/College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Department of Technology, AI and Society

sbu administration

Ph.D. in Technology, Policy and Innovation 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The PhD Program has a four-part mission:

  • To develop a cadre of scholars who will be engines of national and global leadership in charting and gauging the future course of technologies;

  • To carry out policy and design/planning research in intersecting socio-technological areas: responsible and societal artificial intelligence (AI), energy and environmental systems; and engineering & technology workforce policy.;

  • To establish a new model for doctoral education that promotes highly intensive collaborations and uses advanced technologies in a fertile, diverse, globally networked laboratory environment that transcends disciplinary boundaries; and,

  • To serve as an exemplary resource for regional and national industry and government, as well as for schools, colleges/universities, and other educational institutions in both implementing technological innovation and carrying out policy studies.

The PhD program is designed with an understanding that technology shapes every facet of modern life. Familiarity with the characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of current and emerging technologies is indispensable to wise and effective decisions and practices in government, business, and personal life. At all levels and in all disciplines, careers in industry, government, and education ever more turn on the ability to see and seize the opportunities and address the problems that technology often presents.

see PROGRAM REQUIREMENTs here 

Explore Your Future Career Opportunities

Typical career paths in this program may lead to positions such as:

  • University Professor
  • Science & Technology Policy Analyst
  • Research and Development Officer
  • Research Fellow/Scientist
  • Chief Technology Officer

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION about the program here 

ADMISSION

The Fall 2027 admissions deadline for prospective PhD students is January 15, 2027.

 

Ph.D. Program Admission Requirements

To apply for admission to PhD study in technology and society, applicants must have:

  1. A bachelor’s degree in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, mathematics, or a closely related area from an accredited college or university;
  2. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0;
  3. Three letters of recommendation; 
  4. If your native or primary language is not English, a TOEFL or IELTS examination is required. Minimum score requirements can be found on the Graduate School's website located HERE. English proficiency scores (TOELF or IELTS exams) must be sent electronically sent to Stony Brook University (2548);
  5. A Statement of Purpose describing the applicant’s relevant past experience and immediate and long-term goals. Applicants should describe how the type of research that they expect to conduct while in the program relates to one of the department’s research areas.  AI may not be used as a wholesale substitute for the statement of purpose your plan to write;
  6. Curriculum Vitae (CV);
  7. Applicants with domestic credentials must submit an official transcript from each college or university attended, regardless of whether a degree was conferred;
  8. Applicants with international credentials must submit original language and English translations for all transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas, GPA, degree, and institution, in addition to the original documents. In some instances where the coursework, degree equivalency, GPA, and/or institution cannot be verified, a course-by-course evaluation from one of Stony Brook University's approved NACES members listed below, may be requested from the applicant: World Education Services (WES), International Education Evaluations, Inc (IEE), Education Credential Evaluators (ICE).

he deadline for submission of applications and all supporting documents for the Fall 2027 semester for prospective PhD students is January 15, 2027.

All official transcripts must be sent to the address listed below.
The Graduate School
Stony Brook University2401 Computer Science Building
Stony Brook, New York 11794-4723

Official transcripts must be sent via mail or through a verified third-party transcript delivery service such as Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse.

Official E-Transcripts: email to gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu
Phone: (631) 632-4723

Emailed PDF transcripts from previous schools will not be deemed official.

APPLY online now

Frequently Asked Questions

The aim of the Statement of Purpose is to provide information that will allow reviewers to see how your background,education, and experience make you a strong candidate for this specific PhD program. Please comment on any work, research or otherwise, that you have done that may have prepared you for the rigors of our PhD program. Also, it may be helpful to comment on your special characteristics that have prepared you for the intellectual dimensions and personal commitment essential for successful PhD work.

Your statement of purpose should be 2 to 5 pages in length and include you’re your prior research experience, what you hope to study in the PhD program, a description of what you think will be your intellectual contribution to the program and how you hope to contribute to the university’s mission of celebrating diversity and positioning the University in the global community.

Department's AI Policy - AI may not be used as a wholesale substitute for the statement of purpose your plan to write.  Whether AI is used or not, applicants to our PhD program must be able to explain their statement of purpose to faculty using their own words. 

No. Department faculty have decided to waive the GRE requirement.

All students who are not native or primary speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English to be admitted to the Graduate School. There is no need to submit an English language proficiency test if:

  • you hold a degree such as a high school diploma, bachelors, masters, or PhD from an institution where the primary instruction was in English. 
  • you are a US citizen (or US National) or Permanent Resident.
  • you served as a Teaching Assistant at an institution where the primary instruction was in English.

English language proficiency test results will be considered as part of the review process for admission for any applicant who submits test results as part of their application. If the scores are below the stated requirements, an offer of admission cannot be extended.

To be considered for admission, an applicant who is not a native or primary speaker of English or do not qualify to be exempt from a language proficiency exam based on their answers to the application questions listed above, must present a minimum score for either the TOEFL, IELTS or Gateway tests.

Students who will have a teaching role at the University and whose speaking test scores do not meet our minimum standards for teaching will be assigned to an Oral Academic English (OAE) course.

All supporting documents, including the English Proficiency test scores, must be received by the application deadline. There are no exceptions to this requirement. English Proficiency test scores must be submitted to Stony Brook University (School Code: 2548) by the application deadline in order for your application to be reviewed.

Students offered full-time admission to our PhD program are supported with a stipend and tuition. Typically, full-time students are offered four years of funding—with yearly support contingent the department's budget, on good standing and continued progress in the PhD program.

The review process can take approximately one month.

The admissions committee considers overall academic performance, statement of purpose, evidence of ability to carry out research in technology, policy and innovation. The committee seeks to determine whether you are likely to be successful in rigorous courses and if your research interests align with our program research.

A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred from another institution with the approval of the program and the Graduate School provided that the credits have not been used toward the satisfaction of any degree or certificate requirements at another institution.

A candidate for the doctoral degree may only transfer those graduate credits that are relevant to the learning outcomes of the Stony Brook graduate program. Review and approval of course content will be carried out by the appropriate program committee.