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you are here Home  /  Students  /  College of Engineering Graduation  /  General Information
College of Engineering Graduation

If you have other questions after reviewing this information, please email Engineering Events.

Graduation Speaker

Read about Roger L. McCarthy.

Senior Survey Winners

The winners of the $250 gift certificates for participating in the CoE December 2007 Senior Survey are: Chris Berry and Paul Niezguski.

General Information

The College of Engineering's Spring Graduation Exercises take place at 3 p.m. in Crisler Arena on the Saturday of graduation weekend, which concludes Winter Term, each April or May. This event is the only College-specific graduation ceremony during the academic year.

Announcements

Announcements are sold through local bookstores.  Personalized announcements take about three weeks to process and should be ordered in advance.

Diplomas

Diplomas for bachelor's and master's degree recipients will be mailed between two and three months after the graduation date to the address on file with the Diploma Department.  Doctor of philosophy diplomas are distributed at the University-wide Winter Commencement (Fall Term) and at the University Graduate Exercises (Winter Term).  More information is available at http://www.umich.edu/~regoff/diplomas.html

Diploma Frames and Plaques

Graduates and their families may be interested in Photo Services' diploma frame and plaque service.  Details are available at www.umich.edu/~photos/

Printed Program

During Spring Graduation Exercises, the College of Engineering distributes a printed program listing all graduates and candidates of record for the previous academic year.

Honor Cords

The honor cord - which can be gold or white, single or double - denotes students graduating with honors.  Engineering students eligible to wear an honor cord must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher based on at least 45 hours of credit that have been completed while enrolled in the College of Engineering through the end of the last completed term of study. There are no honor cords specific to grade-point-average distinction levels.

 Distinction Grade Point Average

  • Cum Laude 3.20-3.49
  • Magna Cum Laude 3.50-3.74
  • Summa Cum Laude 3.75-4.00

Getting Academic Attire

All graduates and candidates who plan to participate in the College of Engineering's Spring Graduation Exercises must wear academic attire.  Academic attire is not necessary for the Engineering Graduation Brunch (Fall Term), although graduates may wear it if they choose.

Bachelor's and master's attire is purchased; doctoral attire is rented and should be reserved early in the term.  Custom doctoral attire can be purchased at any time during the year; orders generally take 6-8 weeks.

Bachelor's and master's degree caps and gowns are black; doctoral gowns may be black or Michigan blue and have velvet trim.  When purchasing or renting attire, graduates will need:

  • Bachelor's degree - tassel, cap and bachelor's gown
  • Master's degree - tassel, cap master's gown and hood
  • Doctoral degree - tassel, cap doctoral gown and hood

Women should wear caps at all times; men should remove caps only during the singing of the National Anthem.

During the graduation ceremony, the tassel is worn on the right front corner of the cap and is moved to the left after the degree has been conferred.  The tassel color represents the field of study; engineering grads may wear an orange tassel, and computer science grads may wear yellow.  Black or maize-and-blue-tassels are also appropriate.  The local bookstores have complete lists of the academic color for each discipline.

Academic attire is available from the following stores.  Shop early in the term for the best selection of gown sizes and hood and tassel colors.

Michigan Book & Supply
317 South State Street
(734) 665-4990
http://www.michbook.com/

Michigan Union Bookstore
530 South State Street
(734) 995-8877
http://umichigan1.bkstore.com/

Ulrich's Bookstore
549 East University
(734) 662-3201
http://www.ulrichs.com/

Accommodations

Many Ann Arbor hotels begin taking reservations for graduation weekend years in advance.  Guests who are unable to reserve hotel rooms in Ann Arbor may wish to look for hotel rooms in Brighton, Jackson, Plymouth, Ypsilanti or the vicinity of Detroit Metropolitan Airport.  These communities are less than one hour's drive from Ann Arbor and may have rooms available.  Please call the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau at either (734) 995-7281 or (800) 888-9487 for a list of area hotels.

Other Events

The University of Michigan holds other commencement activities in which College of Engineering graduates may participate also.  Information about the University-wide Spring Commencement, held at Michigan Stadium, and the Rackham Graduate School's University Graduate Exercises is available at www.umich.edu/~gradinfo.

Many other schools and colleges hold their own graduation activities at the end of Winter Term.  Please contact each directly regarding any scheduled events and whether you are eligible to participate.