Commencement

THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 

University of California, Berkeley

will be holding its 

2023 Commencement Ceremony

on Friday, May 19, 2023

at 2pm in Zellerbach Auditorium

Speaker: Gunnar Carlsson

Musical Performance: Math Orchestra of Berkeley

Berkeley Mathematics is pleased to announce that we will be hosting an in-person commencement ceremony to celebrate our 2023 graduates. All Mathematics & Applied Math majors (as well as Mathematics, Applied Math, and Logic MA and PhD students) graduating Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023, and Fall 2023 are cordially invited to participate in commencement. 

The live stream video of our 2023 Commencement Ceremony is brought to you by Bay Streaming.

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How To Register for Commencement: 

Registration for the 2023 Mathematics Commencement Ceremony is now closed. If you are interested in participating please email Vicky Lee at vickyalee [at] berkeley [dot] edu as soon as possible. 

How to Get Tickets: 

Registered undergraduate and graduate participants are eligible to receive up to two free guest tickets. Graduates will not need a ticket for themselves to enter Zellerbach Auditorium. Once available, registered graduates will be able to pick up their complimentary tickets from Mathematics Student Services Staff during regular business hours through Thursday, May 18th. Tickets are not available in the Main Office so please see the list of pickup locations below. We will check to make sure you are registered and will issue the tickets. It will be fine to send someone to the department to pick up your tickets on your behalf, they will be asked for your name and we'll check you off of the list. 

Additional tickets are currently for sale for $5 each through Cal Performances at tickets.berkeley.edu; the direct link to the Mathematics Commencement ticket page is linked here. We do not impose a limit on the number of tickets that can be purchased per graduating student. All guests, including infants/children, will need a ticket to enter the venue; for children 5 and under please select a "Child" ticket, which is offered at no charge. 

Guests can also purchase tickets by phone (510) 642-9988 and in person at Zellerbach Hall during regular business hours. The Box Office's regular business hours are Tuesday-Friday, 12:00pm-5:30pm, Saturday-Sunday, 1:00pm-5:00pm; the Box Office will also be open the day of the ceremony so guests can also buy tickets upon their arrival. We encourage you to order your tickets online as phone lines and the ticket window have been quite busy due to Cal Performances' 2023-24 season announcement and sales. Tickets purchased online will be delivered by email only. Mail and will call delivery methods are not available.

Students should email tickets [at] calperformances [dot] org if they have not received their E-tickets or if they have any general questions.

COVID-19 Precautions:

The Mathematics Commencement Ceremony will be following the current Campus COVID-19 protocols. Up-to-date vaccinations and masking are strongly recommended, though not required.

On The Day of The Ceremony: 

All graduates participating in the ceremony must arrive at Zellerbach no later than 12:30 pm. There will be a mandatory dress rehearsal of the graduation procession scheduled to begin promptly at 1:00 pm in the foyer of Zellerbach Auditorium.

Doors will open for guest seating at 1:30 pm.

The ceremony is expected to last approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes. An outdoor reception will immediately follow the ceremony in front of Zellerbach Auditorium.

Ceremony Live Stream & Recording:

For guests who cannot attend in-person, the Department of Mathematics plans to provide a live stream and recording of our commencement ceremony. The livestream will be featured at the top of this page.   

Graduation Regalia: 

The ceremony begins with a formal procession of faculty and students. Therefore, all students are required to wear regalia (cap and gown). If you have questions or concerns about this requirement, or if graduation regalia presents a barrier to your participation in the ceremony, please contact Vicky Lee at vickyalee [at] berkeley [dot] edu.

Undergraduate Regalia:

To rent graduation regalia, and to purchase stoles, diploma frames etc., please visit the Graduation Department of the Cal Student Store (located on Sproul Plaza). 

Graduate Regalia:

The Mathematics Department will gift graduate student participants with a PhD or MA hood. Students must either purchase or rent their gown and tam/cap. The gown and tam can be purchased in-person from the Cal Student Store (located on Sproul Plaza); make sure to buy the items separately rather than in the set (since a fine quality hood will be provided). If you want to purchase a "fine quality" gown and tam, you can check out, Phinished Gown, or CapGown, which are online retailers. 

Departmental Honors:

The Mathematics Department will present honors cords at the ceremony to students who have met or who are projected to meet the three requirements for Departmental Honors: 1) An overall grade point average of at least 3.3, 2) An upper-division major GPA of at least 3.5, and 3) completion of Math 196 or completion of two graduate courses with grades of at least A- in each. Departmental honors will also be noted in the commencement program.  If you have questions about your eligibility for Departmental honors, please contact one of our Undergraduate Advisors, Thomas Brown (brown [at] math [dot] berkeley [dot] edu), Marsha Snow (snow [at] math [dot] berkeley [dot] edu), or Hanh Tran (hanhmtran [at] berkeley [dot] edu). Students expecting departmental honors should indicate such in the commencement registration form.  

Phi Beta Kappa: 

Membership in the Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) honorary society will be noted in the commencement program. Students who have joined PBK should indicate such in the commencement sign-up survey. Criteria for PBK membership can be found here.

Your Diploma: 

Diplomas will be mailed to your Cal Central “Diploma Mailing Address” approximately 4 months after the end of your graduation term. See here for instructions on updating your diploma mailing address. Once your diploma has been prepared, you will receive it in the mail free of charge. 

Undergraduates needing proof of graduation prior to receiving their diploma can find information on options for degree verification on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Graduate students needing a certificate of completion will receive one automatically after completing the dissertation filing process. The Graduate Office can also provide a degree verification letter on department letterhead. If you encounter issues with receiving a degree certificate or would like a verification letter from the department, please contact Clay Calder at jccalder [at] berkeley [dot] edu.

Photographer: 

GradImages professional photographers will be taking pictures of graduates at our commencement this year. Pictures should be available to view, share, and order online within a week following the ceremony. 

Pictures Around Campus: 

Graduation is an exciting time that is cause for celebration. If you are taking photographs on campus to commemorate this special occassion, please note that confetti bombs and champagne spraying is prohibited on campus. The costs of cleaning these items and the environmental hazards (particularly the confetti) cause problems for campus facilities each year so please refrain from using these items on campus. 

Flowers: 

Guests wishing to buy flowers for their graduates will be able to do so in front of Zellerbach Auditorium. Pre-order for day-of pick-up at the venue is now available here, https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/uc-berkeley/.

Parking: 

Parking information will be available by the end of March. Information on commencement day parking will be available here.

Special Seating and Other Accommodations for Guests:

To request special guest accommodations, please fill out our Accommodation Request Form by Monday, May 1st. We will be in touch with more details and will do our best to accommodate your needs. 

If you would like more information about campus accessibility and physical access features, please go to dac.berkeley.edu.

If you have any additional commencement questions, please contact Vicky Lee at vickyalee [at] berkeley [dot] edu. The Berkeley Mathematics Faculty and Staff can't wait to celebrate this special occasion with you all! 

Make a gift to Berkeley Math TODAY!