The program gives students a rigorous and thorough knowledge of a broad range of theoretical and practical research subject areas, and develops the ability to recognize and pursue significant research in computer science.
The first two years of graduate study are devoted to coursework. By the end of the second year, the research phase of a student’s graduate career should be underway, with participation in advanced study and preliminary research work. The final years of graduate study are devoted to dissertation research. Upon entrance to the program, each student is assigned an academic advisor. Each PhD student should seek a faculty member to serve as a research or dissertation advisor within the first two semesters of the program. The choice may be changed. However, each change of advisor may delay a student’s progress. A research advisor is invaluable when it comes to issues such as financial support and progress through various examinations. Most faculty members have research group meetings and seminars through which new students can become acquainted with their research. Please refer to Section 5.1 of the Graduate Student Handbook for the specific rules on choosing or changing an advisor. Students who are progressing satisfactorily toward the PhD can earn an MS degree as well.
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Admission Requirements for Graduate Study in Computer Science
Application Website Admission to the MS and PhD programs are handled separately by the departmental admissions committee. The requirements for admission to graduate study in Computer Science include: A.Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree, usually in a science or engineering discipline or in mathematics, is required. The transcript should show a grade average of at least B (3.0/4.0) in all undergraduate coursework, and in science, mathematics, and engineering courses. Include degree conferral certificates for all completed degrees. B. Computer Science Background: For M.S. in Computer Science, we prefer students with CS or related degrees. Applicants with exceptional promise who lack CS preparation in one or more core areas may be admitted to the program, but will be required to take additional CS courses as specified in their offer letter. For Ph.D. in Computer Science, we mainly consider an applicant’s potential for first-class research, and expect the applicants to have sufficient academic preparation and strength to succeed in Ph.D. qualifiers C. GRE Examination: All international applicants to the M.S. program must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. GRE is optional for all Ph.D. applicants and domestic M.S. applicants D. English Proficiency Requirements: All students who are not native or primary speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English to be admitted to the University’s Graduate School. This is enforced primarily by requiring scores above a specific threshold in standardized English proficiency tests such as TOEFL and IELTS. At application time, a questionnaire to evaluate the English language background of applicants is used to determine whether to waive the requirement for standardized test scores. See the English Proficiency Requirements section of the Graduate Catalog for further details. E. Accepted Application: Acceptance by the Computer Science Department and the Graduate School. More information on the application process can be found on our website. PhD Qualifier
The purpose of the PhD qualifiers is to ensure that students demonstrate mastery in a broad selection of topics in major areas of Computer Science. To meet the qualifier requirement, PhD students must pass a total of five graduate courses with a grade of A- or better, with the following conditions: 1. A total of 5 courses from the list below, with one from each of the following three core areas.
2. A total of 8 elective credits as follows:
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2 credits - 2 Seminars in Computer Science (chosen from CSE 639-CSE 662) -
6 credits selected from the below options, with program approval: -
1-2 Computer Science Electives, totaling up to 6 credits; -
Additional seminars in Computer Science (from CSE 639-CSE 662, 1 credit each for a maximum of 3 credits); -
All qualifier courses must be completed within two years after joining the program as a full-time PhD student. No course substitutions, exchanges, or pleas for better grades will be accepted. Course Requirements
By the time of graduation, students are required to accumulate at least 20 credits of regular lecture courses, internships, special topics courses, or seminars. At most 5 credits of seminars and internship can be included in the 20 credits required for graduation. Credits from the following courses are not counted towards the 20 needed: generic courses, such as CSE 593 , CSE 600 , CSE 698 , and CSE 699 ; and bridge courses covering pre-requisite material for graduate courses (CSE 580-589). Only courses completed with grades of C or better (for letter-graded courses), P/S (for PNC-graded courses), or S (for S/U-graded courses) will count towards this requirement. In addition, the following requirements should be noted: M.S.-specific courses:
Students in the Ph.D. program may not enroll in CSE 523 /CSE 524 or CSE 599 . These courses are specific to the M.S. program. Ongoing research seminar:
The student must register and complete two semesters of CSE 600 . Credits earned in this course cannot be used towards the 20 credits required for the Ph.D. program. Dissertation Research
The Dissertation Research course can be taken only by Ph.D. students who have been advanced to candidacy (have G5 status). Prior to the advancement, students conduct research and participate in projects by taking CSE 593 - Independent Study in Computer Science . G4 students can register for up to 9 credits of CSE 593 in any semester. G3 students can register for only up to 3 credits of CSE 593 . Teaching requirement:
University policy requires that all doctoral students participate in an appropriately structured teaching practicum. This can be CSE 698 in conjunction with a TA in the first year. Research Proficiency Examination (RPE)
