Logistics

Key Details and Timeline

These instructions pertain to the May Doctoral Commencement Ceremony. For details about the December ceremony, please click here.

Doctoral candidates and faculty hooders are asked to arrive at Tudor Field House at 8:00 A.M. in their regalia. Graduates and faculty will need to have a cap, gown and hood when you arrive for the ceremony. Marshals and staff will be available to assist you in preparation and with the marching order. Faculty hooders will march with and sit next to their first student to be hooded.

• 8:00 A.M.: Arrive at Tudor Field House.
  • Doctoral students: Arrive wearing your doctoral robes and cap, but NOT the hood. This will be placed on your shoulders during the ceremony.
  • Faculty: Arrive wearing full regalia, including cap, gown, and hood.
  • Upon arrival, locate and stand with your graduate program. A gathering location for each program is marked on the wall. A Marshal will assist you and verify that you are in the correct marching order.
• 9:00 A.M.: The procession into Tudor Field House will begin promptly.

Format

The format for doctoral commencement is quite simple. Faculty and students will process into the field house. There will be a greeting by Dean Seiichi Matsuda, followed by a welcome speech by University President, Reginald DesRoches. Then each graduating student will be called to the front individually, along with his or her advisor. The advisor places the hood over the student’s head. The order of events is as follows:

• Academic Procession
• Greeting and introduction of platform guests by Dean Seiichi Matsuda
• Welcome from President Reginald DesRoches
• Hooding of the doctoral candidates
• Closing Remarks by Provost
• Recessional

Hooding Procedure

• The hooding advisor will march in and sit next to the first person he/she will hood.
• As names are called by Dean Seiichi Matsuda, the student will precede the hooding advisor as they approach the stage.
• The student and advisor will walk to the center of the stage where a block is located.
• The student will stand in front of the block, facing the audience as he or she is hooded.
• The advisor will stand behind the student on the block and place the hood over the student's head.
• A photograph will be taken while the advisor places the hood on the student's shoulders.
• After being hooded, you will shake Provost Dittmar's hand, exit off the stage, and return to your seat.
• Faculty with multiple students to be hooded will be seated on the stage behind the staging guests to wait for their next student. Faculty will exit with their last student to be hooded.

Regalia

To participate in Commencement, graduates and faculty must wear the appropriate regalia. You must order regalia by March 24. You can order regalia through this link. A guide to regalia for Rice University can be found here.

If you have questions about ordering regalia, please contact the bookstore manager by calling 713-348-2039 or emailing 1545mgr@follett.com.

Guest Attendees

Tickets to the doctoral commencement are not required for guests. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parking

Free parking will be available in the nearby West Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5, near Tudor Field House (see campus map). The closest accessible parking is available in West Lot 2. You may also drop off guests with accessibility needs near Tudor Field House at the Inner Loop (suggested drop off locations are bus stops 4 and 17 on the campus map).

Webcast and Photography

The Doctoral Commencement is typically available to watch live. Visit commencement.rice.edu for details. The ceremony will also be professionally recorded. After commencement, the videographer will contact each graduate at their permanent address on file with the registrar with information about purchasing a recording of the ceremony.

At the Doctoral Commencement, a photographer will take still photographs of each graduate being hooded and exiting the stage. After commencement, the photographer will contact each graduate at the address on file with the Registrar’s Office with information about how you may purchase photographs, if you wish.

Text Updates

A special Commencement communication system will be set up to provide students, families, faculty and staff with the most up-to-date information (including Inclement Weather updates). To learn more about how to opt in to this system, please check commencement.rice.edu for updates.

Doctoral Commencement

Rice’s official graduation ceremony structure, starting May 2023, has included a series of specialized commencement ceremonies that allow each graduate to cross the stage, hear their name read, and receive their degree. In past years, doctoral candidates participated in the Doctoral ceremony, and some chose to participate in a plenary commencement ceremony with recipients of all degrees. Due to Rice's increasing size, the separate ceremonies for each degree type have replaced the plenary commencement. More information about this can be found at commencement.rice.edu.

Questions?

Please e-mail gradcommencement@rice.edu or call 713-348-4002 for more information.