Participant Eligibility and Degree Requirements

Commencement is a ceremony that celebrates your academic achievements. You must satisfy all of your degree requirements before you officially graduate and receive your diploma. Diploma covers will be distributed at the Dec. 19 ceremony. Your actual diploma will be mailed 3 to 4 weeks after the ceremony when grades have been computed and your eligibility for graduation is confirmed. Also, any financial obligation with the university must be settled with the Office of the Bursar before your diploma and transcripts will be released.

Degree Requirements

All necessary requirements for master’s and doctoral candidates, other than final examinations, must be completed by Wednesday, December 3. This includes all grade changes for incomplete grades to be turned in to the Office of the Registrar as well as approval forms to be turned in to the Graduate School indicating results of final oral/written examinations and grade changes for thesis and dissertation research.

All necessary requirements for undergraduates must be completed by January 16, 2009. Undergraduate candidates who are graduating with honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude) will be notified by the Registrar’s Office. Due to time constraints, honors for the commencement ceremony are determined as a result of last semester’s grade point averages, not those from the semester just completed. After final grades for this semester are recorded, degree honors will be recalculated. Eligible candidates will be recognized at Commencement with red and white honor cords. Graduates may pick up cords at the Registrar's Commencement Office, 112 Campus Avenue Building, through Thursday, Dec. 18. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hamilton and Middletown campus graduates may pick up cords at the Hamilton or Middletown campus bookstores through Thursday, Dec. 18. The bookstores are open 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday. If you are unable to pick up your cords during business hours, you may pick up the cords immediately before the ceremony at Millett Hall on Friday, Dec. 19 at the bookstore's kiosk.

If you are having transfer credits sent to Miami to complete your degree requirements, please notify the Commencement Office.