Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
Doctoral study consists of the following four stages. There are no specific course requirements for the Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
- Mastery of core knowledge in preparation for study in one of the five disciplinary areas. Mastery is demonstrated by passing the Common Qualifying exam, which is normally taken at the start of the second semester.
- Mastery of the theory and techniques of one of the five disciplinary areas. Mastery is demonstrated by passing an Area Qualifying exam, which is normally taken at the start of the fourth semester. At the same time, a thesis advisor is selected.
- Development of a thesis topic. Completion of this step is marked by passing the preliminary examination and advancing to candidacy.
- Completion of dissertation research. Completion is marked by a successful dissertation defense.
Research Advisor
After completion of at least one year of full-time residence and prior to taking the
preliminary examination, a student must select a research advisor who agrees to serve
in that capacity.
Preliminary Examination
This is an oral examination administered by a committee and given to a student when
he or she has developed a research plan for the dissertation. The plan should be acceptable
to the student's dissertation advisor. A committee approval request form must be
filled out at least 4 weeks before the scheduled date of preliminary examination and
submitted to Christine Rota (Math Tower, Room P141; (631) 632-8360; christine.rota@stonybrook.edu). The write up for the preliminary exam must be sent to committee members one week
in advance of the exam.
Language Requirement
As part of their preliminary exam, students must write up background readings and
initial research results in a paper of at least 20 pages. This page will be carefully
reviewed for English writing as well as research content. For details, see English Writing Requirement.
Advancement to Candidacy:
After successfully completing all requirements for the degree other than the dissertation,
the student is eligible to be recommended for advancement to candidacy. This status
is conferred by the vice provost for graduate studies upon recommendation from the
departmental graduate studies director.
Dissertation Defense:
The most important requirement of the Ph.D. degree is the completion of a dissertation,
which must be an original scholarly investigation. The dissertation must represent
a significant contribution to the scientific literature and its quality must be comparable
with the publication standards of appropriate and reputable scholarly journals. Students must advance to candidacy at least one academic year before the beginning
of the semester in which they plan to defend their dissertation (an academic year
is defined as the Fall and Spring semesters, in either order, that immediately precede
the semester of defense).
The student must defend the dissertation before the dissertation examining committee.
The draft dissertation must be sent to the committee members at least two weeks in
advance of the defense. On the basis of the recommendation of this committee, the
Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics will recommend acceptance or rejection
of the dissertation to the vice provost for graduate studies. All requirements for
the degree will have been satisfied upon successful defense of the dissertation.
Procedure for the PhD thesis defense:
1. Select a dissertation committee with the assistance of one's advisor. The committee
must include at least three faculty members from the department and one outside member.
Submit a request for committee approval to the AMS Graduate Secretary. All PhD defense
committee approval requests should be submitted from the program to the Graduate School at least five weeks prior to the defense date. Please note that changes in the make up of the committee can be made later if needed,
but sufficient time will still be needed to approve these changes.
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/ams/graduate/Request%20for%20Committee%20Approval.pdf
2. The candidate needs to send the defense announcement to the Graduate Director
through email at least four weeks prior to your defense date. The Graduate Director will then forward the announcement to the Graduate School, which
again needs approval:
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/grad/_documents/academics/doctoral-defense-announcement.doc
3. Apply for graduation on the graduate school website by the posted deadline (which for Spring 2024 is Wednesday, April 10)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjitjpHRcCbX3hyQ61FDjZJtDMI4so-UH6JF-fC_FAzx3nug/viewform
4. Once a thesis is successfully defended, the thesis and AdobeSign Signature page must
be submitted to the graduate school office by the posted graduate school deadline
(which for Spring 2024 is Monday, May 13th) or no later than 3 months after the date of your defense, whichever comes first.
***Please check the Graduate School website for updated information: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/grad/academics/graduation.php
Minimum Residence
At least two consecutive semesters of full-time study are required.
Time Limit
All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within seven years after the
completion of 24 graduate credits as a student enrolled in the doctoral program. The
time limits for the qualifying and preliminary examinations and advancement to candidacy
are described in the following section on Academic Progress.
* * * * *
Joining a Research Group: Satisfactory progress for a student funded by the department (TAship or Fellowship)
requires joining a research group.
Students entering with a B.S. have up to three semesters from the start of graduate
studies in the department to join a research group. Students entering with an M.S.
in the mathematical sciences, or equivalent course work, have one year to join a research
group.
Support after Joining a Research Group
Once a research group is joined, the student's advisor and the Graduate Program Director
will jointly decide, on a year-to-year basis, whether the student is eligible to continue
on a Teaching Assistantship (TAship.) Most students in research teams are supported
with Research Assistantships (RAships), and only a limited number of students can
stay on TAships after joining a research group. Supported students who plan to join
a research group with little external funding have a substantial chance of losing
financial support.