Deadlines for Masters and PhD Student Participation in COM Commencement

A. Participation in the Commencement Ceremony

Required web form

Participation in the ceremony is optional, but graduates who wish to participate must provide “Intent to Participate” information via a separate College of Medicine web-based form by March 17, 2018. [Purposes: Acquisition of discipline-specific colored satin stole, a component of your regalia;  Commencement Program biographic detail;   provision of instructions to faculty hooder, etc.]

Eligible students who meet graduation requirements (Summer 2016, Fall 2016, and Spring 2017, AND have met the UIC requirement to complete the online “Intent to Graduate” Pending Degree List (PDL) Process at http://www.uic.edu/depts/ims/webstudent/graduationpdl.htm are invited to participate in the College of Medicine Commencement on Friday, May 11, 2018 in the UIC Pavilion at 525 Racine Avenue.

Approximate Event Timing

1:00 p.m. — Pavilion doors open for guest seating; there are no tickets & seating is unlimited;  Students must arrive NO LATER THAN 1:15 p.m. to the Garage of the UIC Pavilion.
2:00 p.m. –Ceremony begins. The ceremony lasts approximately  2 hours.

Student Option

Student Action Required

Deadline
NOT participate NONE NONE
Participate
in the ceremony
 1) Confirm your participation and your hooder via this survey.

  • Before you fill out the form, contact your thesis advisor to verify that he/she will be present in academic regalia (owned or rented through academic department) to hood you at ceremony.
  • If your thesis/dissertation advisor is not available, you must contact your department head to hood you or to approve an alternate hooder.
 March 17, 2018*

* date corresponds to UIC Medical Bookstore deadline for departmental order of faculty regalia.
2) Purchase your academic regalia from UIC Medical Bookstore. by May 11, (before the ceremony)
3) Arrive at Pavillion for line-up at 1:00 on May 11, 2018 Faculty Hooding Instructions

B. Inclusion in the Commencement Program Book

The College of Medicine produces a keepsake program book for distribution at the ceremony. Names of all graduating students, as provided by the Graduate College, are automatically listed by degree and department. Students who submit a photo that meets requirements AND other required information by the March  17, 2018 deadline are included in another section of the book.There are no exceptions to the March 17 deadline.
Sample pages: Name only: Masters, PhD; photos and bio: Masters, PhD. 
Inclusion of photos in the program is not a requirement for participation in the ceremony.

Student Option Student Action Required Deadline
Name, Department, & Degree listed only. NONE NONE
Photo PLUS Name, Department, Degree, Hometown, previous degrees, & thesis title.

NOTE: Photos will not be included without bio data, nor will bio data be included without photo. Both must be submitted by deadline to be included in the program book.

Please submit webform once when you have compiled all content. Your photo is handled separately and directly with UIC Photo Services and need not be submitted at the same time as the webform.

 1) Either email your photograph to cjconn@uic.edu in this REQUIRED format

  • 4X6 300 DPI jpg format (larger format is required to provide book designer room to crop photos for consistent look in the book).
  • Posed with torso turned slightly to left or right with gaze at camera (both ears should not be visible). Sample photos
  • Posed at least 3 feet from a PLAIN background (to provide more of a portrait look and less of an ID Photo look). Photos with objects or figures in the background are NOT acceptable.

OR contact cjconn@uic.edu to arrange a photo session

 March 17, 2018*

* date corresponds to the layout deadline for program book.
2) Include the following information in your webform submission.

  • Name as you wish it to appear in the program book
  • Hometown
  • Previous degrees
  • Title of your thesis
 March 17, 2018*

* date corresponds to the layout deadline for program book.

C. Official Name Changes

The official name that the University has on record is the name that will be used in the ceremony, is printed in the program book and on your diploma:

  • Process Legal Name Changes with UIC Office of Admissions and Records
    Plan to initiate name changes with the UIC Office of Records and Registration immediately to allow adequate processing time to meet the mid-March print deadlines for the program book. You will be required to provide legal documentation for all name changes.
  • Verify Name for Diploma
    Please verify your name when you are completing the online PDL process (above). To change the name that is printed on your diploma, i.e. married name, middle name or initial, you will need to complete and submit the following form accordingly, http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/forms/csdnchange.pdf You will be required to provide proper documentation as indicated on the form.