Attending

No tickets are required to attend. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Seats fill up quickly, as do parking spaces, so it is advisable to arrive early. Take note, saving seats for other guests’ late arrival is prohibited.

All undergraduate graduates should meet in the lower-level of the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building. All MS and graduates should gather on the track and find their department. Graduates must arrive at least one hour prior to the start of the ceremony.

Only PhD graduates receive their actual diplomas at the ceremony. Diplomas for Masters and Bachelors degrees will be mailed 6-8 weeks after commencement.

There are no university-sponsored receptions after the ceremony. However, some individual departments host receptions for their graduates and families. Please contact your department for more information.

You should try to attend the ceremony in which corresponds with the degree being obtained.  Requests for exceptions should be sent to the chair of the Commencement Committee, Stephen Raper at sraper@mst.edu.

Depending upon the number of graduates, the ceremony is estimated to last about 2 - 2½ hours.

General Questions

The $75 graduation fee is assessed per degree level; Bachelor's, Master's, PhD. A $25 fee is assessed per Undergraduate and Graduate Certificate.  If you are receiving two Bachelor's degrees you will only be assessed one $75 fee. If you receive your Bachelor's degree, then later receive a Master's degree you will be charged an additional $75 for the Master's degree. If you are applying for a Master's and a Graduate Certificate, you will be charged $100.

The Spring Commencement ceremony was too large to have in one location on campus so a split was needed. This happened several years ago with the split of Graduate and Undergraduate however, the amount of undergraduates is still far too large. The decision was made to have the undergraduate ceremony split as outlined on the Commencement page. Missouri S&T does not have a facility large enough to hold all undergraduate students and still accommodate all guests. There was consideration to limit the number of guests students that could have attend the ceremony, however the Commencement Committee thought this was a better option.

The Missouri S&T Commencement Committee carefully considered all options available with regards to May commencement but with the size of the graduation class, this was deemed the most viable option.

The Missouri S&T commencement committee made this decision with faculty members from multiple departments along with several Missouri S&T Administrators.

You may contact the Commencement Committee Chairperson at sraper@mst.edu.

What To Wear

We ask that everyone dress appropriately for the event. Sunday dress is preferred, but jeans and tennis shoes will suffice. Clothing bearing racially, religiously or politically offensive messages will not be tolerated, including all forms of vulgarity and nudity.

All participants must wear a cap and gown in order to participate in the ceremony. Please contact the bookstore for ordering/renting information (www.thesandtstore.com).

No alterations of the gown’s overall appearance are allowed. However, feel free to decorate your cap.

  • Bachelor’s Tassels should be black.
    • Those whose UM cumulative GPA was 3.2 or greater at the end of the semester prior to graduating may wear a gold tassel.
  • Master’s Tassels should be black.
  • PhD Tassels should be gold.

Can I Walk?

You have the option to walk in either ceremony. However, you should submit an application for graduation through Joe'SS for the Summer term. An undergraduate student who is a Candidate for Graduation for the Summer term will have their name printed in both the Spring and Fall commencement programs.

You may participate in the graduation ceremony, but you will not receive your diploma until all holds on your account have been lifted. In the situation of account holds, refer to Joe’SS in order to assess the type of hold and attain contact information.

No. Graduate students must have completed their requirements, and be approved by the Graduate Education office to attend the commencement ceremony. If you have not completed your requirements, you are removed from the listing and not able to walk in the ceremony. You may choose to walk in the December ceremony.

If you are unable to make the commencement ceremony, you may walk in either of the next two scheduled ceremonies.  For example, if the degree was awarded May 2012 the graduate can walk May 2012, December 2012, or May 2013. Please take note that, although a graduate from the previous semester may walk in the current ceremony, the graduate's name will not be re-printed in the current program. If you will be walking in a future ceremony, or have additional questions, please email the Registrar’s Office, registrar@mst.edu.

No. You will only be allowed to walk once in the same ceremony. Make sure you sit with the major you want to walk with. Once returning to your seat, from walking with your first major, you will not be allowed to get out of your seat to walk with your second major. You may receive two diploma covers when you walk with your first major. Tell the representative who is handing out the diploma covers, as you walk on stage, that you are receiving two degrees and he/she will give you two diploma covers for both degrees.

As this is something that the committee realized might happen, you should make every effort to attend the ceremony that corresponds with your degree being obtained. Requests for exceptions should be sent to the chair of the Commencement Committee, Stephen Raper at sraper@mst.edu.

Ceremony participation is not mandatory for any candidate, thus, you do not have to remove your name in order to not participate.