Graduate School Bulletin

Academic Level

Full-Time Students

Students admitted for full-time study to the Graduate School are required to register for a minimum of nine credit hours per semester, although some programs may require enrollment in additional credits. Responsibility for certifying the full-time status of graduate students rests with the Office of the Registrar. Incoming full-time graduate students are classified as G1, G2, G3, or G4 depending on the program to which they have been admitted and their previous graduate training.

• G1 or C1 - First year master's or advanced graduate certificate student who has completed less than twenty-four graduate credits.
• G2 or C2 - Advanced master's or advanced graduate certificate student who has completed twenty-four or more graduate credits.
• G3 - First year PhD graduate student who has completed less than twenty-four graduate credits.
• G4 - Advanced PhD graduate student who has completed twenty-four or more graduate credits.
• G5-Advanced student enrolled in a doctoral degree program that has been advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree by Day 10 of a semester or term.

To be considered full - time during a non-completion summer or winter semester , all students  must register for zero (0) or more graduate credits. To be eligible for graduation during a summer or winter semester, all doctoral students and international masters students must register for at least one graduate credit (e.g. GRD 700 or GRD 800, as appropriate). To be eligible for graduation during a summer or winter term, domestic masters students must register for at least zero graduate credits. Students who do not register in a summer or winter for graduate credits cannot have full - time status and will not be eligible for graduation .

A G1 will be automatically converted to a G2 when the student has completed and received grades for 24 or more graduate credits at Stony Brook; a G3 will be automatically converted to a G4 when the student has completed and received grades for 24 or more graduate credits at Stony Brook; Incompletes are not completed credits. The conversion of G4 to G5 is an administrative change that is done by the program and the Graduate School upon advancement to candidacy.

The maximum number of credits a Graduate Student may register for is 18. If students wish to enroll for more than 18 graduate credits, they must get the permission of their Graduate Program Director and the Graduate School. Once they have received written permission they will be allowed to register for more than 18 graduate credits at the Registrar’s Office.  

Part-Time Students

Incoming part-time students admitted to the Graduate School will register for no more than eight credit hours per semester. Programs may, in consultation with the dean of the Graduate School, regulate the proportion of part-time students in their graduate program.

Part-time students are classified as G1, G2, G3, or G4 depending on the program to which they have been admitted and their previous graduate training.

• The academic level of a G1 or G3 student who has completed 24 credits of coursework at Stony Brook is changed to G2 or G4, respectively.

Part-Time Enrollment

Graduate students may be eligible to register part-time in their last semester if the number of credits needed to complete the program is less than a full-time load. If part-time enrollment is authorized for this reason, the student MUST graduate at the end of that particular term. All graduate students must be enrolled in a graduate course during the semester that they graduate, adhering to the restrictions outlined above and in the Degree Candidacy Policy.

International students should contact the Visa and Immigration Services office.

Domestic students who hold a Graduate/Teaching Assistantship on campus should have their Graduate Program Coordinator contact the Graduate School with a request for part-time enrollment.