Graduation & Commencement

Starkville Campus Commencement Information
(Educational Specialists, Masters, & Bachelors)

WATCH THE CEREMONY LIVESTREAM ONLINE HERE

The Fall 2023 Starkville campus commencement ceremonies will be held on Friday, December 8, 2023, in the Humphrey Coliseum. Graduates must arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to their ceremony start time. Please arrive already dressed in your regalia when you check-in.

Please read through these important notes about the ceremonies:

Security screening will take place upon entry and all bags are subject to search.
Graduates, please DO NOT bring personal items into the coliseum. There will not be any storage areas available and anything left in seats will be thrown away.
Please do not attempt to access the restricted areas of the coliseum. All guest entrances and seating can be found in the diagram below.
Graduates will be seated after check-in and an entrance processional will not be included in the ceremonies. However, graduates will still walk across the stage as they are announced and congratulated.
Once graduates are recognized by walking across the stage, they will not return to their seats. Instead, they will be guided to the photography area to take a professional photo before exiting the coliseum.
Guests are expected to begin leaving the coliseum once their graduate exits the stage. Please do this quietly with respect to other graduates and guests.
Each ceremony is expected to last roughly 1.5 hours total.
Restrooms and water fountains will be available during the ceremonies in the coliseum concourse. Guests are welcome to bring their own water bottles.
Please plan to remove all vehicles from the parking areas following the morning ceremony to make space for guests attending the evening ceremony.
Any guests who are unable to attend may view a livestream of the ceremonies online (links can be found below).
All cords, stoles, pins, etc. that are worn with graduation regalia come from the individual organizations that the graduates may be involved with. Graduates can reach out to the MSU-affiliated groups that they are part of to see if they offer any graduation adornments. These items must be approved in order to distribute them to graduates.

Fall 2023 Ceremony Divisions are as Follows:

FRIDAY, December 8, 2023

9:30 a.m. (Doors open at 8am)
Academic Affairs
College of Architecture, Art & Design
College of Arts & Sciences
College of Education

3:30 p.m. (Doors open at 2pm)
Bagley College of Engineering
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
College of Business
College of Forest Resources
College of Veterinary Medicine

FALL 2023 COMMENCEMENT PARKING

Please check back in the fall for the fall 2023 commencement parking map.

HUMPHREY COLISEUM COMMENCEMENT DIAGRAM

Please check back in the fall for the fall 2023 commencement coliseum diagram.

Guest Accommodations: Reserved parking will be available for any guests with an ADA tag on their vehicle (parking map above). Carts will be running through these reserved lots to assist guests from their vehicles to the coliseum sidewalk. Once inside the coliseum, there will be reserved sections for any guests needing to avoid the stairs. These areas are wheelchair accessible and can be found on the Humphrey Coliseum diagram above. Staff will be available throughout the coliseum to assist guests as needed.

There is no need to make reservations, but we do recommend arriving close to when the doors open to ensure you may sit in your preferred section. Please remember that guest seating is first-come, first-served, but we should have plenty of room for everyone in attendance.

Service and Assistance Animals: MSU will fully comply with applicable laws governing service and assistance animals. It is important to understand the distinction between the two types of animals. Service animals are trained to perform a specific action to help a person with a disability. A service animal must be a dog or, under certain circumstances, a miniature horse and is permitted to accompany their handler in any area where the handler is permitted to be. Assistance animals, including Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not trained to perform disability-related tasks, but instead provide comfort or other assistance solely by their presence. Assistance animals are generally not permitted inside university buildings other than on-campus residences.

Additional information relating to service and assistance animals can be found HERE.

**GRADUATES MUST APPLY FOR THEIR DEGREE THROUGH BANNER IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMENCEMENT AND RECEIVE THEIR DIPLOMA. THE DEADLINES TO APPLY CAN BE FOUND ON OUR ACADEMIC CALENDAR HERE. (Diplomas are mailed 4-6 weeks after the ceremonies)**

(Please note that all plans are subject to change.)

Regalia Orders (Cap & Gown)

If you are planning to participate in the Fall 2023 commencement ceremonies, please be sure to order your cap & gown! The first opportunity to purchase will be at the Grad Fair at Barnes & Noble at MSU in October 2023 (more details to come). You can pay for and pickup your regalia the same day during the Grad Fair. If you are unable to attend the fair, we will have a two week online ordering period available after the fair and your regalia will be ready for pickup the week of the ceremonies. There is also a ship-to-home option for an additional shipping charge.

Additional Regalia Information HERE

**If you do not order your regalia before the online deadline, you must visit Barnes & Noble at MSU the week of the ceremonies to be fitted from a limited supply of extras. A $20 late fee will be added for any orders placed after the deadline.

- All Bachelor, Master, and Specialist graduates may keep their entire regalia package.

- Doctoral graduates may only keep their cap & tassel. Please return your rental gown and hood to Barnes & Noble at MSU following your ceremony. If you are interested in purchasing your gown and/or hood, you will be given the option when you check-in your items at the bookstore.

