Frequently Asked Questions | Electrical and Computer Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions (Graduate)

F-1/J-1 STUDENT FACT SHEET

Frequently Asked Questions for Current Students

Please take a moment to read the hold carefully. Most holds tell you which office the hold is coming from, and how to resolve in the text provided. Please also take a look at the “Start Term” of the hold. Only holds with the upcoming semester listed or “Begin Term” are currently impacting your enrollment.
The requirements for your graduate program can be found here in the Graduate Program Guide. Please use the guide for your entry year in the program. You are welcome to contact the Graduate Program Director or Graduate Program Coordinator with any questions you may have about the program and curriculum.
If you are an ECE MS student, you can register for the CSE courses in the Graduate Program guide indicated for your program without an exception. For all other students, any other CSE courses, or any other courses outside the department in general, must have approval by completing a Request for Non-ESE Graduate Course Evaluation found on our website here. Once you complete this form, please submit it to the Graduate Program Coordinator who will submit it to the Program Director for review. Please note that courses taken outside of the department (any course that does not have an "ESE" indicator) will be approved as a non-regular course (with the exception of those CSE courses in the Graduate Program Guide listed for ECE majors). For MS students, only 6 credits of non-regular courses can be applied to your degree program. Please, note that all students must complete ESE 597 for at least one credit, which is also a non-regular course.
The request for Advancement to Candidacy can be found in our forms here. Please, select the appropriate form for your entry year. This form must be completed, signed by your advisor, and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator at least one week prior to the start of the term in which you intend to advance.

Detailed information regarding Advancement to Candidacy can be found here in the Graduate Program Guide.
The request for Preliminary Exam Committee Approval can be found in our forms here. Please, work with your advisor to identify an appropriate committee. Once you complete the form with your advisor, send it to the Graduate Program Coordinator for review. Shortly before your Preliminary Exam, you will receive a signature sheet. After the preliminary exam, the sheet must be signed by your committee, indicating if you have passed your exam. This is then returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator and saved for your file.

Please note you must have at least one year between your completed Preliminary Exam and your Dissertation Defense.

Detailed information regarding Preliminary Exams can be found here in the Graduate Program Guide.
- Please complete the Request for Defense Committee Approval Form and the Request for Defense Committee Appointment form for the Graduate School and email them to the Graduate Program Coordinator at ecegradcoordinator@stonybrook.edu. If you have off-campus faculty on your committee, you'll need to also attach their CV. Once the department signs off on your committee, the Graduate Program Coordinator will return the form, and you will email the Request for Defense Committee Appointment form to gradrecords@stonybrook.edu. You must Cc the Graduate Program Coordinator on that email.
- You will also need to submit a Doctoral Defense Announcement to the Graduate School in a separate email to gradrecords@stonybrook.edu. You must Cc the Graduate Program Coordinator on that email as well. There's a fillable word document on the Graduate School's website here. If your defense is being held remotely, please make sure you put the contact information on the Announcement at the bottom of whoever is organizing the Zoom call on the form- in case anyone wants to watch (this contact person can be you).
- You will submit a signature page to the Graduate School that we will generate for you shortly before your defense date. If your defense is being held remotely, your committee can sign electronically.
- If you have any questions about dissertation formatting, please email the Graduate School at gradgraduation@stonybrook.edu. There is also guidance and templates on their website.
- Please, be sure to apply for graduation with the Graduate School. Before applying, please review the Graduate School's Graduation FAQs.The application for Graduation is available here: https://goo.gl/forms/MSUtcGfHmOdAuoQP2. Please, let me know if you have any questions. Also, please submit the Request for Graduation form found on our website here.
Please be sure to email the Graduate Program Coordinator with any additional questions as they arise.
MS graduates should apply on SOLAR under Degree Progress/Graduation> Apply for Graduation. PhD students must apply through the Google Form application for graduation available on the Graduate School's website here (PhD students do not have access to the SOLAR Application). MS students who have missed the deadline to apply through SOLAR may also submit through the application form on the Graduate School’s website.

