Formal commencement ceremonies will be held Dec. 14-16 in the Activity Center. A new event — Comets Take Flight, hosted by Alumni Relations — will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center.
Friends, family members and supporters will help celebrate the accomplishments of the newest class of graduates at The University of Texas at Dallas during commencement ceremonies Dec. 14-16.
More than 2,500 students are expected to earn their UT Dallas degrees this fall, including 1,309 bachelor’s students and 1,130 master’s students. Sixty-nine doctoral candidates also have been certified. More than 2,600 students are expected to participate in commencement ceremonies, including some who earned their degrees over the summer.
New events this year will include Comets Take Flight, hosted by Alumni Relations at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. Participants will be celebrated with a glass of champagne or sparkling cider and hors d’oeuvres. The first 100 graduating students will receive a UT Dallas Alumni T-shirt.
Fall 2017 Grad Facts
Oldest graduate: 72
Youngest graduate: 21
Most popular majors:
- Graduate: Tie between Information Technology and Management, and Computer Science (147 anticipated degrees each)
- BS: Computer Science (108 anticipated degrees)
- BA: Arts and Technology (84 anticipated degrees)
The formal recognition of the graduates begins Thursday, Dec. 14, with the doctoral hooding ceremony. During this ceremony, faculty members and students are dressed in traditional academic regalia, with family members and friends in attendance. As each comes to the stage, the student’s adviser places the doctoral hood over the head of the graduate, signifying his or her successful completion of the doctoral program.
Three commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 15, will accommodate the 1,116 students expected to earn degrees this fall from the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
Two morning sessions on Saturday, Dec. 16, will honor 503 expected graduates from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, followed by 71 students from the School of Arts and Humanities, along with 125 from the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, and 235 from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
A Saturday afternoon session will recognize 155 from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, 95 from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, and 201 from the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
After each commencement, family, friends and graduates are invited for refreshments, photo opportunities and giveaways at Memories on the Mall. The tradition honors the University’s newest alumni and gives graduates the opportunity to reflect on their experiences at UT Dallas.
Fall 2017 Commencement Speakers
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Sristi Gaur, MS, information technology and management, Naveen Jindal School of Management |
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Lauren Alexis Longoria, BA, interdisciplinary studies, School of Interdisciplinary Studies |
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Maria Muhammad-Brown, BS, psychology, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences |
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Nirupama Shivananjappa, MS, electrical engineering, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science |
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Uttara Thiagarajan, BS, supply chain management and information technology systems, Naveen Jindal School of Management |
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Elizabeth Wilson, MS, supply chain management, Naveen Jindal School of Management |