Graduation & Hooding

Each May, the Arnold School of Public Health hosts a Hooding Ceremony for master's and doctoral students eligible to graduate in May, August and December. Students eligible to participate are asked to complete a brief form with information for the program. Details will be emailed to students and posted below in early Spring.

The Hooding Ceremony is held at the Koger Center and is usually held the day before University Spring commencement exercises. Tickets are not required, but seating is on a first come basis.

Each year a guest of honor is invited to give a brief message to the graduates. Candidates are then presented for the hooding ceremony. The Dean and department chairs present hoods to doctoral candidates; department chairs present hoods to master's candidates. This is followed by the presentation of the annual student and faculty awards. Immediately after the ceremony, graduating students, their families and guests are invited to join the Arnold School deans, faculty and staff for a reception in the lobby of the Koger Center.

Graduate Instructions for the 2020 Hooding Ceremony
Thursday, May 7, 9:00 am, Koger Center

Congratulations, Graduates!

You will need to be at the Koger Center by 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. The room where we will gather is located across from the elevator in the Koger Center lobby (it will be marked). Once you get to the robing room, find the chair with your name on it and have a seat. (Please do not remove the name card from your chair.) If you are unable to find your name, please check with your departmental staff person. Graduates are grouped by academic department and will enter the stage by department, with the exception of doctoral graduates. Doctoral graduates enter first and are grouped in alphabetical order. Be sure to bring your cap, gown, hood and tassel. Graduates will carry their hoods on stage.

The cap, gown, hood and tassel can be purchased from the University Bookstore at the Russell House. (Many items have to be ordered and are not available for immediate purchase, so please go to the bookstore several weeks before the Hooding ceremony.) Please pay special attention to the color of your hood and tassel- the color is based on your major and degree. Master’s students’ tassels are salmon pink and doctoral students are gold. A list of hood colors is provided below:

Doctor of Philosophy	Dark Blue
Doctor of Public Health	Salmon Pink
Doctor of Physical Therapy	Teal
Master of Communication Disorders	Salmon Pink
Master of Health Administration	Salmon Pink
Master of Public Health	Salmon Pink
Master of Science	Salmon Pink
Master of Science in Public Health	Salmon Pink
Master of Speech Pathology	Salmon Pink

For general USC Graduation information go to: http://commencement.sc.edu.

A reception will be held in the lobby of the Koger Center following the ceremony. All graduates and their guests are invited to attend.

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Registration

You must register for your name to appear in the program and to reserve your seat for the day of the ceremony. Please click here to register. Even if you do not plan to participate in the ceremony, you may have your information printed in the ceremony program .
Deadline: March 2, 2020

Invitation

Click here for a pdf copy of the Hooding Invitation. You may use this for evites.

Each candidate for graduation must file an application for graduation.
These applications are due early in the term in which graduation is expected. All students will be required to submit their application for graduation online through Self Service Carolina (SSC). The “Apply to Graduate” box is located under the “Student” tab in SSC. Students will be asked to verify their name, address, and academic program information during the application process. Note: Students are typically required to register during the term of graduation.

The Graduation application deadline is:

Spring 2020 (May 2020) - February 17, 2020
Summer 2020 (August 2020) - July 20, 2020
Fall 2020 (December 2020) - October 2020

For general USC Graduation information go to: http://commencement.sc.edu.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Office of Graduate Student Services at 803-777-5031 or sphstsrv@mailbox.sc.edu.

The Graduate School requires that students complete a Program of Study in addition to the other steps that must be taken as part of their degree program. It is the student's responsibility to see that all requirements are met. All necessary forms may be accessed at the Graduate School forms library, http://gradschool.sc.edu/forms/.

In addition to the Arnold School of Public Health Hooding Ceremony, graduating students may also attend the University of South Carolina's Commencement Exercises.

In case of inconsistency between this page and the Registrar’s "Commencement Ceremonies" page regarding University Commencement or University Doctoral Hooding, the Registrar’s Office is the final authority. The Arnold School of Public Health Hooding Ceremony is a separate event and information will be posted on this page.

The dates are as follows:
No August Commencement or Hooding Ceremonies.

Spring 2020:
Commencement Exercises (Arnold School of Public Health Undergraduate and Masters degree students)	Friday, May 8, 2020	3:00 PM	Colonial Life Arena
USC Doctoral Hooding (eligible participants only)	Saturday, May 9, 2020	1:00 PM	Koger Center for Arts

Fall 2020:
Commencement Exercises (Arnold School of Public Health Undergraduate and Masters degree students)	Monday, December 14, 2020	2:30 PM	Colonial Life Arena
USC Doctoral Hooding (eligible participants only)	Monday, December 14, 2020	9:30 AM	Koger Center for Arts

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