Doctoral candidates
Congratulations!
Reporting for the Hooding Ceremony
This information applies to advanced degree candidates only. Please download and read this PDF, which will tell you when, where, and how to report for the Hooding Ceremony on June 4, 2009. Questions may be directed to Traci Swartz, tswartz@mit.edu.
Please note that the registrar reminds all degree candidates to check WEBSIS for any outstanding grades or financial charges that would prevent you from being invested with your doctoral hood on
June 4, 2009 and receiving your degree at Commencement. More information, including student deadlines, is available here.
Time and venue
The Hooding Ceremony will take place at 11am in Rockwell Cage (W33). Admission for guests begins at 10am; tickets are not required.
Robing and assembly
Hooding candidates should be in the Johnson Athletics Center Ice Rink by 10am to robe and assemble.
The robing and assembly areas are for graduates only; please ask your family and friends to proceed to the venue. Further guest information is available in the Family & Friends and Hooding Guests sections.
Regalia
Please pick up your regalia earlier in the week, and be sure to check that you have received the correct gown. There will not be extra regalia available at the ceremony; please come prepared. More information on regalia is available here.
You are not responsible for ordering or picking up your new hood; it will be given to you on stage during the ceremony.
If you are not planning to attend the Hooding Ceremony, but you do plan to attend Commencement, your hood will be waiting for you at the robing area in the Johnson Athletics Center on Friday morning.
For more on academic traditions, including MIT regalia, please click here.
Graduates with disabilities or special needs
Please email Traci Swartz at tswartz@mit.edu, Hooding Ceremony Coordinator, by May 29 so that we can plan the best accommodation for you.
Procession, hood investiture, and recession
Degree candidates follow faculty in the procession to the stage in Rockwell Cage. You will receive your hood from the chancellor and your department head or his/her designate. After the ceremony, everyone on stage recesses in the same fashion, and you are led to the reception.
There are no children or other family or friends allowed on the stage, in the procession, or in the recession. We must require guests to stay in the seating area.
Photographs and videos from hooding
You will receive a mailing from Commencement Photos, Inc. This company will photograph each candidate at the time of hood investiture. Please note: there is no designated area for guests to take photographs during the ceremony. Because of the single-level seating and distance from the stage, guests will not be able to get close enough to the stage to take good photos. The best way to get a good photograph is to order the professional one. More information on photography is available on the photos & video page.
After the Hooding Ceremony is over, you will be able to take photographs in front of the stage. Please discuss this with your guests beforehand so that they know that they will have this option.
Videos of the Hooding Ceremony may be ordered from MIT Video Productions. Please email Joanne Flood at jflood@mit.edu. Guests will not be permitted to set up video cameras in the aisles; please contact Joanne if you would like a video of the event.
After the ceremony
There is a reception of dessert and light refreshments after the Hooding Ceremony. All are invited; no tickets are required. The reception will be in the tent on Kresge Oval.
