The Spring 2013 College of Engineering Commencement will consist of two ceremonies, one for baccalaureate degree recipients and one for graduate degree recipients. The dates and times are as follows:

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony (Baccalaureate)

Sunday, May 19, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Doors open at 8:00 a.m.
Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley
Keynote Speaker: C. Daniel Mote Jr., B.S.’59, M.S.’60, Ph.D.’63, President-elect, National Academy of Engineering, Past President and Regents Professor, University of Maryland
Student Speaker: Ajay Bawa, Graduating Senior, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research

Graduate Commencement Ceremony (Master's and Ph.D.)

Sunday, May 19, 2013
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Doors open at 1:00 p.m.
Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley
Keynote Speaker: Arati Prabhakar, Ph.D., Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Student Speaker: Armin Moosazadeh, Master of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering 

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!

Spring 2013 Engineering Commencement Day of Event Instructions for Graduates: 

• Baccalaureates: arrive in your regalia on Maxwell Field no later than 8:30 a.m. Bring your ticket and your completed reader card. A complete list of instructions can be found here. 
• Master's: arrive in your regalia on Maxwell Field no later than 1:30 p.m. Bring your ticket and your completed reader card. A complete list of instructions can be found here. 
• Ph.D.'s: arrive in your regalia backstage at the Greek Theatre no later than 1:30 p.m. Bring your ticket and your completed reader card. A complete list of instructions can be found here. 

Spring 2013 UC Berkeley Commencement: Separate from the Engineering baccalaureate commencement ceremony, Commencement Convocation is a University-wide celebration, open to graduating seniors from all academic disciplines. The 2013 UC Berkeley Commencement Convocation is scheduled for Saturday, May 18 at 10:00 am at Memorial Stadium. Ticket information and details can be found here.

Ticket and Seating Information for the Engineering Commencement Ceremonies

• BAG CHECK: To ensure everyone's safety, Greek Theatre security staff will be performing bag checks at every commencement ceremony. If possible, we recommend not bringing a bag. If you must bring a bag, please arrive early and be prepared for a bag check. The Greek Theatre does NOT allow the following items: Large bags or backpacks, glass bottles/aluminum cans, alcoholic beverages, coolers/ice chests, baby strollers (designated parking is available inside), skateboards/bicycles/scooters, musical instruments, fireworks, noise-makers/air-horns, rolls of toilet paper, balloons (may be tied-off at the entrance gates at own discretion), umbrellas, signs/banners/flags, tripods for cameras, animals (with the exception of documented service animals), lawn furniture or chairs (small blankets, cushions, and low-backed stadium seats are ok), any items that can be perceived as weapons. There is no coat check available. All bags are subject to search.
• TICKET PICK UP: Tickets will be distributed Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3, 11am-2pm in front of Engineering Student Services, 230 Bechtel Engineering Center. After May 3, tickets will be available for pick up at the Engineering Student Services office, 230 Bechtel, Monday-Thursday from 8am-5pm and Fridays 10am-5pm. Tickets will NOT be available for pick up on Friday, May 17, so please be sure to pick them up prior to that date.
• If you are unable to pick up your tickets in person you may have someone pick them up on your behalf. Follow these steps in order for your tickets to be released: 1. Make a legible photocopy of your student ID card. 2. Write the following on the photocopy: "I authorize (insert name of person picking up your tickets) to pick up my Engineering Commencement tickets." 3. Indicate the total number of tickets the person is picking up. 4. Sign and date the photocopy. 5. Instruct the person you authorized to pick up your tickets to bring their photo ID for verification.
• Graduates must complete the online registration forms to reserve and purchase tickets. The registration deadline was Friday, April 19. Graduates registering after the deadline are not guaranteed guest tickets.
• All graduates and guests (age 2 and older) must have a ticket to gain admittance to Commencement.  
• Baccalaureate (B.S./B.A.) Ceremony Tickets: Baccalaureate degree candidates may reserve a maximum of 10 tickets; 1 for the graduate, 9 for guests. The first 5 tickets (1 for the graduate, 4 for guests) are free; additional tickets (5 maximum), may be purchased at $5 per ticket, for a total of 10 tickets. In order to ensure that the large number of undergraduate students anticipated to participate in the commencement ceremony have access to tickets, there is a limit of 10 tickets per graduate.
• Graduate (Ph.D./Master's) Ceremony Tickets: Graduate degree candidates may reserve their first 5 tickets (1 for the graduate, 4 for guests) for free; additional tickets may be purchased at $5 per ticket. 
• All commencement ticket sales are final. No refunds, no exceptions. Tickets should be treated like cash; they cannot be replaced if lost, stolen, damaged, or otherwise rendered unreadable.
• Please note: all seating is general admission, not reserved, on a first-come, first-served basis, and it is possible that guests may have to climb the steep steps to sit on the grassy hillside above the concrete bleacher seating. Once the concrete bleacher seating area has reached capacity, guests will be directed to the lawn by Greek Theatre staff.
• Disability accommodations for graduates and guests: If you or any of your guests require accommodations for disabilities (e.g. wheelchair seating, sign language interpreter, etc.) please fill out the special seating request form as soon as possible. If you have any questions please contact Dawn Kramer at dkramer@berkeley.edu.

Commencement Live Webcast

The 2013 College of Engineering commencement ceremonies will be streamed live at: http://coe.berkeley.edu/BEgrad. 

