Frequently Asked Questions (Graduate)

Frequently Asked Questions for Current Students 

• I have a hold on my account, what should I do?
  Please click on the hold and read the information carefully. Usually, SOLAR will provide the name or phone number of the corresponding office you should contact and additional steps you need to follow in order to resolve the hold.
• I need permission to enroll in a class on SOLAR, what should I do?
  In most cases, you will need written permission from your advisor. Following your advisor's approval,  the Graduate Program Coordinator can issue the permission to enroll.  Please email the Graduate Program Coordinator with your name, SBU ID#,  the course number you want to enroll in, and the number of credits desired (if applicable). Your advisor must be CC’d on the email so they can approve the permission.  
• I am ready to apply for graduation, what are the next steps?

  MS graduates should apply for graduation on SOLAR  (Student Records & Registration - Degree Progress/Graduation - Apply for Graduation)
  
  PhD graduates should apply through the Graduate School Google Form application which is available on the Graduate School's website here.

• I am ready to advance to candidacy, what are my next steps?
  Students will be advanced to candidacy (G5 status) for the Ph.D. degree when all coursework has been completed and all the program requirements have been satisfied. These requirements must be completed within one calendar year after passing the written qualifying examination. Advancement to candidacy must be one year before the beginning of the semester in which a student plans to defend his/her dissertation.
• What is the deadline to defend my PhD/MS degree?
  PhD/MS defenses should occur 2 weeks before the last day of the semester. More information about defense deadlines: https://me.stonybrook.edu/graduate/deadlines.php
• Who can serve on the defense committee? How many members may attend virtually?

  It is the student’s responsibility to assemble their committee based on recommendation of the Graduate Program Director.
  For PhD students, the committee must include at least two faculty members internal to the program (advisor and chairperson), one member external to the program, and one member who may be either internal or external to the program. The dissertation advisor cannot serve as chairperson of the examining committee or as the outside member.
  For MS students, the defense committee must include two internal members (advisor, chairperson) and one external member.

  As per the Graduate School, the dissertation advisor(s), chairperson, and the student must attend the defense in person. Other members may attend virtually. Usually, the chairperson of the commitee will create and share the Zoom meeting. 

• I am ready to schedule my PhD defense, what is the process?
  1)  PhD students who are ready to schedule their defense should email the Graduate Program Coordinator at least five weeks before the defense with the desired date/time of defense and to reserve the conference room. The email should also include the title of your thesis, committee member names, and committee member titles (i.e. advisor, chair, etc.).
  
  2) PhD students need to complete the Doctoral Defense Announcement (DDA) found HERE and email the completed document to the GPC. Additionally, the Committee Appointment Google Form must be submitted by the GPCat leastfour weeks before the defense. If there will be a committee member external to the department, the student must email a PDF copy of the external member’s CV to the GPC for submission to the Graduate School.
  
  3) Following the defense, students are responsible to submit their thesis to ProQuest and have the defense committee sign the required PhD Signature Page which will automatically route to the Graduate School through Adobe Sign after the last member’s signature is received.
• I am ready to schedule my MS defense, what is the process?
  MS students should email the Graduate Program Coordinator with the desired date/time to reserve the conference room. Please include your thesis title and committee member names/titles. The GPC will email you the signature page which you will complete and return by email, following your defense. You will also need to submit a PDF copy of your thesis by email for the department to keep on file.  (Please note:  MS students do not need to submit the signature page to the Graduate School or upload their thesis to ProQuest.)

Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective & Admitted Students

• Where can I apply for admission?
  The online application can be found here.
• How many letters of recommendation do I need?
  Three letters of recommendation are required for admission to our graduate programs. During the online application process, you will be asked to provide the contact information for each of your recommenders. The recommenders will then receive an email from the Application System with directions for uploading their recommendation letter.
  
  If your recommenders are having any difficulty uploading their letters to the application portal, they can also email their letters directly to: mechanicalengineeringgraduate@stonybrook.edu. (Please Note: we cannot accept recommendation letters from applicants. The recommendation must be sent directly from the recommender.)
• Do I need to submit transcripts from all previously attended institutions?
  No. Beginning Spring 2024 admission, you may submit transcripts from institutions where a degree has been earned. 
• I am applying for PhD admission, do I need to identify a faculty advisor?

  While it is not mandatory to obtain a faculty advisor from the MEC Department prior to application or admission, prospective students are encouraged to browse our faculty profiles on our website and initiate contact with any faculty member whose research interests align with theirs.  

• Can I apply for an application fee waiver?

  While the Mechanical Engineering department does not offer or approve fee waivers directly, you may still be able to request one from the Graduate School during the online application process.  For more information regarding the application fee waiver eligibility requirements and review process, please refer to the Graduate School Bulletin. 

• Accepting the Admission Offer -What are my next steps?

  You will need to accept the offer of admission in your Stony Brook Applicant Portal and  in the SBU SOLAR system. Once you accept the offer of admission in SOLAR, your Net ID and Stony Brook email address will be generated within 24-48 hours.  You should begin checking your Stony Brook email for important updates and communication. Once you are matriculated, you will have access to register for classes on SOLAR.  More information can be found at: https://it.stonybrook.edu/services/netid

  Additionally, you should send an email to: mechanicalengingeeringgraduate@stonybrook.edu to confirm your admission decision. 

• I am an International student, when will I receive my I-20?

  You can begin the process of requesting your I-20 by using the accessVIS system.  If you have any questions about requesting your I-20, you can email vis@stonybrook.edu directly or visit the FAQ section of the VIS Website. 

• I have other questions, how do I contact the Department?

  Please contact us if you have additional questions. The best way to contact the program is via email at: mechanicalengineeringgraduate@stonybrook.edu