Skip Navigation
Search
School of Professional Development
HomeSPD BulletinAdmissionsRequirements for Admission

FALL 2023 BULLETIN

Requirements for Admission

Admission to the School of Professional Development requires that the applicant have the preparation and ability that — in the judgment of the program and Stony Brook University’s School of Professional Development — are sufficient to enable satisfactory progress in the degree program or certificate. A U.S. bachelor’s degree or the equivalent is required (for example, a four-year/120 credit hour accredited program) with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The student must present evidence that such a degree will be awarded by the time graduate work is to begin. Post-master’s Advanced Graduate Certificates require proof of having been awarded a master’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Students who already hold an advanced academic degree from any university may not earn a second degree from Stony Brook University at the same level in the same disciplinary field (e.g., if you have an MS in Computer Science, you cannot also earn a Stony Brook MS in Computer Science).

Application

Application for admission to the School of Professional Development is made to a specific program for a designated degree or certificate. Additional admission requirements are listed in each program’s section of the Bulletin website. To be considered for admission, all applicants must submit a completed application online as well as the following documentation to the graduate program: 

  1. One official copy of any transcript from any undergraduate* college or university attended, from which a degree was conferred. If transcripts are in a foreign language, authoritative English translations are required in addition to the original documents. See Academic FAQs under Transcripts for a list of acceptable translation services.)



    *For Post-Master’s Advanced Graduate Certificates, an official transcript from a graduate college or university from which a master’s degree was conferred will is required.



    Note: Educational systems that cannot be compared to the United States must be evaluated by a US credentials evaluation service before admission can be finalized.
  2. Up to three letters of recommendation depending on individual program requirements.
  3. Applicants seeking admission to the AGC – Finance Program may submit GMAT scores.  GMAT scores are strongly encouraged for applicants with a GPA below 3.2. Other test scores may be required for admission to some programs and are outlined on each program’s admissions page.
  4. Documented proficiency in English for international students (see the English Proficiency Requirements for Non-Native Speakers of English below for details).
  5. Any other documentation stated by SPD as a requirement for specific program’s admission (e.g., a copy of permanent or professional teacher certification.)

To fill out an application, students must go to the SPD application portaland create an online account. A non-refundable application fee will be charged via credit card when submitting the online application. All applicants are required to pay the application fee. Exceptions can be found under Waiver of Application Fee.

Early application is strongly suggested for the most expedient review, and for optimal course enrollment options. Admission decisions are made by programs. Late applications will be accepted but will be considered only by the programs where openings still exist and may be considered for the following term.

An offer of admission to graduate study at Stony Brook is for a specific semester. An applicant who is accepted to a program and is unable to enroll for the semester specified should request a deferment of admission no longer than one year from the original intended entry term from the primary program. If the request is granted, the student will be sent a new offer of admission for the subsequent semester, and the School of Professional Development will be notified accordingly.

International students must submit a new “Request for Certificate of Eligibility and Declaration and Certification of Finances” form to request an updated Form I-20 or IAP-66 valid for the updated semester of admission. Unused Forms I-20 or IAP-66 must first be returned. For more information and to utilize the AccessVIS system, please see the Visa and International Services website.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

The GRE General Test is no longer required for prospective  students seeking admission to any School of Professional Development master's degree  programs. Please refer to the admission requirements of the specific program of interest. 

GMAT and/or GRE scores are optional for the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Finance program. Please use the following code when sending your scores:  K6R–3Z-10.

GPA for Admission

An applicant must have a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale, where A = 4.00, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3.00, B- = 2.67, C+ = 2.33, C = 2.00, C- = 1.67 and D+ = 1.33, D = 1.00, D- = 67 and F = 0.00. If the student attends a college that only gives Passes or Credits for the first year of study then these grades will be evaluated as C for GPA admission purposes unless the student provides actual grades.

Non-matriculated students applying through the School of Professional Development must have a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 point scale.

 

English Proficiency Requirements for Admission

All students who are not native or primary speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English to be admitted to the School of Professional Development. Stony Brook University has established overall minimum English language competency requirements for admission to graduate study.

A native speaker of English is someone who learned English as a child and uses English as his or her primary language at home. A primary speaker of English may speak a language other than English at home but has developed native fluency as a result of using English exclusively in most social and educational contexts.

All students must declare their native language as part of the admission process. Intentional misrepresentation by a student of his or her native language is academic dishonesty and is grounds for dismissal from the School of Professional Development.

To be considered for admission, an applicant who is not a native or primary speaker of English must present a minimum score for either the TOEFL or IELTS tests, as defined below. Students who fail to meet this requirement must enroll in a course at the Intensive English Center (IEC) and achieve satisfactory grades before admission to graduate study. At the request of the program, conditional admission may be offered to students who do not meet minimum language requirements for admission. Note:  Students whose scores on either of these tests are more than two years old must retake the test.

IELTS: Overall score of 6.5, with no subsection recommended to be below 6

TOEFL iBT: Overall score of 80 for master’s applicants

Note:  Master’s students who have earned a degree from an English language university or college, where all instruction is in English, may be admitted without taking the TOEFL or IELTS tests.

Oral Language Proficiency in English for Applicants whose Native Language is other than English

All applicants to teacher education programs whose native language is other than English must demonstrate oral language proficiency in English by taking the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL- iBT) Speaking Component with a minimum score of 28. At the discretion of the program director:

  • The iBT test will be required of applicants to foreign language (French, German, Italian, Spanish) education programs.
  • Students may be recommended for remediation courses in English as a Second Language if oral language proficiency is not appropriate to program goals. Satisfactory completion of these courses will be required for continuation in the teacher education program.
  • For information regarding TOEFL- iBT log on to: www.toefl.org

The TOEFL iBT is administered at centers throughout the world several times each year; applicants should forward their scores directly to the School of Professional Development ( the Stony Brook code is 2548). Further information is available by contacting the Education Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA, or at www.toefl.org. Information on the IELTS test can be found at www.ielts.org.

Students whose speaking test scores do not meet our minimum standards for teaching will be assigned to an Oral Academic English (OAE) course.

Health Records

Any accepted students who plan to enroll in one or more courses on campus are required by New York State law to file a completed health history and physical examination with the Student Health Service. Transfer students may submit copies of their health forms from their former schools provided they contain the information required by the Student Health Service and are less than two years old. Any questions regarding health record and or health insurance requirements must be addressed to the Office of Student Health Services.