Commencement

Our commencement ceremony and reception will both be wheelchair accessible. If you require this service, please reach out to history-events@berkeley.edu in advance of the ceremony to reserve wheelchair accessible seating. Additionally, this year’s ceremony will be live closed captioned. Live close captioning will be made available to guests through their smartphones with the use of an in auditorium QR code. 

If you or your guests require any additional accommodations or have any questions about the services listed above please reach out to history-events@berkeley.edu as soon as possible. Please note, additional accessibility service requests can normally be accommodated a week before the event but we advise you to reach out as soon as possible as some requests can take a few weeks to organize.

Please note that there is nowhere to store personal belongings backstage, so be sure to leave any purses, umbrellas or other items with family or friends.

For Undergraduates: IMMEDIATELY upon your arrival, please assemble in the pathway area near Alumni House and Zellerbach's stage door. There will be two check in tables at which department staff will be distributing yellow cards, so please pick up the card with your name pre-printed on it. After receiving your name card, please stand in one of the two procession lines.

For Ph.D.: If you wish to have a headshot taken by the photographer, you will need to arrive no later than 8:30am (note that there is no obligation to purchase the photo and you get a free proof). Find History staff in the backstage area on the left side of the stage as you enter the auditorium. Resist the urge to go to the right (faculty side) of the stage area, even if you are directed there by the ushers. You now look like faculty, but really still do belong on the left (student side) of the stage a bit longer. History staff will direct you to your position in line, and a map with a diagram of the stage showing how you will process. Please line up as instructed. Despite the temptation to look for family and friends, don’t veer from the procession line.

Doors — 8:30 AM

Musical Interlude — 8:30-9:30 AM

Ceremony Starts — 9:30 AM

Reception — A reception for graduates and their guests will immediately follow the ceremony. More information TBA.

For Undergraduates: You will receive only a souvenir certificate at graduation. Because Spring grades must still be processed, diplomas will be available about four months after the end of the term. If you need proof of graduation before then, you can request this at Cal Student Central in 120 Sproul Hall. Please go to CalCentral online now to record a diploma mailing address. If you do not supply an alternative address by the July deadline, the diploma will be mailed to your permanent home address.

For Ph.D.: Diplomas will be mailed to your permanent address approximately 4 months after graduation. Make sure you update CalCentral with your future address. If you need proof of graduation before then you can use the Certificate of Completion which will automatically be emailed to you from Graduate Division; please be aware that Certificates are automatically generated by the grad div system and emailed to students as soon as all steps in the filing process have been completed AND all requirements have been met on the student’s Academic Progress Report (APR).

We encourage you to allot extra time to travel around campus due to ongoing construction happening around campus. If you plan on driving to the ceremony, you can learn more info about parking options near Zellerbach Auditorium here

The first order of the day will be the speeches. Next is the announcement of awards and prizes. After that comes your moment in the limelight! There is a photographer positioned to capture this special moment, so exhale, and try to look relaxed.

For Ph.D.: The Ph.D.s will be first up to receive their "diplomas," The Vice Chair of Graduate Studies will be announcing the names of all graduate degree participants, and either a member of the students committee or the Department Chair will offer a handshake and do the honor of hooding you. 

For Undergraduates: Rise when we cue your group and walk gracefully down the aisle toward the stage; smile for the camera-person; hand your yellow card to the speaker at the podium; saunter sophisticatedly across the stage as your name is announced, accepting your handshake to thunderous applause; trip light-headed back to your original seat. An usher will show the way.

Register online via theGraduate Student Registration Form and Undergrad Student Registration Form until Monday, April 13th

If you have any questions, please reach out to the History Grad Advisor (history-gradadvisor@berkeley.edu) or the History Undergraduate Advisor (history-undergradadvisor@berkeley.edu).

For Undergraduates: Staff will direct you from the second-floor Mezzanine in Zellerbach into the graduate seating area inside the auditorium. You will be led down a center aisle and directed into the seats in front of the stage area. Do not change your seat. Do not lose your yellow card.

For Ph.D.: You will then “process” from the backstage into the seating area on stage when directed to do so. In order to avoid problems, please remain in the processional order and do not deviate from your assigned seat. Proper placement of the doctoral hood is draped over your arm. You will carry it this same way when you later walk across the stage to be hooded.

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Tickets are required of all guests (graduating students do not require a ticket) and are available for purchase via CalPerformances here.

Commencement tickets may also be purchased through Cal Performances in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office and by phone. Tickets are $15 each for those 3+ years old. 

We recommend that you purchase tickets in advance to ensure that you secure the extra seats you may need for your guests. Last minute additional tickets, if available, will be sold at the venue on Commencement Day. No tickets will be sold through the History Department.

NOTE: There is no reserved seating, so please advise your guests to arrive early. A list of items that are prohibited at graduation can be found here.