View our new, custom regalia here: MSU Custom Regalia

FACULTY REGALIA

MSU faculty members may order commencement regalia using this link: www.gradsupply.com/msu-faculty (this link will be active in October 2023)

MSU is proud to offer custom regalia to our graduates. All regalia must be purchased through the Graduate Supply House website, or through Barnes & Noble at MSU.

Commencement Photography

GradCaps

Graduates can now re-live their ceremony and the moment they crossed the stage with GradCaps! These free clips are personalized for each graduate who attended the ceremonies and can be downloaded and shared online! To access your custom GradCap, click the link below and search for your clip using your last name.

[LINK COMING SOON]

Virtual Backgrounds

Did you miss out on taking graduation photos? You can use the following link to virtually place yourself on campus by uploading a photo and choosing from a selection of MSU backgrounds! There is no cost for this service and photos can easily be saved and shared. Just be sure to tag them on social media with #MSSTATEGRAD

CLICK HERE FOR VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS

Professional photography, Pro Pics, will be available at the Grad Fair and commencement ceremonies to take portraits of graduates. Photos of the graduates on-stage with the President, as well as individual portraits, will be available for purchase from Pro Pics following the ceremonies. There is no cost to have your photo taken and no obligation to purchase.

The MSU Alumni Association has also worked with Pro Pics to offer professional photography at the Bully Statue in The Junction during the Grad Fair, and the day of our Starkville ceremonies (weather permitting). Check out an example photoshoot below! There is no need to make an appointment and walk-ups are welcome. Additional information regarding commencement photography will be emailed to graduates and updated online here.

Example Photoshoot at the bulldog statue in the Junction.

Questions about these photo opportunities can be emailed to: info@propicsusa.com

Livestreams of Ceremonies

If you wish to watch the Starkville Campus Commencement Ceremonies but are unable to attend, you can still watch the live ceremonies online! The following links may be used to access the livestream that will broadcast the live ceremonies:

Mississippi State University Television LIVE

The livestream will also be available on the official Mississippi State University Facebook page (@msstate).

Commencement Videos

Starkville Campus Commencement Ceremonies

Mississippi State University holds multiple main campus commencement ceremonies at the end of the fall and spring semesters. We do not hold ceremonies immediately following the summer semesters. Students who graduate at the end of the summer semesters are invited to attend the December ceremonies.

**NOTE: Students should refer to the Academic Calendar for graduation application deadlines and ceremony dates.

Students who plan to graduate in May, August, or December must apply for graduation by the dates published in the MSU Academic Calendar. If a student fails to graduate in the term for which they have applied, they must reapply during the term in which all degree requirements are met. Degree applicants must also pay their MSU account balances in full, prior to the graduation ceremony.

FALL 2023

Friday, December 8, 2023 - 9:30 a.m. (Humphrey Coliseum)
Academic Affairs
College of Architecture, Art & Design
College of Arts & Sciences
College of Education

Friday, December 8, 2023 - 3:30 p.m. (Humphrey Coliseum)
Bagley College of Engineering
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
College of Business
College of Forest Resources
College of Veterinary Medicine

SPRING 2024

Thursday, May 9, 2024 - 3:30 p.m. (Humphrey Coliseum)
ACCESS
College of Business
College of Education

Friday, May 10, 2024 - 9:30 a.m. (Humphrey Coliseum)
College of Arts & Sciences
College of Architecture, Art & Design

Friday, May 10, 2024 - 3:30 p.m. (Humphrey Coliseum)
Academic Affairs
Bagley College of Engineering
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
College of Forest Resources
College of Veterinary Medicine

Doctoral Graduation and Hooding Ceremony (Ph.D. & Ed.D.)

The Fall 2023 Doctoral Graduation and Hooding Ceremony for Ph.D. and Ed.D. graduates will be held on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. in the Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall. This event is invitation-only, and is exclusive to Ph.D. and Ed.D. graduates and their guests. Please contact The Graduate School for information regarding this ceremony at (662) 325-7400.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Commencement Ceremony

The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Commencement is held at the conclusion of each spring semester in Starkville, MS. An awards ceremony will take place prior to the commencement. Please contact the Vet School for information regarding the DVM Ceremony at (662) 325-1078.

Meridian Campus Commencement Ceremonies

The Mississippi State University Meridian Campus (MSU-Meridian) commencement ceremonies are held at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian, MS. The ceremony times are as follows:

Fall 2023: Thursday, December 7, 2023 @ 11:00 a.m.

Spring 2024: Thursday, May 9, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

For additional questions regarding the MSU-Meridian Commencement Ceremonies, please contact Skye Hamilton: shamilton@meridian.msstate.edu

Degree Audit

Degrees are awarded after the appropriate representatives from the colleges and schools have reviewed the student records and notified the Office of the Registrar that students are cleared to graduate.

Learn More

University Degree Audit (CAPP)

All MSU students have access to the degree audit system CAPP (curriculum, advising, and program planning) in myState.