Either option alerts the Graduate School you intend to graduate. You must apply through one of these options by the Graduate School’s deadlinefor the term you are applying.

All students applying for graduation should also submit the Request for Graduation form found on our website here. This is your way of telling us (your department) you are applying for graduation, so that we can review your requirements.
Every ESE and ECE masters student is required to complete 1 credit of ESE 597; however, you can request a replacement of either ESE 599 or ESE 698 using the Request for ESE 597 Requirement Replacement form here.

(Please note that ESE 597, ESE 599 and ESE 698 are Non-Regular courses. Master students in the ECE Department are only permitted to use 6 credits of Non-Regular courses towards their graduation requirements)
All students requesting OPT should submit the Request for OPT form found on our website here. Once completed, this form should be emailed to the Graduate Program Coordinator at ecegradcoordinator@stonybrook.edu for review. Students should also request to be reviewed for OPT in the accessVIS system. Once the Graduate Program Coordinator receives the form and the accessVIS request, they will issue departmental approval in the accessVIS system.

Please also make sure you have applied for graduation.

If you are a PhD student, your defense date should be chosen before submitting an OPT Request.

Here’s additional information on OPT from the VIS office.
Please speak to your VIS advisor to begin the process of applying for CPT- you'll need to start with them. If you are applying for CPT, for the department you will submit to me the Request for CPT form found on our website here, with your internship offer letter. The department will also need to approve a VIS request in the accessVIS system once it is sent to ecegradcoordinator@stonybrook.edu.

If you are a PhD student, a letter of support from your advisor is required demonstrating how the CPT experience is instrumental to your dissertation research.

Here’s additional information on CPT from the VIS office.
In their final semester, students in the Accelerated/Combined Program will complete an Application Form to Graduate School for the Accelerated Bachelors/Masters Degree - this is different from the application to the combined program you would have completed in the past. Once this is completed, it should be emailed to the Graduate Program Coordinator at ecegradcoordinator@stonybrook.edu for review. Once the application is reviewed and signed by the Program Director, you will receive an offer letter to the graduate program that you will sign and submit back to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The program then sends the documents to the Graduate School, who will then matriculate you into your graduate career. You will be able to register for your graduate courses after you are matriculated.
If you are planning to graduate with a BE, and no longer wish to pursue the Accelerated Bachelors/Masters Degree Program, please complete the Withdrawal From Accelerated/Combined Degree Program form. Once this is completed, it should be emailed to the Graduate Program Coordinator at ecegradcoordinator@stonybrook.edu for department approval.

Frequently Asked Questions for Applicants and Prospective Students

For Spring semester admission, you can expect a decision on your application by November 15. For Fall admission, you can expect a decision on your application by April 15. Due to the high volume of Fall applications we ask that you do not send emails checking on the status of your application until after April 15.
We require three letters of recommendation for admission to our graduate programs. While completing your application, you will provide contact information for your recommenders, who will then receive an email link from the system to upload their letter for you.

If your recommenders are having issues with uploading their letters to the application portal, they can email their letters to ecegradcoordinator@stonybrook.edu.
It is not required that you identify a faculty advisor from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering prior to applying, but it is helpful for prospective students to do so. I would encourage you to look through our faculty and affiliated faculty profiles on our website here. You are welcome to contact faculty whose research interests align with yours, but it is not required prior to entry.

If you do not identify a faculty advisor prior to admission, you will need to identify one in your first year.
Once you’ve returned your signed offer letter, the Graduate Program Coordinator will send your documents to the Graduate School for processing. You'll receive notification from the Graduate School once you have been matriculated. Please note that the processing of your matriculation is done outside of our department, and can take several weeks. Once you are matriculated you'll have access to register for classes.

If you are an international student, you can begin the process of requesting your I-20 by using the accessVIS system. Requests for an Initial I-20/DS-2019 are made through the Limited Services login. Your I-20 will not be issued until you are matriculated by the Graduate School. If you have any questions about requesting your I-20, you can email vis@stonybrook.edu.

Graduate Programs