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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog

Physics, MA
Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Master of Arts in Physics
 
Chairperson: Chang Kee Jung, Physics Building P-101 (631) 632-8108
Graduate Program Director: Derek Teaney, Physics Building P-107 (631) 632-4978
Assistant Graduate Program Director: Donald J. Sheehan III, Physics Building P-110 (631) 632-8759
 

The Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences offers courses of study and research that normally lead to the Ph.D. degree. The M.A degree is awarded either as a terminal degree, or to students on the way to the Ph.D. degree. The Master of Science in Scientific Instrumentation (MSI) program is provided for those interested in instrumentation for physical research. The Master of Science in Quantum Information Science and Technology (MSQIST) prepares students to work in this rapidly growing area. A Master of Arts in Teaching program, from the School of Professional Development, is available for students seeking to teach physics in high schools. An Advanced Graduate Certificate in Accelerator Science is offered, which can be taken concurrently with a PhD or Masters degree.

Students may find opportunities in various areas of physics not found in the department or in related disciplines at Stony Brook in such programs as Medical Physics, Chemical Physics, Atmospheric and Climate Modeling, Materials Science and at Brookhaven National Laboratory or Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

The entire faculty participates in teaching a rich curriculum of undergraduate, graduate, and professional development courses, including many courses on special topics of current interest. PhD and MSI students must fulfill one year of teaching. PhD students are encouraged to participate in research as early as possible and to begin their thesis research no later than the beginning of their third year. The typical length of time to the Ph.D. is four to six years. The Master’s in Scientific Instrumentation is a two-year program that involves a thesis project in instrumentation design or development. The minimum time to earn the M.A. or MSQIST degrees is two semesters and one Summer, but will more usually take two years.

The Stony Brook Physics graduate program has been highly ranked in national surveys for the quality of its graduate program, its faculty, and the impact of its published research. It strives to make a graduate education in physics intellectually stimulating and educationally rewarding.

Master of Arts Degree in Physics

This program which can be completed in three or four semesters prepares you either of admission to a Ph.D. program or for a physics related job in a national lab or in the private sector.

Admission Requirements

Application Website

For admission to graduate study in Physics and Astronomy the following, in addition to the minimum Graduate School requirements, are required:

  1. A bachelor’s degree in physics or a closely related field from an accredited institution. In the case of the M.Sc. in Quantum Information Science and Technology the degree must be in science and engineering, but need not be in physics or a closely related field.
  2. A minimum grade average of B in all undergraduate coursework, and B or better in the sciences and mathematics.
  3. Acceptance by the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Graduate School.

In special cases, a student not meeting requirement A (or, in unusual cases, requirement B) may be admitted on a provisional basis, without financial support. Upon admission, the student will be informed of the requirements that must be satisfied for termination of provisional status.

Retention of students in subsequent years will depend on satisfactory academic progress.

Degree Requirements

  1. Satisfactory performance in a program of studies (30 graduate credits) approved by the department. Normally such a program would include graduate seminars, classical mechanics, electrodynamics, and quantum mechanics.
  2. Minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all graduate courses taken at Stony Brook.
  3. Either passing the graduate comprehensive examination at the master’s level or completion of a master’s project.