Commencement : Frequently Asked Questions

Fall 2009 Commencement

Friday, December 18, 2009 (7:00 PM to 9:00 PM) - Hofheinz Pavilion

Reservations

If you plan to participate in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Commencement, please complete the online RSVP below by December 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM. 

Student participation is by reservation only. Participants will be checked against a list of reservations to confirm eligibility to participate.

Please Note: The RSVP serves as a count of students we are expecting for the ceremony. Completing the RSVP does not reserve a special seat for the graduation candidate nor does it place the graduation candidate's name on a special list.

Application Information

Apply through your myUH account. The deadline to apply for graduation is October 2, 2009 with a $25 fee, per degree. Students can apply late by October 30, 2009 with a $50 fee, per degree. 

Fall 2009 candidates - Although you may participate in Commencement, your graduation is actually contingent upon successful completion of your degree requirements and coursework by the end of the Fall 2009 semester. An application for graduation does not necessarily mean that you have been approved for graduation.

Arrival Time & Location

Please report to the Athletic/Alumni Center at 6:00 pm. Family and guests should be directed to Hofheinz Pavilion. Graduates arriving after 6:45 pm may not arrive in time to join the processional. Note: Do not go to the Hofheinz Pavilion concourse. After arriving at the Athletic/Alumni Center, find the appropriate sign of your department for check-in.

The program itself will be approximately 2 hours long.

Special note: Women graduates, for safety precautions, please leave your purses or other valuables with your families. You will not be able to leave anything in your seat. The NSM commencement staff cannot be responsible for safeguarding your personal belongings.

Academic Regalia

Academic regalia (the traditional black mortarboard cap and black gown) are required for all graduates. The University of Houston has selected Official UH Regalia, we strongly encourage you to purchase your regalia at the UH Bookstore. Master and Doctoral graduates must also rent the proper hood and bring it with them. Master graduates will wear their hoods and Doctoral graduates will be hooded during the Commencement ceremony. If you are a Doctoral graduate, please drape the proper hood over your left arm, unbuttoned, until you are officially “hooded” on-stage by the Dean and Associate Dean.

** Due to the solemnity of the occasion, we ask that you refrain from adding extra touches to this academic wardrobe.

Regalia Colors for NSM

Bachelor and Master's Candidates

Doctoral Candidates

(Doctorial gowns (only) should be returned to representatives after the ceremony.)

Tassels

Undergraduates, please wear your tassels on the right side of the mortarboard.
Graduates, please wear your tassels on the left side of the mortarboard.

Invitations and Announcements

Students can order their personalized invitations from The Herff Jones Company by calling 281/379-3825, or online at www.herff-jones.com/college/graduation.  If you have any questions regarding graduation regalia and/or graduation invitations, please call the UH Bookstore at 713.748.0923.

Honors (Baccalaureate Candidates)

Undergraduates who are graduating with honors may purchase honors cords from the University Bookstore for approximately $14.00 plus tax. 

Undergraduate students who complete their degree requirements will graduate with the stated academic honors if they achieve the following grade point averages earned in the last sixty-six (66) hours completed at the University of Houston. 

Further, the honors calculation will include all hours completed in the semester in which the first of those final sixty-six (66) hours was completed.

Because Fall 2009 grades will not be official prior to the ceremony, they cannot be calculated into your GPA for announcement of Honors at the ceremony. However, they will be calculated into your official GPA prior to the printing of your diploma.

Undergraduate students who have completed the graduation requirements of the Honors College may graduate with special honors designations. Please see your advisor in the Honors College for more information.

Guest Information

When inviting guests, please be advised of the following:

• No tickets will be required to attend.
• Doors will open 1 hour before each ceremony. 
• Saved seats will be released 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the procession and will be strictly enforced by security and ushers.
• Doors to Hofheinz will close if maximum capacity is reached. This decision is made by the Fire Marshall and not the University. 
• Hofheinz Pavilion will be completely cleared after each ceremony, so arriving earlier than the allotted hour is not necessary. 
• No guest will be permitted to stand in the aisles or the main floor of the Pavilion.
• All aisles, main floor, and all exits of Hofheinz Pavilion must be kept clear at all times during the ceremony.

Cell Phones

As a courtesy to our graduates, we ask that all participants and guests turn off cell phones.

Parking

All Parking is free. Parking is available in the student parking lot across from Hofheinz Pavilion, lot 15D, and in other student parking lots on campus. Please advise your guests that they cannot park in reserved parking areas or handicapped parking unless their vehicle has a handicap parking permit.

Special Needs

Students must notify the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) for any additional services or requests needed at least TWO (2) WEEKS prior to their scheduled commencement ceremony. Please contact Shannon Richardson, Interpreting/Captioning Coordinator at 713)743-5400 or slrichardson2@uh.edu for any additional assistance and/or specific questions you may have.

Photographs

Family and friends should feel free to bring cameras and video recorders and take as many pictures as they desire. However, they must remain in their seats during the ceremony. They must not stand in the aisles, and under no circumstances will they be permitted on the floor of the Pavilion. We also suggest that family photographers take photos at home and at other locations on campus prior to the ceremony.

A professional photographer, "Flash Photography," will be on hand taking individual photos during the ceremony. "Flash Photography" will send the proofs to you so that you can decide if you want to order additional copies. The photographer will already have your mailing address. If you do not receive the proofs within 30 days of your commencement program please contact:

Flash Photography at 1-800-410-8070

Commencement Program

We make every effort to insure that all graduating students who apply on time are in the Commencement program. However, please be aware of the following information: If at any time you have requested privacy protection for your academic records, your name cannot be published in the program by law unless you have indicated on your application for graduation that you desire your name to be included in the program.

Although your name might not be included in the printed program, you will still be individually recognized by name as you cross the stage.

Name Cards

While you are in your department line, you will receive a graduation name card (mentioned above) on which you clearly print the phonetic spelling of your name. Hold your card until your turn on stage. Your name will be read from this card as you cross the stage. Do not lose your card.

Doctorial graduates do not wear the hoods for the processional. You will be hooded on stage.

Diploma

Diplomas are normally mailed eight weeks after degrees have been approved and officially conferred and posted. Decisions of awarding degrees do not begin until January 6, 2010. Please be aware that the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has 60 days from the official closing date of the semester to award degrees. Students can check the status of their diploma at MichaelSutter.com/UH. 

Diplomas are mailed directly to students at the most current address provided through their myUH student account. The diploma printing company will also send email notifications to diploma recipients indicating when diplomas have been mailed. It’s important to keep contact information updated in myUH to avoid shipment delays.

Alums graduating as of summer 2008 and/or who have placed order(s) for additional diplomas from other graduating semesters, can check their Diploma Order Status online. Contact AskShasta if you have additional questions about your diploma order.

Please note: Effective September 1, 2009, there is a $25.00 fee for each additional diploma ordered (postmarked by or fax received on or after this date). This fee does not apply to the initial diploma mailed upon graduation, but will apply to additional quantities as requested via the diploma order form.* 

*The fee is applicable to diplomas requested as a result of a diploma name change. Diploma names must be provided at the time of completing the online graduation application. Failure to do so may result in a $25 diploma order fee for subsequent name changes. 

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Office of the Dean at (713) 743-2611.

Commencement Reservation Form