The University of Texas at Dallas will offer fully virtual commencement ceremonies, which students will have the opportunity to view beginning May 17 for spring 2021 graduating students.
The University will recognize 4,689 graduates in the virtual ceremony, which will include a reading of their names and will be available to view for two weeks. For the first time in over a year, graduates will also have an opportunity to celebrate in-person commencement during the week of Aug. 9. This in-person option will be available for all spring 2021 graduates, as well as spring, summer and fall 2020 graduates.
The fully virtual commencement ceremonies for spring 2021 graduating students will be available to view beginning at 1 p.m. on May 17.
The May commencement video will include a congratulatory message from President Richard C. Benson and remarks from Provost Inga Musselman, as well as Dr. Jessica C. Murphy, dean of undergraduate education, and Dr. Juan González, dean of graduate education.
Each of the University’s eight schools will be highlighted in videos that will feature remarks from the schools’ deans and the reading and display of graduates’ names as well as a video for doctoral graduates. The video package will also include remarks from the undergraduate student speaker Tiffany Page Carter, a Terry Scholar who is earning her bachelor’s degree with a critical media studies concentration from the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, and graduate student speaker Gottfreid Lutumba, who is earning his master’s in finance from the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
Of the 4,689 students graduating this spring, the University is expected to award 2,771 undergraduate degrees and 1,798 master’s degrees. UT Dallas also expects to confer 120 doctoral degrees.
Graduates by school include:
75 from the School of Arts and Humanities
201 from the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication
539 from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
1,238 from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
181 from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
173 from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies
1,796 from the Naveen Jindal School of Management
486 from the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Each of the University’s graduates will have the opportunity to claim a special complimentary celebration package after certification of degrees. When they receive their box, students are encouraged to share their moments of celebration using #utdgrad on social media channels and emailing photo@utdallas.edu.
Honors Graduation
The Office of Undergraduate Education in partnership with the University Bookstore will mail a UT Dallas honors medallion to students who are graduating with Latin honors. The medallions will be included with their graduation packages in June.
Lavender Graduation
To honor LGBTQ and ally students and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the University, the Galerstein Gender Center will mail care packages to the spring 2021 Lavender Graduation participants that will include a rainbow cord, a lavender graduation certificate, swag from the Galerstein Gender Center and a gift from Alumni Relations.