Overview
At the end of every Spring Quarter, the Physical Sciences Division holds a PhD Diploma and Hooding Ceremony for students who have received a PhD degree from the Physical Sciences Division in the past academic year. The PhD Diploma and Hooding Ceremony is typically held on Saturday of Convocation week after the University-wide Convocation in the morning.
Degree candidates must register for the ceremony in addition to submitting their application to graduate. The application to graduate will be submitted in your graduation quarter; the ceremony registration form will be available around mid-March 2027.
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Eligibility to Participate
Students from the following PhD programs are eligible to participate in the PSD PhD Diploma Ceremony if they received or will receive their PhD in Summer 2026, Autumn 2026, Winter 2027, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027:
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Biophysical Sciences
- Chemistry
- Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Geophysical Sciences
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Statistics
Information for Graduates
Registration
Students must complete an online registration form to participate in the PhD Diploma and Hooding Ceremony. Please note that this is a separate process from your application to graduate. The ceremony registration form for 2027 will be available in mid-March 2027.
Hooders
PhD candidates are typically hooded by their advisor. Students who plan to participate in the PhD Diploma and Hooding Ceremony should notify their advisor that they plan to participate in the ceremony. Students with two primary advisors will be asked to select one advisor to hood them, though both advisors will be acknowledged at the ceremony. If a student's advisor is unable to attend to hood them, a Deputy Dean will hood the student.
Regalia
Graduates participating in the PhD Diploma Ceremony must wear University of Chicago academic regalia to participate. The required regalia can either be rented or purchased. For PhD candidates, regalia includes:
- Doctoral robe (available through the University Bookstore)
- Doctoral tam (available through the University Bookstore)
- Doctoral hood (available through the University Bookstore)
Information for Guests
We look forward to welcoming our graduates' guests to campus to celebrate their tremendous accomplishments. Tickets are not required to attend the event. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For those who are unable to travel to campus, a livestream of the ceremony will be available.
The PhD Diploma and Hooding ceremony is typically held on Saturday of Convocation weekend. The ceremony will be followed directly by a luncheon for graduates and their guests. Box lunches and water will be provided. We will offer a variety of dietary options including vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and halal.
Ceremony Livestream
Livestream links will be available closer to the ceremony date.
Photography
Professional photographers will be on site to photograph each graduate as they cross the stage to receive their diploma. Information for ordering those photos will be made available to graduates around late June.
The Physical Sciences Division will also offer a photo backdrop graduates and guests can use for personal photos.