Due to timing of thesis completion and comprehensive exams, students may find themselves finishing at non-standard times. It is the students responsibility to contact the Registrar's Office and the ESS program chair about when they plan on graduating and if they plan on participating in commencement or the hooding ceremony.
Graduation dates may differ. Here are the options for graduation:
December
Non-thesis students taking comprehensive exams in December. Please note that due to changes in the college's scheduling of final exams from year to year, that some years we may not be able to guarantee grading of the comprehensive exams in time for a December graduation. In such cases the graduation date will be moved to May. Thesis students must submit a final draft to the ESS Grad chair NO LATER THAN 5 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF THE FALL SEMESTER FINAL EXAMS. Graduation at this time can only be guaranteed if the thesis does not require revisions prior to approval.
May
This graduation date is for students completing comprehensive exams in the previous December (see above) and thesis students finishing up during the spring semester. Thesis students must submit a final draft to the ESS Grad chair NO LATER THAN 5 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF SPRING FINAL EXAMS if they want a May graduation date. Graduation at this time can only be guaranteed if the thesis does not require revisions prior to approval.
August
This graduation date is for students missing the May graduation date. Thesis students must submit a final draft to the ESS Grad chair NO LATER THAN 5 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER SESSION II FINAL EXAMS if they want this graduation date. Graduation at this time can only be guaranteed if the thesis does not require revisions prior to approval.
October
For non-thesis students taking comprehensive exams in August, and for thesis students completing their thesis in due time. Thesis students must submit a final draft to the ESS Grad chair NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 1 if they want this graduation date. Graduation at this time can only be guaranteed if the thesis does not require revisions prior to approval.
It is entirely up to the student to apply for one of the graduation dates!
Graduation Ceremony (Commencement) and the Hooding Ceremony
There is only one commencement and only one hooding ceremony. They are not the same. Grad students may participate in both, but the hooding ceremony is only for graduate students so that they may be "hooded" with their masters' degree hood. The graduation ceremony is only on a Sunday in May, and the hooding ceremony is the day before on Saturday.
Students not graduating in May can still participate in commencement and hooding. Whether students can participate in either ceremony before graduating or after graduating is up to the Registrar (commencement and/or hooding).
It is entirely up to the student to contact the Registrar's office about which commencement year they can participate in, and contact the Registrar's Office about which hooding ceremony!