Fall Commencement Information

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Times:

Master and Doctoral Candidates: 9:30 a.m.

Associate and Bachelor Candidates: 2:00 p.m.

--TUNE IN FOR THE LIVE BROADCAST AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT-- 

Due to space limits, the university respectfully requests guests to attend only the ceremony in which their candidate is participating.

Graduation Day Check-In

All students must report no later than the assigned time. Once you have entered the area, please remain seated and follow all instructions very carefully. Please attend to personal matters prior to reporting to the area.

Seating arrangements and preparation for the ceremony are important. During the ceremony, students will be recognized for their accomplishments.

Participant Dress Code

Appropriate business attire and shoes are required.

Code of Behavior for Florida Tech Commencement Ceremonies

Neither food nor beverages are permitted in or around the ceremony area. This prohibition applies with force to alcoholic beverages, the presence of which is illegal and will lead to eviction from the commencement ceremony.

Graduation Regalia

All candidates must report wearing appropriate academic attire (cap and gown).
Undergraduate students: Make certain the tassel is attached to the cap and hung on the right.

• Students must purchase their own regalia, including caps and gowns for all degrees, and master’s and doctoral hood. Direct regalia questions to Ellie Turner, bookstore manager, at 321-674-8042 or by email to eturner@fit.edu.
• The registrar’s office will distribute the undergraduate honors cords during check-in the morning of commencement.

Commencement Tickets

Candidates must present a photo ID in order to request guest tickets. 

The number of tickets each candidate is allotted is limited due to venue capacity.

Education Center candidates attending the Melbourne campus commencement will receive an email regarding their guest tickets once they have reported their intent to attend the exercise.

Florida Tech Online candidates attending the Melbourne campus commencement will receive an email regarding their guest tickets once they have reported their intent to attend the exercise.

Children are welcome to attend the commencement exercises. All children must have a ticket to attend.

Due to limited space, it is recommended that strollers are left at home. There is no stroller parking or storage available. If a stroller must be used, enter the commencement venue via the Reserved and Accommodation Seating entrance for assistance.

Keep in mind the commencement exercises are crowded, with minimal space to move around freely and may prove to be a challenging environment for small children. 

Special Arrangements

If a guest in your party requires special seating, arrangements must be made with the graduation office at graduation@fit.edu.

Pictures

Two pictures will be taken by professional photographers, one as you receive your diploma, the other as you exit the stage. You may contact them at 800-261-2576 (toll-free in the U.S.), 800-372-3686 (toll-free in Canada) or 641-472-8000 from outside the U.S. or Canada, or at GradImages^®.

Graduation Requirements

To receive an associate or bachelor’s degree, a cumulative Florida Tech grade point average of 2.0 or higher is required. In the case of a student seeking two or more associate or bachelor’s degrees (see Dual Majors and Additional Degrees under Academic Policies), a program GPA of at least 2.0 is required in each program for which a degree is awarded, as well as the overall GPA of at least 2.0 that is required for the award of any associate or bachelor’s degree (see Grade Point Average under Grading and Honors for the definitions of program and overall GPA).

A student is not permitted to graduate unless all financial obligations have been satisfied. All program requirements must be completed no later than 24 hours before commencement exercises. Program requirements completed after the deadline will cause a delay in the awarding of the degree.

Students should petition to graduate and attend the commencement ceremony for the term program requirements are met. Melbourne campus and Extended Studies students attend the spring ceremony if requirements are met in spring, the summer ceremony if the requirements are met in the summer and the fall ceremony if the requirements are met in the fall.

Florida Tech Online students participate in the Melbourne commencement ceremony in spring if they satisfy requirements during Spring–1 or Spring–2, the summer ceremony if they satisfy requirements during Summer–1 or Summer–2 and the fall ceremony if they satisfy requirements during Fall–1 or Fall–2.

All required documentation such as course substitution forms, transfer credit, defense or final program examinations must be received by the graduation office (undergraduates) or Office of Graduate Programs (graduate students) by the second Monday before the end of the semester for the candidate to participate in the commencement ceremony.

Certification of Graduation

Certification of graduation will not occur until all academic requirements for your degree are fulfilled and you have paid all financial obligations to the university. Please check PAWS for last-minute charges, such as telephone fees, that may have been applied to your account. These charges are usually not posted until Thursday of the final exam week. Be certain to check with the security office for unpaid traffic/parking fines and with the library for book charges.

Remember, it is your responsibility to clear outstanding charges on your account. You will not be mailed your diploma or have your degree posted to your academic record until all outstanding debts to the university have been paid.

The university does not provide graduation completion letters. Verification of degree completion is reflected on the student’s official transcript.

A degree audit for each candidate petition is performed by the Office of the Registrar. This process determines the completion of degree requirements for each candidate. Completion (verification) information is available only on an official transcript once the audit is final.

Candidates receive specific date information about the availability of certification/verification information on their official transcript through their Florida Tech email account regularly during the term for which they have petitioned to graduate. Dates are subject to change.