Commencement Ceremony

Eligibility for Ph.D Candidates & Master's Students

Information regarding graduation procedures are available on the Graduate School page. Inquiries regarding commencement ceremony participation should be directed to your departmental graduate advisor.

Eligibility for Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students completing all degree requirements during the spring or the fall semester are eligible to participate in the Clark School graduation ceremony.

• Students completing degree requirements during the summer are eligible to participate in the Clark School graduation ceremony for the fall semester.
• Students completing degree requirments during the winter are eligible to participate in the Clark School graduation ceremeny for the spring semester.

A complete timeline regarding the undergraduate graduation process and required paperwork is available at Undergraduate Advising and Academic Support Graduation.

Regalia is required for both the College and University ceremonies. Graduating students are responsible for obtaining their own graduation regalia. Students may order graduation regalia and commemorative accessories at the University Book Center, located in the Stamp Student Union,  during the Grad Fair, hosted by the University Book Center on March 10th-12th between 10:00am and 6:00pm, or online purchase regalia online. If you live out of state or cannot come to campus to order your regalia, it will be shipped to you at an additional fee. Contact Deddison Won (dwon1@umd.edu) at the University Book Center or call 301-405-9478 for more information.

Doctoral Candidates: doctoral regalia can be rented or purchased. The complete doctoral regalia includes the gown, hood, and tam (hat). The tam is yours to keep following the ceremony. Rentals cannot be shipped and will be available for pick up at the University Book Center on the lower level starting May 11, 2020. All regalia must be returned by end of business day on May 23, 2020, or you will be charged the purchase price. If you would like to purchase your doctoral regalia, please contact Deddisun Won at dwon1@umd.edu.

Master of Science & Master of Engineering: be sure you provide University Book Center staff with the name of the degree you are earning.

• Master of Science: (gold hood)
• Master of Professional Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship (gold hood)
• Master of Engineering (orange hood)

If you are not sure, be sure to reach out to your departmental graduate coordinator.

Undergraduate Students: be sure to let the University Book Center that you will be completing a Bachelor of Science degree.

Undergraduate Students with Honors: Latin honors at the time of commencement are tentative. The final determination will be made when all grades are submitted for all semesters. To view GPA cutoffs and review the university policy, visit the Office of the Registrar website. For information on department honors, please contact your department.

Active duty U.S. military personnel are allowed to wear their dress uniform instead of regalia if they prefer.

Honor Cords, Medals and Hood placement

•    Honor cords and medals are placed on top of the stole.  
•    The hood should be put on last (on top of the stole with honor cords). The button loop on your hood should be facing down.
 

Doctoral Students
Be sure to make prior arrangements with your advisor to be hooded during the Clark School ceremony. If your advisor is not available, you can ask another member of your committee or a favorite faculty member to hood you, or your department chair can hood you. Inquiries regarding commencement ceremony participation should be directed to your department.

All Students Graduating

Be sure to arrive one hour before ceremony to lineup for the processional. Upon entering the Pavilion (room 0601/Auxiliary Gym) at the XFINITY Center look for Check-In/Registration tables.

Each graduate should:

• Obtain announcement card from the Check-In/Registration tables in the Pavilion Room 
• Complete the survey on the back of the card
•  Find the sign with your degree/major and lineup
• Hold the card and give to the person reading name on stage

Doctoral Students
Can pick up their diplomas from the Diploma Office after commencement ceremony. The Diploma Office is located on the first floor of the Mitchell Building.  The Diploma Office will not be open the day of commencement but will open for regular office hours the following business day.

Master of Science and Master of Engineering
Diplomas will be mailed to those who have completed all graduation requirements approximately six weeks after graduation.

Undergraduate students
Diplomas will be mailed to those who have completed all graduation requirements approximately six weeks after graduation.

Arrival Time

Students participating in the Clark School of Engineering's commencement ceremony should report to the Xfinity Center's Small Gym (Pavilion) in regalia, one hour prior to the ceremony for line up.