Letter of Invitation to Commencement for International Family Members (for Visa purposes)

Send an email to bears@berkeley.edu with the following information:

1. Your full name
2. Your student ID number
3. Your email address
4. Your current home address
5. The degree(s) you will receive and major(s)
6. The names and relationships of each person that you would like to invite to attend graduation (Mr. John Smith, father; Ms. Sally Smith, sister, etc.)

You will receive your letter by email within 2 business days of your request.

Caps and Gowns

Students are responsible for providing their own regalia, including hoods for Ph.D. candidates. Caps and gowns may be purchased from the Cal Student Store. For more information regarding caps and gowns, graduation announcements and ordering yearbooks please contact the Cal Student Store at (510) 642-7028. Store hours are: Mon. thru Fri. 10am - 6pm, Sat. 10am - 5pm, Sun. Noon - 4pm. You may also view purchase information here. 

EOP Graduation Gown Lending Project: The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Graduation Gown Lending Project helps to alleviate the cost of commencement caps and gowns for EOP students. Please consider donating any black graduation gowns you may own to EOP to help future first-generation and low-income students be the next cohort to graduate from UC Berkeley. To see how you can donate, please contact EOP at eopglp@gmail.com or (510) 642-7224.

Honors Cords

Summer 2012, Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 B.S. and B.A. degree candidates who have an overall UCB GPA that ranks them in the top 20% of students in the College of Engineering will be eligible to purchase honors cords at the Cal Student Store for the 2013 commencement ceremony.  For the academic year 2012-2013, the minimum UCB GPA required for HONORs (as determined by the Office of the Registrar) is 3.676.  Due to pending grades, Summer 2013 and Fall 2013 B.S. and B.A. degree candidates are not eligible to purchase honors cords for the 2013 commencement ceremony. To confirm your cumulative UCB GPA through the Fall 2012 semester meets the cutoff requirement, please visit https://bearfacts.berkeley.edu.

Parking

During Commencement at UC Berkeley, student 'S' permit areas will be open to the public for an $8 fee. Drivers without an 'S' permit must purchase an $8 ticket from the dispensing machine in the 'S' lot and display it on their dashboard. Please read parking signs carefully. For Commencement, Parking & Transportation will sell parking spaces for $10 at the following 'F' permit lot locations: Foothill Lot (Hearst at Highland Ave.) and Upper Hearst Structure (Hearst at Gayley Rd.).

Disabled Parking: All designated disabled spaces and non-reserved spaces will be available at $10 to disabled patrons with certified disabled placards or license plates on a first-come, first-served basis. Disabled parking (DP) is available at the Upper Hearst structure at the corner of Hearst Ave and Gayley Road (there are two DP spaces on the lowest level entering from Hearst Ave, and several more DP spaces on the third level entering from Gayley Road). The Upper Hearst parking garage has the best path of travel (one relatively level block) from the parking area to the Greek Theatre. Please note there is a curbside drop-off area on Gayley Road just north of the Greek Theatre entrance for passengers with mobility disabilities who prefer to minimize the travel distance to the Greek Theatre. 

For more information about parking, see the Parking and Transportation website.

Department Receptions

Each College of Engineering department will host a complimentary commencement reception for graduates and their guests beginning at 11am. No RSVP is necessary. 

Applied Science & Technology.............................. Bechtel Engineering Center, Garbarini Lounge

Bioengineering..................................................... Stanley Hall, First Floor Atrium

Civil & Environmental Engineering........................ O’Brien Hall Breezeway

Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences......... Bechtel Engineering, Trefethen Terrace

Engineering Science............................................. Bechtel Engineering Center, Garbarini Lounge

Industrial Engineering & Operations Research..... McCone Hall, Smilodon Plaza

Materials Science & Engineering........................... Hearst Memorial Mining Building,Betty & Gordon Moore Lobby

Mechanical Engineering........................................ Esplanade between Soda & Etcheverry Halls

Nuclear Engineering............................................. International House, Heller Patio

Operations Research & Management Science...... McCone Hall, Smilodon Plaza

Pictures

The College of Engineering has made arrangements with Grad Images Photo to photograph every graduate at the moment the scroll is given. For more information about ordering photos visit the Grad Images website.

Flowers

Orchid leis and floral bouquets will be offered for sale the day of commencement by Graduation Day Flowers.  If you wish to pre-order floral products at a discount, and pick up at the ceremony, please visit http://www.graduationdayflowers.com.

Diplomas

Commemorative scrolls, not diplomas, are given out at Commencement. Diplomas for undergraduate and graduate students will be automatically mailed free of charge approximately 4 months after the end of the term to the diploma address supplied by you on Bear Facts. If you have any questions or need more information visit the Office of the Registar's website.

Blue & Gold Yearbook

To purchase your copy of the Blue & Gold Yearbook, UC Berkeley's official historical record, click here.

Senior Gift

As a graduating senior, you have an opportunity to join a group of your peers and make a big impact on your College through the Senior Gift Campaign! Your support is critical to maintaining Berkeley’s position as one of the top engineering schools in the world. Visit our Senior Gift page for more information.

Commencement Program for Summer and Fall '13 Graduates

If you are participating in the Spring 2013 Commencement ceremony but will not graduate until Summer or Fall 2013, your name will be called at the ceremony, but not included in the printed program. Your name will be included in the Spring 2014 printed program. After June 1, 2014, if you would like to receive a copy of the Spring 2014 commencement program, e-mail your name, address, and the number of copies you are requesting to Dawn Kramer, bears@berkeley.edu.