Guest post by Marie Erikson, Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Philosophy graduand
A lot of your work as a student is getting yourself to graduation. What happens once you’re there?
Here's how graduation at UBC has both changed and stayed the same over the past 110 years, with fun facts along the way.
- What happens in a graduation ceremony?
- Who is the chancellor, and what do they do?
- What do I wear as a graduand?
- How are Indigenous traditions included in graduation?
- What is the university mace?
- What are doctoral citations, and who writes them?
- Who confers or grants degrees?
- How has the ceremony changed over time?
- What were some special or unusual ceremonies?
What happens in a graduation ceremony?
Ceremonies follow a standard format. All modern ceremonies include:
- An entry processional
- A moment of reflection
- Singing "O Canada"
- Remarks by the UBC president, the provost and a member of the graduating class
- Conferral of degrees
- An address by the Chancellor
- Closing remarks
- An exit processional
Some, but not all, ceremonies include:
- A welcome from a Musqueam Elder
- Conferral of honorary degrees
- Presentation of major awards for faculty, staff or students
Past honorary degree recipients include prime ministers, academics and activists.
1958: Princess Margaret, honorary degree recipient, in the congregation procession (UBC Archives Photograph Collection, UBC 23.1/549-4)
As a student about to graduate, or “graduand,” you will line up for the processional outside the ceremony location (often the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts). PhD graduands often sit on stage with deans, faculty and invited guests. Master’s graduands sit just in front of the stage with undergraduates.
During the conferral of degrees, each student will be called to cross the stage, shake hands with the chancellor and pose for a photo with the president. Before these steps, PhD graduands will stand on stage while a dean reads their doctoral citation (see below). A dean will then place a ceremonial hood over their head or “hood” them.
1980: Rod Michalko, the first blind student to receive a PhD from UBC, is hooded (UBC Archives Photograph Collection, UBC 41.1/793-1)
After the exit procession, graduates may take photos wearing their ceremonial outfits or “regalia” with family, friends and faculty members.
Who is the chancellor, and what do they do?
The chancellor is the ceremonial head of UBC. Chancellor Judy Rogers represents UBC at major events, including graduation ceremonies.
The president and vice-chancellor, currently Dr. Benoit Antoine-Bacon, oversees UBC’s academics and operations.
What do I wear as a graduand?
Master’s graduands wear black, square mortarboard hats, gowns and hoods trimmed with a colour assigned to their degree. The hat, gown and hood are the same as for bachelor’s graduands, except the inside of the black master’s hood is lined with the degree colour. For graduate students alone, there are 60 different colour variants on “regalia,” or the ceremonial clothing. Though regalia wasn’t always reserved for ceremonies, the basic style has been fairly stable across UBC’s history.
Doctoral graduands wear maroon gowns with blue or black panels, depending on their degree. PhD graduands wear round maroon bonnets, while EdD, PharmD and DMA graduands wear round black bonnets.
1991: PhD graduands in the congregation procession (UBC Archives Photograph Collection, UBC 35.1/200-3)
The chancellor and president wear special robes with art representing the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Syilx Okanagan Nation, the host nations of the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, respectively. Chrystal Sparrow, a xʷməθkʷəy̓əm artist and carver, designed the robes in 2020.
Faculty typically wear the regalia for their alma mater that matches the highest degree they’ve earned. You’ll occasionally see faculty members with UBC PhDs matching the PhD graduands.
How are Indigenous traditions included in graduation?
Indigenous graduands may wear traditional regalia from their nation in place of the gown and hat, only carrying their hood. They’re also permitted to decorate their mortarboard hats with elements from their culture, such as woven cedar bark or eagle feathers.
Graduands’ home communities may also hold ceremonies, and UBC recognizes the importance of Indigenous students celebrating their culture at the university ceremony, as part of reconciliation efforts.
Indigenous students are also welcome to participate in an additional ceremony at the First Nations Longhouse. The Longhouse has an intricately carved and specially designed door for graduation ceremonies, known as the ceremonial door. By passing through the door, students ceremoniously become graduates.
What is the university mace?
A ceremonial mace is a decorative club that symbolizes an authority, such as UBC’s chancellor.
Haida carver Bill Reid and sculptor George Norris completed UBC's mace in 1959. Norris carved the mace out of yew wood, including a thunderbird and the UBC crest, and Reid added copper trim. In 1976, Reid received a UBC Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (an honorary degree).
At graduation ceremonies, a faculty member leads the entry procession while carrying the mace. It remains on stage throughout the ceremony until the same faculty member leads the exit procession.
1962: A congregation procession and the mace pass Old Auditorium (UBC Archives Photograph Collection, UBC 23.1/512-1)
What are doctoral citations, and who writes them?
Doctoral citations are a non-specialized summary of a doctoral dissertation, read aloud as they cross the stage during commencement. Doctoral graduands submit their citation of no more than 350 characters when they apply to graduate.
Past citations are available on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.
Who confers or grants degrees?
According to the University Act, the chancellor confers degrees. But in both the Act and in practice, the Senate grants degrees. The Vancouver Senate will officially grant all degrees awarded to UBC Vancouver graduate students. However, programs decide if their students have met all the requirements, and the Senate only makes this official.
How has the ceremony changed over time?
Like today, the first ceremony in 1916 had remarks from important figures and honoured the graduates, though they only received BAs. Some students received awards, with a top prize of 30 dollars. Nine students received degrees without finishing their exams for serving in World War I.
The ceremony also included O Canada at the beginning, except the lyrics were not the ones we use today. UBC’s third ceremony used yet another set of lyrics before switching back to the previous (but still not current) lyrics a year later.
The 1919 ceremony was the first to include master’s graduates, and both were women. UBC awarded its first PhDs in 1950.
Starting in 1951, ceremonies began with an invocation, or an opening prayer. The moment of reflection replaced the invocation in 2003.
Some graduations also included a tree planting, often as a gift from the graduating class.
1986: Members of the graduating class plant a tree at congregation (UBC Archives Photograph Collection, UBC 35.1/136-4)
What were some special or unusual ceremonies?
From 1957 to 1961, UBC hosted the Hungarian Forestry School from Sopron, Hungary, after students and faculty had to flee Soviet invasion. Graduations from 1958 through 1961 honoured students from both schools. The Sopron students wore special hoods inspired by the colours of the Hungarian flag and received UBC degrees.
Some Sopron students, such as Antal Kozak, went on to earn UBC graduate degrees. After coming to UBC during his bachelor’s, Kozak earned his master’s and PhD in Forestry at UBC. He later served as a professor, associate dean and professor emeritus.
Students who graduated in 2020 or 2021 had two graduation ceremonies. UBC held convocation online during the pandemic, but these graduates could attend a second “make-up” ceremony in November 2022.
Mary de Vera, Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, gifts each PhD graduate she supervises a “PhDoll” when they graduate. She finds a Barbie doll that looks like the student and hand-sews mini-PhD regalia for the doll.
The tradition started after De Vera's first PhD student complained about only getting a piece of paper for all her hard work.
“I used to make clothes for my dolls when I was a kid, so I thought why not try to make grad regalia,” De Vera says.
Others were envious, so De Vera continued the practice for all PhD students she supervises. Five PhDolls have appeared at graduation so far, with another to come this May.
From left to right: Drs. Nicole Tsao, Shahrzad Salmasi, Alyssa Howren, Nevena Rebic and Niki Oveisi holding their PhDolls (Courtesy of Mary de Vera)
Learn more
Check out our favourite archival photos of graduation ceremonies (and why you should plan for the weather) below. You can also learn more about the graduation ceremony or the requirements for finishing your program.