Graduation

Graduation

Graduate students are required to apply for their Master's Degree via the Graduate School website at master's degree on-line starting on the 1st day of the quarter the degree is expected to be completed. This may or may not be the same quarter that Commencement occurs. Students must be registered for a minimum of 2 credits at UW Tacoma the quarter in which all of the requirements for the degree are met.

Graduation occurs when an individual audit of the academic record by the UW Graduate School and the Education Program confirms that all degree requirements have been met. The UW system grants the degree and the student's name is forwarded for a diploma.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have met all requirements that must be fulfilled in order to graduate:

Education Program Study Option
Graduate School Requirements
 

Commencement

Commencement is a university-wide ceremony held at the end of the Spring Quarter for all UWT graduate and undergraduate students. All students who graduated in the previous Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring are eligible to participate, as well as those students who are going to finish their degree during the upcoming Summer Quarter. If you expect to be a summer graduate, you have a choice which ceremony you would like to participate in, but you can only "walk" once.

Commencement is held to recognize your educational achievement. It is not the official moment of degree granting and therefore, you do not receive your actual diploma during the ceremony. Diplomas are mailed from the Seattle Campus and may take several weeks to arrive.

Hooding Ceremony

At the Hooding Ceremony, a master's hood will be placed over the student’s head by an Education Program faculty member. The hood’s colors indicate a degree in Education from the University of Washington. Hooding is a symbolic gesture of honor in recognition of the graduate’s advanced academic achievement.