Tufts University School of Medicine

Information for Medical/GSBS Graduates

Phase II Ceremony for Medical School and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) programs: MD, MD/MA, MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD/PhD, PhD, and GSBS MS.

Commencement Tickets

Graduates can invite an unlimited number of guests to the Commencement ceremony (Phase I and II), and no tickets or invitations are necessary. All individuals attending Commencement at the University are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. General Visitor Information regarding COVID-19 can be found on our website: https://coronavirus.tufts.edu/visitors.

Caps and Gowns

Participants in the Commencement ceremony are attired in academic regalia. Caps and gowns have been ordered for all graduates and will be distributed in late-April. Remember to bring your cap and gown with you to the Medford Campus on Commencement Day.

Arrival Time

Graduates attending the Phase I and Phase II ceremonies should report to Eaton Hall, Room 201 promptly at 8:30 am for robing. At the conclusion of the Phase I ceremony, staff will direct graduates and faculty to the Gantcher Center.

Graduates attending the Phase II Medical/GSBS ceremony should report to the Gantcher Center and be ready to line up in Procession order by 11:00 am.

Phase II Details

See below for Phase II Medical/GSBS Procession, Diploma Presentation and Hooding Details

Photographs and Videos

The Medical/Graduate School has arranged for photographs to be taken of each graduate at the ceremony and to have a professional videotape made of the entire event. Detailed information about ordering photos and videos will be sent directly from the production company. Contact Commencement Photos, Inc., at 978-851-5924 for more information.

  • Pre-Ceremony (Sunday Morning)

    • Students should arrive in the Gantcher center by 10:30 am and go directly to the Commencement Card Table to pick up their personalized card listing Procession Order and Diploma Announcement Name.
    • Students will have the opportunity to dress in their cap and gown in the designated Robing area. (Reminder: there is no storage area for jackets, purses, luggage, etc.)
    • At approximately 11:00 am, students will begin to line-up in Procession order.(Guests are asked to take their seats and clear the isles.)
    • Keep your Commencement Cards with you!

    Procession

    • Students will walk in two rows and proceed down center aisle to their seats directly in front of the stage. Commencement Cards will note which side (left/right) and which row number you will be sitting in.
    • Turn into your row and proceed to the last available seat. (Staff will indicate which row you should enter.)
    • Students will have their name on their appropriate seat. If a classmate is missing, please leave that seat empty.

    Diploma Presentation and Hooding

    • Students will be asked to "rise and proceed to the stage" in a group according to degree to be received. (MD/MA, MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD, MS, PhD, and MD/PhD)
    • Because of the size of the MD group, students will rise one row at a time. (Staff will indicate when your row should rise.)
    • When asked to rise, students will exit their row. Students will follow in line and walk behind a side curtain where MD and PhD students will be handed their hood.
    • Students will then proceed one at a time to the side steps of the stage. When directed, they will hand their Commencement Card to the announcer and their name will be read.
    • Students will proceed onto the stage to the faculty member who will be hooding graduates.
    • When you reach the faculty hooder, hand him/her your hood. Turn to face the audience and allow the faculty member to place the hood over your head. Once hooded, continue across the stage to the Dean.
    • For MD/MA, MD/MBA, and MD/MPH students, you will shake your Program Director's hand prior to receiving your degree from the Dean.
    • The Dean will hand you your diploma and shake your hand.
    • You will then pause with the Dean for a professional photograph and then exit the stage down the center steps.
    • At the bottom of the steps TURN RIGHT and walk around the students seating area to get back to your row. (Look for staff to help direct you.)

    Recession

    • Students will stand and proceed away from the stage area in the reverse order that they entered.