Security

Graduates, it is important that all graduates arrive on time. Security measures, such as wanding or bag checks, may be in place for entrance into XFINITY. Backpacks and bags larger than 8"x11"x12" are prohibited. Having to go through security will slow you down and delay your entrance. Please be sure to allow enough time for this potential delay.

Visit the Items Allowed and Security Procedures link for additional information about security in the Xfinity Center.

Personal Items

Students should leave coats, purses, etc. with family members--we are not responsible for lost items.

Spring and Winter A. James Clark School of Engineering Commencement Ceremony:

No tickets are required for graduates or guests to attend the Engineering Commencement Ceremony for Spring or Winter.

Spring and Winter Campus-Wide Commencement Ceremony:

Go to the Commencement website, select Spring or Winter and  click on tickets.

GradImages, the university’s official photographer, will take photographs of each graduate participating in the campus-wide commencement ceremony prior to the procession and one at the Clark School graduation ceremony as they cross the platform. While there is no obligation to purchase the prints, the graduate will receive color proofs email 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. 

Detail information about Latin Honors and Engineering Honors can be found in the links below.

• Information about Latin Honors
• Information about Engineering Honors

Arrival Times

Family and friends should arrive no sooner than 60 minutes prior to the start of the processionals as there are other graduation ceremonies scheduled in XFINITY Center prior to the Clark School’s ceremonies.  Tickets are not required and plenty of seating is available.

Items Allowed & Security Procedures

Take a few minutes to review the Xfinity Center guidelines for items allowed  and security procedures for the facility during commencement ceremonies.

The XFINITY Center is designed with parking, restrooms, water fountains, ATMs, and seating areas accessible to guests with disabilities. Power-assisted doors and closed captioning are also provided.

Parking and Shuttles

Parking in all surface and pay lots is free and available first come, first serve on commencement days.

Parking for guests with disabilities is available at the XFINITY Center in Lot 4, 6 (Terrapin Trail Garage), 9 and 11 surrounding the Xfinity Center. No special permit is required for the Clark School ceremony.

The University of Maryland does not have wheelchairs available. If you have difficulty walking long distances, consider renting a wheelchair from an off-campus vendor. If you require accessible transportation for a disabled guest the day of commencement, please make arrangements by calling dispatch services at 301-314-0318. 

Additional Information about Parking & Shuttles

Entrances

Entrances for guests with disabilities are available at four locations:

• Gate C: Southeast corner of the arena on the Ground Level
• Gate D: Northeast corner of the arena on the Ground Level
• Gate E: Southwest corner of the arena on the Concourse Level
• Gate F: Northwest corner of the arena on the Concourse Level (Student Entrance)

Seating

Section 105 and 110 inside Xfinity is reserved for elderly or disable guest seating. Ushers are can direct you to these sections one inside the building. Due to limited space, the university recommends that only the person with the disability and one other guest sit in the accessible seating. Additional members of your party should sit in regular seating areas. You do not need to reserve seating for special needs guests.

Restrooms

Each of the 37 restrooms located conveniently throughout XFINITY Center is ADA compliant and accessible to our guests with disabilities. Xfinity Center has four private bathrooms have been designed for use by persons with disabilities:

• Top of Sections 105 and 110 on the Plaza Level (Level 2).
• Behind Sections 122 and 217 on the Concourse Level (Level 3).

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 a Enrollment Verification Certificate along with the copy of your passport. Enrollment Verification Certificate can be requested from the Office of the Registrar.

Closed-Captioned
All Clark School ceremonies are closed-captioned.

Live Stream
Family and friends can watch our commencement live stream.

Spring 2020 Commencement Ceremonies

Engineering - Undergraduates - May 21, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. - Xfinity
Engineering - Graduate Students - May 21, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. - Xfinity

Campus Wide Ceremony - May 22, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. - Xfinity

Future Dates

There is a range of dates posted on the University Commencement website  under Future Commencements.  We are acutely aware that families and friends are anxious and excited to make their reservations based on the individual ceremony schedules.  Unfortunately, the University has not approved a schedule for publication because those schedules could change prior to release.

We do not know when the dates will be released but as soon as they are, they will be posted on the University Commencement website and then on the Clark School of Engineering Commencement website.

We appreciate your patience in this process!