Commencement Header 2012

Students/Candidates

Graduation Candidate Instructions

 

receiving-diploma

You must regularly monitor ConnectU account for messages and information regarding preparation for the graduation process and the Commencement Ceremony. You will be sent reminder e-mails messages throughout the semester with information on cap and gown rental, graduation honors, graduation announcements, class rings, reporting time at the PE Event Center, maps, etc.

 

The Office of the Registrar's Graduation Services (located on the 1st Floor- SSB #160) approves adjustments to students’ CAPP report, determines graduation eligibility, performs final degree checks, and distributes diplomas. Please contact the Office of the Registrar for any of these services.

 

Graduation Checklist

Access the Graduation Checklist (Acrobat Icon 114 KB)


Application for Graduation

In order to determine eligibility to graduate, all Seniors must fill out a Graduation Application. The Graduation Application deadline for Spring 2013 is February 8th, 2013.

If you miss the deadline, you will need to apply for a subsequent semester.  There are no exceptions for late graduation applications. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this deadline, please contact Graduation Services in the Office of the Registrar at 303-556-3985.  

For more information regarding the application and degree requirements, visit Graduation Evaluation. 

 

Map and Assembly Area Diagram

 

Auraria Campus Map

 

Assembly Area Diagram (Acrobat Icon 132 KB)

 

Commencement Instructions

Traditionally, Commencement is the high point of the academic year and is the most dignified of academic ceremonies. To assure that you experience the recognition you deserve for the hard work required to complete your degree, the following Commencement Policies have been established by the University.

  1. All candidates, their families and friends are expected to remain for the entire Commencement Ceremony. Any unnecessary movement may prevent families and friends of those persons crossing the stage from hearing the name of the graduate read. Graduates should not leave the ceremony grounds until the appropriate time during the recessional.
     
  2. No one but the graduates, faculty, and members of the platform party will be permitted in the stage area of the ceremony grounds.
     
  3. To preserve the dignity of the Commencement Ceremony, no alcoholic beverages are permitted. A Faculty Marshal will confiscate any alcoholic substance immediately. Further, should any Faculty Marshal deem an individual unable to safely participate in the Commencement Ceremony as a result of the consumption of an alcoholic beverage, that individual will be removed from the line of march and not permitted to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.

Assembly Area Procedures

  1. STUDENTS REPORT AT 7:30 A.M. to the Graduate Assembly Area which will be located in the Gym of the PE Event Center.

  2. Refer to the Assembly Area Diagram to determine your school and major code. Line up alphabetically within your major department, which will be marked on the floor in back of your school sign. Once in alphabetical order, a card showing your name, major, and degree honor status WILL BE BROUGHT TO YOU. The card must be kept and presented to the reader on stage when you come forward to be acknowledged. While in the graduate assembly area, please write a legible non-MSU Denver email address on the back in order for the photographer to contact you. 

  3. At 8:45 a.m. you will walk in four columns into the Commencement ceremony area and to the academic seating area. YOU MUST STAY IN THE PROPER LINE UNTIL YOU ARE SEATED. 

  4. As candidates from your department/school come forward, you will approach the stage from the right. As soon as you hand the reader your name card, proceed immediately across the stage to receive your degree, exiting by the left ramp before returning to your seat.

 

Caps and Gowns

Custom-designed by Herff-Jones, the Metro State gowns feature the College’s insignia and school colors. The gowns are blue with red trim, and the official College seal is embroidered on the lapel. All graduating seniors must wear these at the commencement ceremony.

 

CAP AND GOWN PREORDER

Preordering allows students to save a few bucks, have a fitted gown, ready to pick up on the day of Cap and Gown Distribution. Graduates will be able to view and preorder their caps and gowns by visiting the Herff-Jones website. Please visit www.herffjones.com to order yours today!

 

Graduation Announcements and Class Rings

Personalized announcements may be purchased online through either CBgrad.com or Herff-Jones.com/college. Non-personalized announcements are also available now in the Auraria Campus Bookstore.

Orders for class rings may be made online at college.Jostens.com, as well as at the Spring 2013 Cap and Gown Distributions Days.

 

Commencement Ceremony Photos

A professional photographer will take the picture of each candidate as s/he receives the degree. The photographer will contact each candidate by email three to four days following the ceremony regarding the option of purchasing photos. While in the graduate assembly area, please write a legible non-MSU Denver email address on the back of your name card in order for the photographer to contact you in a timely manner. You may also update your address and/or order prints by contacting GradTrak by phone (1-800-261-2576) or e-mail service@gradimages.com.