The purpose of the Research Proficiency Examination is to ascertain a student’s preparation to undertake a significant original research investigation. Students must pass the RPE within two years of joining the program as a full-time PhD student. The student’s research proficiency will be evaluated by an RPE committee. The RPE committee must be formed by the end of the third semester in the PhD program. It should include the: dissertation advisor(s), at least one of whom must be a core/affiliate faculty in the CS department; committee chairperson, a core/affiliate faculty member in the CS department, distinct from the dissertation advisor(s); and an additional core/affiliate CS faculty member. At least two members of the committee must be core CS faculty. The committee must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. RPE Report: The student must submit a report, written in the form of a conference paper or technical report, which critically evaluates and integrates the current state of research relevant to a chosen problem and presents the student’s progress in solving the problem. Reports based on previously published or submitted papers, or on papers in progress, are acceptable provided that they satisfy these requirements. Oral Presentation: The student must give an oral presentation open to the Computer Science department, describing the work, which will be followed by a session where the RPE committee will ask questions. The oral presentation should be about one-hour long. The report should be submitted to the committee at least one week before the presentation. Deadlines: The student should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for approval of the RPE committee at least two weeks prior to the examination, and receive an explicit approval of the committee. The student should inform the Graduate Program Coordinator of the date of the RPE at least one week prior to the exam. Each aspect of the RPE (written report, oral presentation, responses to questions) will be separately graded by each member of the Committee using special online forms provided for this purpose. Students may take their RPE at any time they are ready during the first two years of the program. There is no requirement to take the RPE after completing all qualifying courses: the RPE can be taken while still working towards completing one’s qualifying courses. Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook, section 5.4 for more information. Thesis Proposal Requirement
After advancing to candidacy, and as a part of undertaking dissertation research, the student must complete a thesis proposal, also known as a “Prelim exam.” The thesis proposal consists of a written report and an oral presentation, and is assessed by a Thesis Proposal Committee. The purpose of the thesis proposal is to assess a student’s progress towards the PhD thesis. The student must complete all aspects of the thesis proposal requirement within two years of advancing to candidacy. Failure to fulfill this requirement by that time without a formal extension may be considered evidence of unsatisfactory progress towards the PhD degree. Thesis Proposal Report. A written thesis proposal must be submitted to the student’s Thesis Proposal Committee at least one week before the oral presentation The major requirements of the thesis proposal are as follows: -
The student must be thoroughly familiar with the background and current status of the intended research area. -
The student must have clear and well-defined plans for pursuing the research objectives. -
The student must offer evidence of progress in achieving these objectives. Oral Presentation of Thesis Proposal. The student will present the thesis proposal to the thesis committee in a seminar presentation. The student should inform the Graduate Program Coordinator of the date of the thesis proposal oral presentation at least one week before the date of the presentation. It is limited to members of the committee, invited computer science faculty, and invited graduate students. Faculty members are free to question the student on any topics they feel are in any way relevant to the student’s objectives and career preparation. Most questions, however, will be directed toward verifying the student’s grasp of the intended specialty in depth. The student will be expected to show complete familiarity with the current and past literature of this area. The findings of the committee will be communicated to the student as soon as possible and to the Graduate School within one week of the presentation of the proposal. If the committee finds the thesis proposal unsatisfactory, the student will submit an improved proposal, if such resubmission is approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Timeline. Thesis proposal must be successfully completed at least 6 months before the student’s PhD defense. Any exceptions must be requested explicitly with detailed justification by the student, supported by the thesis proposal committee, and approved by the Graduate Program Director. Dissertation
An important requirement of the Ph.D. program is the completion of a dissertation, which must be an original scholarly investigation. The dissertation shall represent a significant contribution to the scientific literature, and its quality shall be compatible with the publication standards of appropriate reputable scholarly journals. Approval and Defense of Dissertation
The dissertation must be orally defended before a dissertation examination committee, and the candidate must obtain approval of the dissertation from this committee. The oral defense of the dissertation is open to all interested faculty members and graduate students. The final draft of the dissertation must be submitted to the committee no later than three weeks prior to the date of the defense. Satisfactory Progress and Time Limit
A student who does not meet the target dates for the PhD Qualifier, the Research Proficiency Examination, and the Thesis Proposal, or who does not make satisfactory progress toward completing thesis research may lose financial support. The candidate must satisfy all requirements for the Ph.D. degree within seven years after completing 24 credit hours of graduate courses in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook. In rare instances, the dean of the Graduate School will entertain a petition to extend this time limit, provided it bears the endorsement of the department’s Graduate Program Director. A petition for extension must be submitted before the time limit has been exceeded. The dean or the department may require evidence that the student is still properly prepared for the completion of work. Part Time Students
Students admitted into the Ph.D. program for part time study are bound by all the rules set out henceforth. In particular, part time students should adhere to the schedule for the PhD Qualifier, Research Proficiency Examination, and Thesis Proposal, as explained in 5.2, 5.4, and 5.7 of the Graduate Student Handbook, unless a different schedule has been approved in writing by the Graduate Program Director. Obtaining an M.S. Degree on the Way to Ph.D.
A PhD student who has been engaged in at least one year of full-time research after completing the qualifier, course, and RPE requirements, and, in addition, meets the requirements for an MS degree can apply for the MS degree while remaining in the PhD program. CSE 698 - Practicum in Teaching taken during PhD will not count towards the MS program. Credits for dissertation research (CSE 699 /700 /701 ) and/or CSE 593 - Independent Study in Computer Science can be counted as equivalent to CSE 599 . Together with the RPE, this will be considered to satisfy the Thesis requirement in the Thesis Option of the MS program. The remaining courses/credits required for the MS degree must be satisfied based on graduate courses in Computer Science, subject to the restrictions stated in Section 4 of the Graduate Student Handbook. MS degrees on the way to PhD are awarded to PhD students in good standing and who are making satisfactory progress towards their PhD dissertation research, and are expected to complete the PhD program. The student’s dissertation advisor must attest to this via a letter |
Return to: Doctoral Programs
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