Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony
Held the day before the Main Commencement Ceremony, the Graduate School Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony is a prestigious event at which Ph.D. candidates receive special recognition. Each candidate formally receives his or her hood, symbolizing conferral of the Ph.D. degree, bestowed by his or her dissertation chairperson.
Please note: the Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony is not your commencement. Ph.D. candidates are strongly encouraged to participate in the Main Ceremony on May 14, 2010, at which degrees are formally conferred. Ph.D. candidates are accorded the honor of marching from Bovard Auditorium through the center of campus, preceding the faculty. Candidates must assemble inside Bovard Auditorium by 8:00 a.m. for the procession. Please allow extra time to get to Bovard; part of Trousdale will be closed on Friday morning and it will take you longer than usual to get into the auditorium.
Please save the dates for the 2010 Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony and the main Commencement ceremony:
Hooding Ceremony
Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Bovard Auditorium
Commencement Ceremony
Date: Friday, May 14, 2010
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Location: Alumni Memorial Park
Eligible Participants:
Ph.D. candidates who graduate in December 2009 or expect to graduate in May or August 2010
Hooding Ceremony Mandatory Registration:
All participants are required to register online. More information will be posted in early February at the official hooding website.
USC Schools' Doctoral Ceremonies:
The Graduate School encourages all Ph.D. candidates to attend the prestigious Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony on Thursday, May 13 in Bovard Auditorium. This ceremony is not scheduled to conflict with other doctoral ceremonies planned at the university. Please check with your own school for separate hooding ceremonies they might be hosting.