School & College Ceremonies

In addition to the main commencement ceremony, held on Monday, May 22 at 7 p.m. in SECU Stadium, each graduate and their guests are invited to attend the individual ceremony for their school, college, or department. At these individual ceremonies, graduates walk across the stage and have their names read. See the dates, times, locations, and additional information for these ceremonies below.

Ceremony Dates and Times

Monday, May 22nd

American/Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- Monday, May 22, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Memorial Chapel
- Contact: Stephanie M. Smith

Tuesday, May 23rd

Communication
- Tuesday, May 23, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
- XFINITY Center
- Contact: Carlin Bokal
- Ceremony Details
History, Philosophy, and Jewish Studies
- Tuesday, May 23, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Memorial Chapel
- Contact: Jodi Hall
Music
- Tuesday, May 23, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dekelboum Concert Hall
- Contact: Gideon D'Addio
Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies
- Tuesday, May 23, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Kay Theatre
- Contact: Susan Miller
- Ceremony Details
Linguistics
- Tuesday, May 23, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- Marie Mount Hall
- Contact: Kimberly Kwok
Art
- Tuesday, May 23, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Kay Theatre
- Contact: Brandon Morse
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and Cinema and Media Studies
- Tuesday, May 23, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dekelboum Concert Hall
- Contact: Janel Brennan-Tillmann
- Ceremony Details

Wednesday, May 24th

Art History & Classics
- Wednesday, May 24, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
- Contact: Dana Persaud
English, Comparative Literature
- Wednesday, May 24, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Reckord Armory
- Contact: Karen Lewis
- Ceremony Details

More Information on the College of Arts and Humanities

Contact: Jessica White

Wednesday, May 24th

Ceremony 1

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
XFINITY Center
Includes the following programs:
- African American Studies
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Environmental Science and Policy
- Geographical Sciences
- Government and Politics
- Social Data Science
- Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

Ceremony 2

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
XFINITY Center
Includes the following programs:
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Hearing and Speech Sciences
- Joint Program in Survey Methodology
- Neuroscience
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
- Psychology
- Sociology

Ceremony Details

Contact: Nancy O'Rourke

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ section is for school, college, and department ceremonies. If you have questions about the main commencement ceremony, please see the main commencement FAQ page.

General Information

The main ceremony features our commencement speaker, president, and other notable speakers and honorees. Students are being recognized alongside their school or college. All graduates and six of their guests are invited.
The individual school, college, or department ceremony is where students individually walk across the stage and have their names read. The event is managed by the graduates’ school, college, or academic department. More information is in the Ceremony Dates, Times, and Information section above.

Timing, Arrival, and Security Information

Graduates: Your school, college, or department will contact you directly with information on when and where to arrive.
Guests: Your graduate will receive information with specific instructions. Encourage them to check their email and relay messages about commencement to you. General event timing information can be found in the Ceremony Dates, Times, and Information section above.

Guests:

Ceremonies at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Memorial Chapel, and Ritchie Colesium: Security will be at all venues. Bags are subject to search before entering each venue. Guests and graduates will also pass through magnetometers before entering each venue.
Xfinity Center: We will follow the Athletics Bag Policy for commencement ceremonies in the Xfinity Center.

Graduates:

In addition to the information above, please be aware that there are no secure storage locations for your bags, purses, coats, etc., during the ceremony. Graduates should leave personal items with family members–we are not responsible for lost items.

Photography & Videography

GradImages, the university’s official photographer, will take photographs of each graduate as they cross the stage at their ceremony. While there is no obligation to purchase the prints, the graduate will receive color proofs emailed approximately two weeks after commencement. In order to receive the proofs, be sure to complete the company’s address card distributed in the line-up area prior to the procession.

Ticketing

Main ceremony: Each graduate will receive six (6) guest tickets and one (1) personal ticket for themselves. These will be emailed to the email address on file in the TESTUDO system on April 17, 2023. Graduates, please make sure you have an up-to-date email address in TESTUDO, and please check it regularly.
Individual school, college, or department ceremonies: Most individual ceremonies do not require tickets and do not have a guest limit. If you have questions about this, please contact your school, college, or department.

Accessibility

Regalia

Additional Questions

The university does not issue invitation letters for guests to visit the U.S. to attend commencement ceremonies. These letters are not required by the embassy to issue a B2 visa, which is designated for tourist activities such as sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives, and obtaining medical treatment.

The graduating student should submit a copy of their I-20 or DS-2019 to the relative applying for the tourist visa. Students can also send an Enrollment Verification Certificate along with a copy of their passport. An Enrollment Verification Certificate can be requested from the Office of the Registrar.