Live Commencement on May 22 has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment.
Please see more details in an excerpts from an email Dean Ann Harrison sent to the MBA community on March 19 for more information. We will keep this page updated as new details become available.
Dear Students,
We fully understand just how sad and upsetting the prospect of not having a commencement celebration is. Therefore we will explore different ways for you to celebrate your achievement of getting a degree from Berkeley Haas with your classmates, families, and friends.
We have formed two task forces. The first task force will explore a virtual commencement experience at the scheduled time this May. The second task force will explore the possibility of bringing everybody together for an in-person event at a future time. A task force member will work with your program dean to invite student input. This is important to all of us.
We want to ensure that you will reap all the benefits of your transformative Berkeley Haas experience, including the wonderful connections you have made and will continue to make as part of our Haas community.
We will keep you posted on commencement and look forward to connecting with you.
Best,
Dean Ann Harrison
FAQ
Given all of the changes to the celebrations for the class of 2020, it may be hard to keep track. Click here for answers to some frequently asked questions from your classmates.
Ceremony
Date: Live Commencement on Friday May 22, 2020 has been cancelled
Commencement Speaker: TBA
Tickets will be required, though you may request unlimited free guest tickets. Unlimited Commencement tickets are available from the Program Office starting in May.
All events are scheduled RAIN or SHINE!
There are four items that you need for Commencement: a cap, gown, hood and tassel. They are sold as a package called the Master Gown Package. Select or indicate “Business Administration as your Program/Major during check out.
Please note: “Drab” or light brown is the standard hood color for the MBA degree. Samples will be available in the MBA Program Office if you want to see the items.
Tassels may be purchased from the Cal Student Store online. This is a popular item so purchase early!
Ways to purchase the Master Gown Package:
- Online: You can order your Master Gown Package from Fall Rush Gear & Books (Jostens) and have the items shipped to you, or you can pick them up in the store. Please note: You will need to provide your height, degree and department in the special instruction field on the review and order page. If you just need a cap or tassel, those are available for individual purchase at student stores or an online retailer.
- In-person: You can purchase and pick up your regalia in one visit to the Graduation Department of Fall Rush Gear & Books (2480 Bancroft between Telegraph and Dana) . We recommend that you visit the store during off-peak hours, such as early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid long lines. Please allow at least 1/2 hour to order and pick-up your regalia. Store hours for can be found on each store’s website.
Please be careful with your tassel to ensure that you don’t lose it. They do not hook onto the cap very well, so we recommend waiting until you arrive at the Greek to put on your tassel. We will have tape available at the check-in table to help with this as well.
Graduating students may request a visa support letter for family members traveling internationally to attend graduation. Once a request is submitted, our office will email you the letter within 10 business days.
The Commencement ceremony will be held in the Hearst Greek Theatre. Please remember to tell your guests that the Greek Theatre is an outdoor amphitheatre and to plan appropriately. Umbrellas and water bottles are allowed, but bags may be searched upon entry. Strollers are not allowed into the Greek Theatre but may be parked near the North Side Guest Entrance.
The ceremony will last approximately two hours. The commencement ceremony will be live streamed.
Restrooms are located at both ends of the amphitheater. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located inside the North entrance.
New Security Procedures
New this season, all patrons entering the Greek Theatre will be required to walk through metal detectors at the entrances to the venue. Please ensure that you arrive early enough to allow for this new security step and to ensure that you are in your seat and ready for the performance on time!
Tickets
Tickets are required but seating for the ceremony is general admission. Tickets will be required for entry for all guests attending the ceremony (including children and infants). Graduates in caps and gowns will not require a ticket. Tickets MUST be requested in advance (in April) and you will be able to pick them up at WE Lead or from the Program Office starting in early May.
Guest Arrival Time
Gates will open at 12:30PM for your guests to find seating.
Graduate Arrival Time
Graduates may arrive starting at 12:30PM at the South end of the back stage area and must be present by 1PM. Proceed to the EWMBA table and pick up a name card. You will write your name on this card as you want it to be announced when you walk across the stage. This card also serves as record for the photographer, and you’ll list your name and email on the back.
Processional
There is no special seating order for the MBA graduates. You will be in a single file line when you go out of the gate, so be sure to stand either in front of or behind the person you wish to sit with. Promptly at 2PM, Pomp and Circumstance will begin and the MBA graduates will march out into the seating areas. Each degree program will recognize several award winners and each will have a student speaker. Evening & Weekend MBA graduates will walk across the stage, have their name read, receive a scroll, shake hands with Dean Ann Harrison and have their picture taken before proceeding back to the seating area.
Children During Processional
Children are welcome to accompany you as you cross the stage (hold their hand or carry them). You can have family or friends bring the children to you at the point right before you go up on stage. Then, after you go across, have them meet you at the other end of the stage to meet the children and take them back to their seats. We ask that all students stay for the entire ceremony. Full Time MBA students will be acknowledged first, followed by EW students (this alternates each year). Please see below for where guests should drop off/pick up children.
A reception will be held in the Haas Courtyard immediately following the ceremony. You may enter the reception for free in your cap and gown. You may invite guests at a cost of $5 per ticket (children five and under will be admitted for free). Tickets can be purchased online or in person (cash or check) from the Program Office in May.
General parking for your guests will be available in the Foothill Lot (Hearst Avenue, east of Highland Avenue,) and the Lower Hearst Structure Level 2 (Hearst between Scenic and Euclid Avenue.) The cost will be $10.00 (Credit Card only – Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express OK).*
* Please note that these prices are subject to change
Wheelchair and seating for guests with special needs (few or no stairs) is available in the Greek Theatre at all entrances. When your guest enters the Greek Theatre, they should ask an usher or staff member to escort them to the special seating area. One wheelchair is available in the Greek Theatre to transport guests with special needs to their seats. Due to space constraints, Cal Performances can only guarantee seating for one companion for each guest in the special seating area. Please note that although the Greek Theatre is a wheelchair accessible venue, it is large and steep and we recommend that guests needing extra assistance have an escort.
If your guest has a Handicapped Parking placard, parking is available for $10* (cash only) on a first come-first served basis in the Bowles Hall lot (adjacent to the South side of the Greek Theatre). If your guest does not have a Handicapped Parking placard, we recommend that you drop your guest off in the loading zone in front of the North entrance to the Greek Theatre on Gayley Road. This is the designated Handicapped entrance to the Greek Theatre. One wheelchair is available in the Greek Theatre to transport guests with special needs to their seats.
*Please note that these prices are subject to change.
The ceremonial scroll you receive at Commencement is not a diploma. Degrees take several months to process. Your diploma comes from the University and will not be available until approximately four months after your degree is completed. Your diploma will be automatically mailed to you when it becomes available, so please ensure that your permanent address is updated in CalCentral.
Details and the link to the Diploma request form are available here.
Information on ordering transcripts can be found here.