Taking Courses

A number of classes and workshops are available for postdocs at Stony Brook through the academic departments, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and its unit of the Graduate School, Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development, as well as other offices on campus.

Postdocs may be able to enroll in classes available on-campus, some free and some that charge tuition. Please read the following information carefully.

Courses for credit:

If postdocs who would like to enroll in a course for credit, it will likely incur tuition. In this case, postdocs can enroll as a non-matriculating graduate student through the School of Professional Development. Note that:

There is a $100 application fee upon initial enrollment, and
The matriculated postdoc must pay the appropriate fees for the class. The cost will depend upon the number of credits and whether the postdoc qualifies for In-state vs. Out-of-state tuition rates.

Who is In-State vs. Out-of-State?

In-state: Domestic postdocs and international H1-B postdocs who have resided in New York State for one year.
Out-of-state: Postdocs who have resided in New York for less than a year and all international postdocs on J-1 and F-1/OPT visas. J-1 and F-1/OPT postdocs must also pay a $100 international services fee in addition to the aforementioned costs.

Courses free of charge:

Communicating Science courses: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has a special arrangement with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science to offer postdocs registration in their communicating science classes free of charge and for 0 credits. Spaces are limited each semester. Postdocs may only sign up for one class per semester, and must sign up through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs during regular course registration.

Auditing a course: Postdocs are always encouraged to speak in advance with the instructor of a course they would like to be part of to explore the option to audit the course for free (0 credits).

Professional Development Workshops: The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA), as part of Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development in the Graduate School, offers a variety of professional development opportunities on topics such as mentoring, grant writing, and other practical professional skills. Postdocs should watch for announcements of upcoming programs via the Postdoc Updates, a periodic newsletter from OPA. For an overview of professional development courses and workshops at Stony Brook, review our Opportunities page.

Tuition Assistance:

Postdoc employees are eligible for limited tuition assistance. State employee postdocs may also be eligible for an additional benefit through the UUP. The course must be at a SUNY campus and job-related. Eligible postdocs must be full-time employee. Here is specific information depending on whether you are an RF employee or a state employee:

RF & State Employee

Complete B-140W form during the application window each July and November (eligible employees will receive an e-mail). Approvals are decided within 1-2 months, but usually before classes begin. Only a percentage of tuition will be waived, usually 30-50%. The amount depends on availability of funds and how many applications the program receives.

State (UUP) Employee Only

State employees are eligible for the B-140W application, with the same procedure for RF above, but also have access to a separate UUP benefit that can waive the whole course tuition, one per semester, leaving the student to pay only the fees. Again, the amount of this benefit depends on availability of funds and how many applications the program receives.
UUP employees also can apply for an Individual Development Award for a range of types of professional development activities, from online classes and trainings to conference attendance. UUP sends out a call for these applications yearly.