Commencement
IR/PS 2009 Graduation Celebration Events
Visitor Information
Student Information
IR/PS 2009 Graduation Celebration Events
Family and Friends Commencement Reception - Friday, June 12
Family and friends of graduating students are invited to attend this reception, which includes an awards program on Friday, June 12, 5 p.m., at the UC San Diego Faculty Club. Click here for more information about this event, and to register to attend.
Pre-Commencement Light Continental Breakfast - Sunday, June 14
There will be breakfast at the Institute of the Americas prior to commencement for graduates and their guests. Time: 8:30 a.m.
Commencement - Sunday, June 14
The commencement ceremony for the class of 2009 will be held Sunday, June 14, at 10:30 a.m. in the Institute of the Americas (IOA) Plaza. Click here for a customized Google Map with parking information and IOA Plaza and IR/PS locations.
Visitor Information
UC San Diego has a visitor information website with information on directions, hotels, and more. We recommend making hotel reservations early if you are planning to stay in the La Jolla/UTC area. Undergraduate commencements are the same weekend, and hotels near campus fill up quickly.
Weather is unpredictable, but generally sunny. We recommend bringing sunscreen and hats. Plan to arrive an hour to a half an hour early. Seating is first come, first served. There will be a pre-commencement light continental breakfast starting at 8:30am which guests are welcome to attend.
Park is free in the Pangea parking structure. The lower levels of structure are reserved for IR/PS students and their guests who have a parking permit. For directions to Pangea parking and a location map, please click here.
Printable campus map.
Student Information
Academic Dress
The UC San Diego Bookstore will begin taking orders for rental of regalia (cap and tassel, gown and hood) in March 2009. Orders may be placed by phone at (858) 534-7323 or on the UCSD Bookstore website. The approximate cost of renting the Master's regalia is $45.00. Candidates usually pick up their regalia from the bookstore around June 1. Orders received before April 6 have no late fee. Orders received April 7-30: $5 late lee. After April 30: $20 late fee.
Graduates must be wearing the appropriate attire in order to participate in commencement. In addition to the ceremonial dress that must be worn during commencement, graduates are encouraged to wear light-weight, professional dress under their robes. Graduates may wear leis and cultural apparel. Dean’s Fellows also wear honor cords, which are provided prior to the ceremony by Student Affairs. After the ceremony, you may leave your cap, gown and hood in the IR/PS Student Lounge.
Diplomas
The ceremonial certificate you receive at commencement is not a diploma because degrees take several months to process. Diplomas are available approximately four to six months after graduation. Your diploma will be sent to the address that you list on your degree paperwork (and it must match your address on TritonLink). If you do not receive your diploma within six months, please contact Academic Records at (858) 534-3144. Please contact Student Affairs if you need verification of your graduate status before the issuance of your diploma.
Graduation Announcements
Announcement cards and thank you notes are available for purchase from the UC San Diego Bookstore or directly from the distributor.
Graduation Workshop and Rehearsal
The IR/PS Graduation Workshop and Rehearsal will be held on Thursday, April 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the IR/PS Auditorium. All IR/PS students filing graduation paperwork and/or participating in commencement must attend the workshop and rehearsal. During the workshop, graduates will complete degree paperwork, request reserved parking for guests, and register with Alumni Relations. A commencement rehearsal and celebration will follow the workshop.
Guardian Graduation Ads
If you would like to congratulate your favorite Triton grad this year in the pages of UCSD's newspaper, "The Guardian", you can purchase a "grad ad". It will be published in the Thursday, June 4 edition of The Guardian.
Information for International Students
If you do not graduate as expected in June, please contact the International Center to request an I-20 or DS-2019 extension. You must submit extension requests at least two weeks in advance of the I-20 end date.
Please contact Student Affairs if you need a letter regarding the visit of guests from outside of the United States. In order to prepare the letter, Student Affairs will need the names of your guests and their relation to you, their address, city and country of residence, their expected arrival and departure dates. Please specify whether you need a printed version of the letter or an electronic pdf.
Memorabilia
A professional photographer will be at commencement to take your photo as you exit the stage. Photos will be available online and for purchase after the ceremony. You may also order a CD of the ceremony.
Parking
IR/PS reserves parking spaces in the Pangea parking lot for graduates and guests attending the commencement ceremony. Parking is free, but the graduate must request reserved parking for his/her guests at the Graduation Workshop, which will be held on April 16.
Speaker
IR/PS is proud to host Admiral William J. Fallon as this year's commencement speaker. Admiral William J. Fallon was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, with over 41 years of experience. He was the first naval officer to serve as Commander of the U.S. Central Command from March 2007 to March 2008. He is currently a Robert Wilhelm Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for International Studies. (Source: Wikipedia)
Transcripts
You may log into your Academic History within TritonLink to print an unofficial copy of your transcript. To order an official transcript, please follow these instructions, which are posted on the Office of the Registrar website.
Please visit this web site again for updated information. If you have specific questions that are not addressed on this page, please send an email to irps-studentaffairs@ucsd.edu.
