Graduation
The graduation application will be opened on January 8th, 2013.
Degrees or certificates are awarded on the recommendation of the faculty and the dean of the school in which the student is enrolled. The student must meet the following criteria to be awarded a degree:
- Certified as having completed all requirements of the program by the Office of the Registrar
- Free of financial obligation to the Texas A&M Health Science Center as certified by the Offices of Finance and Administration and Student Business Services
The HSC does not automatically award degrees upon completion of scholastic requirements. To be considered for a degree, a student must complete procedures and meet deadlines:
- Submit an application for graduation to the Office of the Registrar. Apply for graduation by submitting the application for graduation via the web in myHSC.
The deadlines for applying for graduation are as follows:
Fall Graduates: September 15
Spring Graduates: February 15
Summer Graduates: June 15
Once an application for graduation is received, the application is forwarded to the appropriate component. It is approved/disapproved by the component and returned to the Office of the Registrar for further processing.
Students who have not cleared financial or other obligations to the HSC will not be permitted to receive a diploma, transcript, or degree verification until the obligation has been met. The degree will, however, be conferred.
Preparing for Graduation
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation from the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Commencement will be held on the following dates and times for each School/College:
College of Pharmacy - Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 2pm; Steinke Physical Education Center.
College of Nursing - Friday, May 17, 2013 at 10am; Rudder Auditorium. Rehearsal for the College of Nursing will be held on Thursday, May 16 at 1pm in Rudder Auditorium.
School of Rural Public Health - Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 9am; Rudder Auditorium - SRPH students must be in the dressing room the morning of the commencement ceremony by 8:00 AM in order to take part in the processional. Rehearsal for the School of Rural Public Health is mandatory and will be held on Friday, May 17th at 3pm in Rudder Auditorium.
College of Medicine/School of Graduate Studies - Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 2pm; Rudder Auditorium. Rehearsal for both the College of Medicine and the School of Graduate Studies will be held on Friday, May 17 at 1:30pm in Rudder Auditorium.
Baylor College of Dentistry- Friday, May 24, 2013 at 10 am, Meyerson Center.
In the event your record fails to clear for graduation, your diploma will not be available at the ceremony. Graduation problems such as failure for clearance will be addressed on the following Monday at 8 am.
Cost
In an effort to assist you in planning for the costs associated with graduation, you may access a summary of possible graduation costs.
The fee will be applied to your account when you submit your graduation application. You must then go to the Student Business Services tab in myHSC to pay the fee.
Academic Regalia
All candidates who wish to participate in the commencement ceremony must wear the appropriate academic regalia. Beginning mid-November, regalia may be ordered here. You must order your academic regalia no later than March 31, 2013 midnight, in order to assure that you receive your academic regalia in time to participate in the ceremony. Please note that our vendor has advised us that when ordering your regalia, you should list your delivery date as one week prior to the ceremony.
Your regalia will not be shipped to you. It will be available in the dressing room the day of the ceremony. All rented regalia should be returned immediately to the dressing room after the commencement ceremony. Please note that graduates will be allowed to keep their cap, tassel, and honors cords and will receive their copy of the commencement program at the time of regalia return. GRADUATES MUST RETURN THEIR GOWNS AND HOODS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CEREMONY.
Graduation Invitations
Signature Announcements offers the production of graduation announcements. Announcements may be ordered at http://www.signatureannouncements.com/ by clicking on "Place Your Order Here." There is no specific deadline for invitation ordering. However, we recommend ordering no later than April 1, 2013 in order to ensure your order is received in time for mailing to your guests.
Parking
Guests and students are permitted to park in the Koldus Parking Garage directly across the street from the Rudder Complex. Parking fees are posted at the entry of the garage. You must pay for parking at the pay station prior to exiting, so carry your parking ticket with you.
Seating
Guests will be allowed in the auditorium approximately one hour prior to the ceremony. Seating is available on a "first come, first served" basis. We ask that all guests promptly seat themselves. Entering the auditorium while the candidates are processing is prohibited, not only for safety reasons, but out of respect for the accomplishment of our graduates.
Ceremony Length
Each ceremony lasts approximately two hours with a reception following immediately after.
Overnight Lodging
Blocks of rooms have been reserved at various hotels in College Station for the May ceremony:
Phone 979.846.0184
320 Texas Ave, South College Station
Group name is TAMU Systems Health Science Center, Group Code is HSC
Cost of rooms each night is $94.00 for a Double/King room
Cut off date for Hampton Inn & Suites is April 26, 2013
Phone 979.485.8300
2500 Earl Rudder Freeway
Group name is Health Science Center, Group Code is HSC
Cost of rooms each night is $93.00 for a standard room and $114.00 for suites
Cut off date for Holiday Inn is April 26, 2013
Phone 979.693.7500
801 University Drive East
Group name is HSC Graduation, Group Code is HSC
Cost of rooms each night is $125.00
Cut off date for Hilton In will be April 26, 2013
Photography
Bluefish Photography is the official photographer of the Health Science Center commencement ceremonies on the College Station campus. You will be photographed three times as you cross the stage. Once while you are being hooded, once while receiving your diploma, and once while shaking the hand of the Dean. Information will be forthcoming with regard to ordering photographs. Some of the work of the photographer may be viewed at http://www.bluefish-photo.com/
Bluefish Photography
P.O. Box 10834
College Station, Texas 77842
979.777.6834
bluefishphotography@yahoo.com
Rehearsal
The College of Medicine and School of Graduate Studies will hold its rehearsal on Friday, May 17th at 1:30pm in Rudder Auditorium.
The School of Rural Public Health's mandatory rehearsal for students is on Friday, May 17th at 3:00pm in Rudder Auditorium.
The College of Nursing will hold its rehearsal on Thursday, May 16th at 1pm in Rudder Auditorium.
The HSC Class Ring
You may find information about ordering your HSC class ring at http://www.tamhsc.edu/ring
E-Mail Notification
Your e-mail account will be inactivated 60 days after graduation. Please make arrangements to receive e-mail via another e-mail address.
Exit Counseling
All students who have received federal loans for attendance at the HSC are required to complete an Exit Counseling session. This is a federal requirement. Failure to do so may cause requests for transcripts to be denied. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid for more information.
