Spring Convocation for Graduate Students

Graduate student being hooded

Spring 2025 Convocation for Graduate Students 

 Congratulations graduating graduate students! You and your guests are invited to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Spring 2025 Graduate Convocation. This ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments with your classmates, family, and friends and includes a procession where you will be individually recognized.

Sunday, May 18th, 2025 at 9 AM
Centennial Hall, 1020 E University Blvd., Tucson, AZ

 Registration will open in mid-March.
RSVP by Sunday, April 27.
 

Graduates

• Registration will open in mid-March. 

• Eligibility: We invite any SBS Master's (including MFA) or Ph.D. student who *has completed* their degree in Summer 2024 through Spring 2025, and any SBS Master’s or PhD student who *anticipates completing* their degree in Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 to participate in this celebration of their achievement. (We do not offer a convocation ceremony for graduate students in the Fall.)

• Hooding Ceremony: You will be asked to name the faculty member hooding you. Usually, this person is the director of your creative work, thesis, or dissertation. In advance of the RSVP, you should ask that mentor if they are available for the event. You can invite a substitute faculty member if the advisor is unavailable. For graduates who have not identified a faculty member to hood them, a designated departmental representative will be on stage for hooding.

• Tickets: Centennial has established a new digital ticketing system. Both graduates and guests will need a ticket to attend the ceremony.

•    We will link to the Centennial ticketing registration page once it is available. Please note that you will need to register at both the SBS site (so we can collect additional information, such as hooder) and the Centennial ticketing site.  
•    Each graduate is allotted up to 10 tickets so that family members and guests may attend the ceremony.

• Event Check-in: On May 18, check-in opens at 8:00 AM on the east side door of Centennial Hall. You must check-in by 8:45 AM to be seated before the ceremony begins.

Graduates must be in regalia – gown, cap, and hood; however, you will need to wait to put on your regalia until after you are through security. Graduating students with a disability and/or using a mobility device such as a wheelchair or walker can go through security without removing their graduation gown. Caps, gowns, and tassels are available for purchase at the UA BookStores.

Guests

The event is free, but tickets are required to enter the hall. Details on accessing digital tickets will be provided later in March. 

The ceremony begins at 9:00 AM (usually lasts about 1 to 1 ½ hours long.) Doors open at 8:00 AM, and it is open seating.

Livestream

Do you have guests that can’t make it to the ceremony? A livestream of the SBS Convocation will be available at sbs.arizona.edu/live.

Photography

Professional photography from the ceremony will be available to purchase through GradImages, who will email you after the ceremony.

Location and Parking

The ceremony is Centennial Hall, 1020 E University Blvd. Go to the Centennial Hall website to review it security policy and what items you can bring into the facility.  

Closest parking is at Tyndall Garage, 880 E 4th St. Visit the UA Campus Map for location of additional parking locations.

 

FAQ for Spring Convocation 2025
Graduate Ceremony

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions. If you still have questions, please contact us at sbs-convocation@arizona.edu

REGISTRATION/GUEST TICKETS

SBS's registration will open in mid-March. You must RSVP by Sunday, April 27at 11:59 PM. Immediately after submitting your RSVP, you will receive a confirmation message. 

Centennial's registration for digital tickets for graduates and their guests should also open in mid-March.

We invite any SBS Master's (including MFA) or Ph.D. student who *has completed* their degree in Summer 2024 through Spring 2025, and any SBS Master’s or PhD student who *anticipates completing* their degree in Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 to participate in this celebration of their achievement.

When you register, you will be asked to list the faculty member hooding you. Usually, this person is the director of your creative work, thesis, or dissertation. In advance of the RSVP, you should check that the mentor is available to participate. You can invite a substitute faculty member if the advisor is unavailable. If you do not identify a faculty member to hood you, a designated departmental representative on stage can hood you. 

Yes! We will celebrate you by reading your name during Convocation.

Yes, you may still participate. You can check in at a designated table for people who have not registered, which will be located on the east side of Centennial at 8:00 AM on May 18. Because this event has assigned seating by department, we urge you to RSVP on time. Also, because Centennial Hall now requires digital tickets for graduates and guests, you will need to register with them before the ceremony.

The university-wide Spring 2025 ceremony is Friday, May 16 at 7:30 PM. Visit the Commencement web page for details at http://commencement.arizona.edu.

The event is free, but guests will need tickets to enter the hall. Details on accessing digital tickets from Centennial Hall will be provided later in March. 

CONVOCATION EVENT

Please arrive by 8:00 AM on May 18th, one hour before the ceremony begins at 9:00 AM. You must check-in at the tables located on the east side of Centennial by 8:45 PM to be seated before the ceremony begins. You will receive a name card, which will be read as you are recognized on stage.

Graduates must wear a cap and gown to participate in the ceremony. Caps, gowns, and tassels are available for purchase at the UA BookStores. On the UA Bookstore website, under the Graduation tab (top of the page) you can select master’s regalia or doctorate regalia.  

Yes, the ceremony will be livestreamed at sbs.arizona.edu/live.

On average, the College of SBS recognizes around 150 graduate students on stage during the Spring Convocation. The ceremony runs between 1-1.5 hours.  Students and guests are expected to stay for the duration of the ceremony to fully honor every graduate.

You will receive a card with your seat assignment. 

The doors to Centennial Hall will open at 8:00 AM. The ceremony begins at 9:00 AM. Guest seating is open seating, but your guests do require a ticket to enter. 

The nearest parking to Centennial Hall is in the Tyndall Garage or Main Gate Garage. Visit the UA Campus Map for locations. 

Bags larger than 12” x 6” x 12” are not permitted. Anyone entering premises is subject to a search of personal belongings, including but not limited to inspection of bags, purses, strollers, coats, hats, and wheelchairs. Balloons, signs, banners, or flags of any kind will not be permitted.

Exceptions will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection, including but not limited to oxygen tanks, diabetes kits, allergy pens, etc. Centennial Hall will not safeguard any personal belongings or items of any type.

Please review the full Centennial Hall Security Policy.

GradImages will be taking photos and will email you after the ceremony to see if you want to order prints. 

Tyndall Garage is the closest accessible parking to Centennial Hall. Other accessible parking areas are available during the evening and weekend. A drop-off area is available in front of Centennial on University Blvd.   Please visit Campus map for accessible parking to see all parking options.

Real time captioning will be provided for this event.

Accessible seating for ceremonies is general admission without seat reservations, please plan to arrive early for best seating options.

For all other disability-related accommodation questions or requests please email sbs-convocation@arizona.edu.