At UT Austin, graduation is both a process and an event. Both are probably important to you.
Degree Conferral
The process piece is known as certification. Once your final semester grades come in, Fine Arts will confirm that you’ve earned your degree and ask the Office of the Registrar to update your transcript and mail your diploma to you. At that point, your degree is officially conferred.
Prior to that, though, we need to check that you’re on track to complete your degree requirements and gather some information from you for commencement planning. You must apply to graduate by October 28th.
Like most UT Austin schools and colleges, Fine Arts hosts commencement annually at the end of the spring semester. Students who have graduated the previous fall, are graduating in the spring, or are on track to graduate the following summer (within 12 credit hours) are eligible to participate in this May commencement.
If you’ve missed the deadline, please reach out to us at cofadegrees@austin.utexas.edu. If we have time, we’ll still aim to certify you as a graduate, though finding guest tickets for commencement may be tricky.
Celebrating Degree Completion
Speaking of commencement, that is what Fine Arts calls the event where you are recognized individually for your achievement. Some call this Graduation, other refer to it as Convocation, but what matters is that it is the ceremony where you cross a stage, shake a hand or two, and are applauded by your peers, instructors, friends, and/or family. We look forward to celebrating your degree completion with you at Fine Arts Commencement!
Looking for information about the university-wide commencement ceremony (no individual attention, but fireworks!)? Follow the link in the section below.
