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.

The deadline has past to request tickets. If you have not yet done so, please email [email protected] for next steps.

All guests attending the Commencement Ceremony at the Greek Theater will be required to have a ticket (including children and infants). Tickets are free of charge, and will be available for pick up in the beginning of May in the EWMBA Program Office during business hours. If you are attending WE Lead, you may also pick up your tickets at the event on Sunday, May 14. In order to avoid last minute problems, please request a ticket for anyone you think may come – we would rather give you more than you need than not enough! Graduates in a cap and gown will not need a ticket.

The Commencement ceremony will be held in the Hearst Greek Theatre. Tickets for all guests are required  for entry, but seating for the ceremony is general admission. Please remember to tell your guests that the Greek Theatre is an outdoor amphitheater and to plan appropriately as the weather can fluctuate. Umbrellas and empty water bottles are allowed, but bags may be searched upon entry. All guests must go through metal detectors upon entry. Strollers are not allowed into the Greek Theatre. We will continue to update this website should further restrictions be placed.

Graduates should arrive at 1PM at the South end of the Greek Theatre (See map below). Graduates will then proceed to the EWMBA table just outside the South Gate, check in 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 a record for the photographer, and you’ll list your name and email on the back.There is no special seating order for the MBA graduates. You will be in a single file line when you go through the gate, so be sure to stand either in front of or behind the person you wish to sit with.

IMPORTANT: All students will be required to walk through a metal detector prior to entering the Greek Theatre. Starting at 1:45PM, students will be asked to line up and begin making their way through the metal detectors. Just like entering through other metal detectors, you will need to remove everything from your pockets. To help ensure the procession moves efficiently, please make sure to limit what you have in your pockets. Any purse or bag will also be searched so please plan accordingly.

Restrooms are located at both ends of the amphitheater. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located inside the North entrance.

Event Program:

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. We ask that all students stay for the entire ceremony. Full Time MBA Students will be acknowledged first, followed by the Evening & Weekend MBA Students.

• Welcome & Commencement Address
• Full Time MBA Student Awards & Student Speaker
• Full Time MBA Conferring of Degrees
• Evening & Weekend MBA Student Awards & Student Speaker
• Evening & Weekend MBA Conferring of Degrees
• Closing Message

A note about guests on stage

For security reasons, only graduates are allowed to sit in the bowl of the Greek Theatre. No guests will be allowed to enter the graduate area or to cross the stage, including children.

We know your friends and family will be cheering you on at the Greek! We recommend taking photos before and after the ceremony outside of the Greek Theatre and at the reception in the Haas Courtyard immediately following Commencement.

Thanks for your cooperation as we are expecting over 4000 people to attend the event.

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There are four items that you need for Commencement: a cap, gown, MBA 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 EWMBA Program Office if you want to see the items.

There are two ways to purchase these items:

• Online: You can order your Master Gown Package from two stores close to campus and have the items shipped to you, or you can pick them up in the store:
  • The (official) Cal Student Store. Be sure to also add a Master Hood in the MBA “drab” color, found on their website in the My Grad section
  • The Student Store (Fall Rush)
    • Please note: You will need to provide your height, weight, degree and department in the special instruction field on the review and order page.
• In-person: You can purchase and pick up your regalia in one visit to the Graduation Department of Cal Student Store (2495 Bancroft Way in the Student Union) or The Student Store (2470 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. Check the websites for updated hours.

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.

General Parking

General parking for your guests will be available in the Foothill Lot (On Cyclotron Road, east of Highland Avenue),  and the 2nd floor of Lower Hearst Structure (at the corner of Hearst Ave and Gayley Rd). The cost will be $11.00* (credit card only).

* Cost are subject to change

Disabled Parking

All designated Disabled spaces and non-reserved spaces will be available at the above lots & rates to disabled patrons with certified handicapped placards or license plates on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no designated parking lot or special rates for Disabled Placard holders.

Student Parking

Students with the MBA Semester Spring 2023 permit will be able to park in student lots following normal parking permit rules (The Spring Permit is good through May 22). Please allow enough time to park and walk to the Greek Theatre.

Foothill Lot is a designated public lot for the Commencement Ceremony. Space may be limited. There may be an attendant at the entrance. State that you have a semester permit but please pay the difference until your permit is valid (see below). Unterhill is not a designated Commencement Ceremony Lot, but space may still be limited.

IMPORTANT: The MBA Semester permit provided by the Evening & Weekend MBA Program is valid starting at 3:30PM on weekdays in “S” Lots (e.g. Underhill and Foothill). Given students need to arrive before the permit is valid, students are responsible for paying for parking at the lot from the time they arrive until the permit is valid at 3:30PM.

Please pay close attention to the rules listed on the Parking FAQ page.

You can find more information on the Parking & Transportation Website

* All details are subject to change

Wheelchair and seating for guests with special needs (few or no stairs) is available in the Greek Theatre at the north entrance (see map below). When your guest enters the Greek Theatre, they should ask an usher or staff member to escort them to the special seating area.

A wheelchair is available in the Greek Theatre for medical emergencies only and are not guaranteed to be available 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 you have a guest with ADA needs, please notify the EWMBA Program Office at [email protected] with the name of your guest and their accessibility needs so we can notify the Greek Theatre ahead of time.

ADA PARKING

All designated Disabled spaces and non-reserved spaces will be available at the Commencement Guest Parking Lots & rates to disabled patrons with certified handicapped placards or license plates on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no designated parking lot or special rates for Disabled Placard holders.

Currently, the Greek Theater offers drop-off only in the Bowles Lot adjacent to the theater.

The commencement ceremony will be livestreamed.

Please click on the commencement ceremony livestream link to view.

Click here to view previous emails about Commencement.