COMMENCEMENT
The Anschutz Medical Campus Graduate School graduates students in May, August and December, and has formal graduation ceremonies in May and December each year. The next Anschutz Medical Campus Commencement, for August and December graduates, will be held on Saturday, December 15th, at the Colorado Convention Center.
The graduation ceremony is actually a day of many ceremonies. In an effort to assist you in planning and deciding what ceremony(ies) are best for you to attend, we have designed the following table:
| Ceremony | Applies To | Who Should Attend |
|---|---|---|
| Commencement | All students on campus | All students |
| Graduate School Convocation | MS and PhD students | PhD students who graduated in Aug, Dec and May grads all MS students except nursing (see CON below) |
| College of Nursing Convocation | All nursing students | MS and PhD nursing students |
| School of Public Health Convocation | Students in SOPH | MS and PhD students in BIOS, EPID, HSVR |
| School of Medicine Convocation | MD and MD/PhD students | MSTP students at the time they receive their MD |
As a reminder, PhD students are only invited to participate in the Commencement Ceremony and Graduate School Convocation if they have completed all of the requirements for the degree and have been cleared for graduation prior ot the ceremon(ies). (i.e., you must be a previous or May graduate to participate in the ceremony).
There are two ceremonies on Friday that impact most Graduate students - the main Commencement Ceremony in the quad and the Graduate School Convocation in the Education 2 South Auditorium. Here is a breakdown of what to do and where to be for that morning.
Commencement
This ceremony takes place at 8:30 a.m. in the Education Quad between the Education 1 and 2 buildings. The PhD seats are in the first two to three rows on the west side. Master’s degree students are seated by program behind the doctoral degree students. The seating chart will be made available on the graduation website as it is developed. All PhD students and a representative of all other graduating groups are invited to go across stage at this ceremony. You may invite as many guests as you wish.
Graduate School Convocation
This ceremony takes place in the Education 2 South Auditorium from 10:00-11:00 a.m. The Graduate School Convocation is a more informal ceremony. The informal structure of this ceremony allows us to enjoy the occasion in a more relaxed atmosphere. At the Graduate School Convocation, all PhD and MS students are individually recognized and go across stage. PhD students are also hooded by their faculty advisor. Graduating May PhD students receive their diploma on stage at the ceremony. MS students receive their diploma just after the conclusion of the ceremony. This ceremony provides a good opportunity for photos. A reception follows the ceremony.
Cap and Gown
All students must be in regalia in order to participate in graduation ceremonies. AMC faculty hooders for PhD participants must also be in regalia. Students and faculty will receive emails in early February regarding registering for graduation events. At that time, you can also order academic regalia. PhD students should also make arrangements with their faculty advisor to register for graduation and order regalia for the ceremony(ies). Faculty will receive graduation registration emails as well. Regalia pick-up will be the Wednesday and Thursday before graduation.
Parking
On the graduation website you will find a map showing the Commencement and Convocation locations and parking.