 

Honors Policy

Graduation honors are awarded to students who have demonstrated superior academic ability in their baccalaureate degree while attending Metro State. Honors designations are determined according to the following criteria:

  • Summa Cum Laude - Top five percent of graduates within each school with cumulative MSU Denver GPA of no less than 3.65.

  • Magna Cum Laude - Next five percent of graduates within each school with cumulative MSU Denver GPA of no less than 3.65.

  • Cum Laude - Next five percent of graduates within each school with cumulative MSU Denver GPA of no less than 3.65.

To determine each honors category, GPAs from the previous spring semester graduates are arrayed in rank order. This rank ordering is then used to determine the honors category thresholds for the following fall, spring and summer graduates. The GPA cut-offs for each School are listed below.

2012-13 Academic Year

School

Summa Cum
Laude

Magna Cum
Laude

Cum Laude

Business

3.90

3.80

3.68

Letters, Arts & Sciences

3.96

3.89

3.81

Professional Studies

3.99

3.94

3.90

IDP Majors are identified with a School determined by the program content.

The honors designation is calculated twice: once for the commencement ceremony and again at the end of the final semester for the official designation. 

 

Commencement Ceremony

To qualify for graduation honor recognition at the commencement ceremony, a student must have the specified GPA and must have completed a minimum of 50 semester hours of academic credit at MSU Denver by the end of the term of graduation.  UCD pooled classes and transfer credits are not considered when determining honors.  Recognition at the commencement ceremony does not guarantee final honors designation on the official record.  Honors announced at the commencement ceremony will be based upon a preliminary calculation, which does not include grades from the term of graduation.

Students who qualify for recognition at the ceremony will be sent a letter from the Dean's Office of the School in which their major is located. This letter authorizes students to receive honor cords at Cap and Gown Distribution.

Candidates with an Individualized Degree Program Major will be identified for honors purposes within the School most prominent in their major.

 

Official Honors Designation

Grades earned for the graduating term will affect honors. GPA's are not rounded up (Example: A GPA of 3.149 is not rounded to 3.15).  The Official Honors designation will be calculated following the processing of final grades. This recalculation will take into consideration any grade changes submitted to the Office of the Registrar during your graduating term.  Only the official honors designation is added to the final transcript and diploma.  A student must maintain the specified GPA and must complete a minimum of 50 semester hours of academic credit at MSU Denver by the term of graduation. UCD Pooled classes and transfer credits are not considered when determining honors.

 

Honors Programs

Visit the Honors Program 

 

Honor Societies

Visit the Honor Societies Web Site.

 

Alumni Association

Visit the Alumni Association for more information.

 

Additional Commencement Notes

  1. If you are a candidate for graduation and have a disability, please contact Ed Zarate at (303) 556-3985 or zaratee@msudenver.edu. Candidates who have family members with disabilities (wheelchair, walker, hearing or visual impairment) that are going to attend the Commencement Ceremony need to call, (303) 556-6226 or email, to reserve tickets for the ADA seating area. ADA seating tickets must be picked up in the  Student Success Building (Suite 430) during the week of May 13-17 from the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
     
  2. There is no rehearsal for the Commencement Ceremony.
     
  3. No tickets are required for guests attending the ceremony. No seating is reserved for groups.
     
  4. Candidates' coats may be hung in the Graduate Assembly Area; however, this should not be considered a secured area.
     
  5. Family and guests should be in their seats by 8:55 a.m.
     
  6. The tassel on the cap is to be worn on the RIGHT side until you are instructed at the end of the ceremony to switch your tassel.
     
  7. A professional photographer will take the picture of each candidate as he or she receives the degree. The photographer will contact each candidate by email three to four days following the ceremony regarding the option of purchasing photos. While in the graduate assembly area, please write a legible non-MSU Denver email address on the back of your name card in order for the photographer to contact you in a timely manner.
     
  8. Teacher licensure students should request their name card from the area of their major. They may then participate with the Teacher Education department (EDUC), if they wish.
     
  9. Actual spring diplomas will not be available at the commencement ceremony. Candidates will be notified by mail at the end of June regarding the dates diplomas may be picked up or mailed.
     
  10. Official transcripts with spring degrees posted will be available late June. You must request official degree transcripts. One will not automatically be sent to you. Please be informed that neither a transcript nor the diploma will be released until the student has cleared all debts to the University, and, if you have a Perkins Loan, you will need to complete the necessary Perkins Loan interview.
     
  11. You are eligible to register for classes for one year following your graduation. Check ConnectU for this and other information.

 

The commencement website is updated continuously to keep the University informed about the ceremony and graduation process.  Please continue to check in for up-to-date information concerning the Spring 2013 Commencement Ceremony.