New Students

A collection of resources most relevant to prospective or incoming PHY majors.

Why SBU?

There are a lot of choices when choosing a university, and maybe Stony Brook doesn't have the flashiest name. There are however a lot of reasons to choose to go to Stony Brook, including top-notch research oppurtunities and affordable tuition.


Orientation Tips

Orientation and class selection can be hectic and confusing, so we've compiled a list of things you might find useful to know!


An Overview of the Physics Major

A brief overview of the PHY major requirements and variariations in course sequence, as well as additional classes you might find useful to your degree.


MAT vs AMS: What's the Difference?

Learn about the difference in content and teaching style between MAT and AMS courses.


The Astronomy Double Major

Physics and astronomy have been intertwined since the beginning of time (literally). At Stony Brook University, there is much overlap between the two majors, so students interested in astrophysics often end up completing both majors. Here, we've listed out the additional courses one would need to complete the double major, depending on whether they start out as a PHY or AST major.


Subfields of Physics

Stony Brook University is designated a Research I (R1) university: meaning we engage in the highest levels of research activity. The Department of Physics and Astronomy is no exception. Not only can undergraduate students contribute towards making groundbreaking discoveries, they are highly encouraged to.

Whether you’ve had your heart set on a physics subfield since middle school, or you’re just beginning to learn what research even is, starting research as an undergraduate can feel like a daunting task. We emphasize that regardless of background and prior experience, any student can be trained to develop the educational foundation, analytical skill set, and mode of thinking needed to perform physics research.

In the following, we’ve given an overview of the major subfields the Department of Physics conducts research in, as well as examples of what undergraduates can contribute as researchers.