Graduation

Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. In the United States, it is also used to refer to the advancement from a primary or secondary school level. Many colleges have different traditions associated with the graduation ceremony, the most well known probably being throwing mortarboards in the air.

United Kingdom

Many university graduation ceremonies in the United Kingdom begin with a procession of academics, wearing academic dress. This procession is accompanied by music, and a ceremonial mace is often carried. However Pomp and Circumstance is not played, since this is a patriotic hymn. After this, an official reads out the names of the graduands one by one, organised by class of degree or by subject. When their names are called, the graduands walk across the stage to shake hands with a senior official, often the university's nominal Chancellor or the more important vice-chancellor, and receive their degree certificate. Graduands usually wear the academic dress of the degree they are receiving. There are some exceptions to this rule; for example serving members of the armed forces may wear their military uniform. Some of the older universities may hold their graduation ceremonies in Latin, whilst member institutions of the University of Wales hold their graduation ceremonies almost entirely in the Welsh language, even though barely any students understand either of these languages.

Related Topics:
Academic dress - Ceremonial mace - Pomp and Circumstance - A patriotic hymn - Graduand - Chancellor - Vice-chancellor - Armed forces - Uniform - Latin - University of Wales - Welsh language

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University of Cambridge

At the University of Cambridge, however, each graduation is a separate act of the university's governing body, the Regent House, and must be voted on as with any other act. First an official will propose (in Latin) that the graduands be admitted to the relevant degree; a vote is then taken, although in practice only one vote will be cast, and that in favour. Next, the graduands come forward in groups of four and kneel before the Vice-Chancellor, who wears a special graduation cape, place their hands within his (a relic of the mediaeval pledge of fealty), and are told in Latin that they are admitted to their degrees. (In practice the head of the a college, often that of the graduands themselves, always deputises for the Vice-Chancellor.) The graduands always wear the academic dress that they were entitled to before graduating: for example, most students becoming Bachelors of Arts wear undergraduate gowns.

Related Topics:
University of Cambridge - Latin - Fealty - Undergraduate

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