Experience

A unique aspect to Fielding Graduate University ceremonies is that, time permitting, our masters and doctoral graduates each speak about their Fielding experience and what earning the degree has meant to them. Our ceremonies are not merely about crossing a stage, but an acknowledgment of the support the graduate received to accomplish their goal and the transformational journey it entailed.

Place: virtual LIVE stream commencement via ZOOM and YouTube.

Day/Time: March 17th at 1 p.m. Pacific / 4 p.m. Eastern

Feedback: Anonymous feedback about the ceremony can be given at:

https://fielding.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6wWxP2OAgF2vUqy

Place: University of the District of Columbia campus

Day: July 10th

Schedule:

9-10am Graduation Robing for 10am Hoodings

10-11am Program Hoodings

12-1pm Graduation Robing for 1pm Hoodings

1-2pm Program Hoodings

2-3pm Graduation Robing for Convocation

3-4pm Processional

4pm Convocation with speaker Dr. Ronald Mason (this portion of the day will be livestreamed)

Reception immediately following ceremony

Graduation Ceremony Deadlines

The below information assumes that the student will also be conducting their Final Oral Review (FOR) any time prior to the ceremony.

1. May 1, 2024 – (Doctoral students only) Dissertation to full committee deadline:  The version of the dissertation the student plans to present at the Final Oral Review should go out to the entire committee well in advance so that the chair can readily provide his/her approval that the FOR can be scheduled.
2. May 1, 2024 – Request to walk in the ceremony: The request is submitted as part of registering action in WebAdvisor. Late registration for graduation is not allowed due to the preparatory steps that begin immediately after the deadline.
   
3. June 2, 2024 – Degree audit deadline: Upon this deadline, the Registrar’s Office runs the student degree audit (same as the student’s personal version in the My Progress tab of WebAdvisor Self-Service) to verify that all essential degree requirements are recorded as complete. Essentially, the requirements that can be remaining are:                     

• • Doctoral students: 
    • The Final Oral Review – as long as it is scheduled to occur prior to the ceremony.
    • The dissertation submission for proofreading.
    • The binding and filing of the final dissertation.
  • CLIN/RCP students: The internship can be still in progress if the placement is scheduled to end within 60 days of the ceremony. There is also a limited exception to the 60-day rule that can be requested, see the Graduation Ceremony Participation policy.
    
  • Master’s students: Can request to walk in a ceremony if they are in their final semester when the request is filed. If in their last semester, the instructors for their last class(es) will need to verify with the Office of the Registrar that the student will be able to pass the classes before the request to take part can be approved.
    

If a student has not met the above deadlines, they cannot be allowed to participate in the ceremony. The Student Accounts office also does a financial check and can restrict a student from taking part in the ceremony.

Any degree alumni can request to walk in a ceremony after their degree has already been conferred, and assuming they have no financial obligations their request to participate will be approved.

Registering your Request to Participate

CLIN/RCP students requesting to graduate should sign up for the CLIN/RCP Global Session July 2024.

All other doctoral and master’s students finishing a terminal degree and requesting to graduate should sign up for the Global Session July 2024 event.

IMPORTANT: When prompted by the online form, choose one of the following registration categories as applicable:

• ALUMNI: If your degree has already been conferred and you plan to register for seminars throughout the week in addition to walking in the ceremony.
• STUGRAD: If you are still an active student and plan to register for seminars throughout the week in addition to walking in the ceremony.
• GRAD&FOR: If you are an active student requesting to walk in the ceremony and conduct your FOR at the session.
• GRADONLY: If you are only registering to walk in graduation.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to mark Graduation (Walk) as Yes. This will prompt the system to ask you the questions related to graduation.

Guests: There is no limit or charge for guest tickets to graduation.

Regalia: If you buy regalia through Fielding when registering, the regalia fee is $55. The regalia set includes a gown, a four-corner mortarboard cap (not a tam), gold tassel and Fielding hood pertinent to your degree. Include your height and weight on the registration form to ensure the correct size. Regalia will be shipped to the venue and prepped by Fielding staff for your use at the ceremony. 

1. • Ordering/bringing your own: Some ceremony participants prefer to provide their own regalia. Information on what colors to order is provided on the alumni website: https://alumni.fielding.edu/page/regalia
   • Ordering a Tam: Some ceremony participants will order their regalia through Fielding, but separately purchase on their own a tam style to wear instead of the mortarboard style we provide. Both are correct styles; it’s merely a matter of preference. Master’s tams should be six sided with black tassels and doctoral tam’s eight sided with gold tassels; there are suitable tams available for purchase on Amazon.

Prior Ceremonies

For the recorded videos of prior ceremonies, both virtual and in-person, please see the links below from our YouTube channel.