This year, advance degree receipients in the MIT School of Science will particpate in a Commencement ceremony on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 3pm in Kresge Auditorium.

• Guests—up to 4 per graduate—will be welcomed at these celebrations and hoods will be presented to doctoral candidates.
• To request accessible seating at Commencement, please fill out this form.
• Answers to other Frequently Asked Questions are below.

For more information, additional accommodations, or questions about the School of Science advanced degree ceremony, please reach out to Nina Wu, Event Planner for the School of Science. For all other questions regarding Commencement ceremonies, please visit commencement.mit.edu.

Advanced degree ceremony

Honoring graduates of master’s and doctoral programs in the MIT School of Science

Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Location: Kresge Auditorium, Lord Swraj Paul PC ’52 and Angad Paul ’92 Theater
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Graduates, 2:00pm, line up at Johnson Ice Rink
• Guests, doors open (time TBD), four (4) tickets per graduate.
• A ticket is required for all those ages three (3) and older. Children ages two (2) and under do not need tickets.

Keynote speaker: France Anne Córdova

France Anne Córdova is an astrophysicist and a leader for more than three decades in science, engineering, and education. She is currently president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, whose mission is to advance science through visionary philanthropy. She has served in five presidential administrations, both Democratic and Republican, and was the 14th director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Córdova’s scientific contributions have been in the areas of observational and experimental astrophysics, multi-spectral research on x-ray and gamma ray sources and space-borne instrumentation. She has published more than 150 scientific papers and numerous science policy papers. She was co-principal investigator for a telescope experiment that is currently flying on the satellite XMM-Newton, a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency. Córdova has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. She is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS).

Frequently asked questions

ADA Seating

Please fill out this form.

Regalia

Please refer to the Commencement site for additional information about obtaining regalia for the ceremony.

Guest tickets

Each graduating student will be allotted 4 guest tickets. Guest tickets are provided to candidates who are on the degree list and participating in Commencement. You will receive an email in mid-May with instructions for downloading digital guest tickets (PDFs). The tickets themselves will be available at the end of May—they are not released on completion of regalia orders.

Where do I pick up my diploma?

For more information about diplomas, please visit: registrar.mit.edu/transcripts-records/diplomas.

Advanced degree recipients may pick up their diplomas on the first floor of the Stata Center (Building 32) during the following times:

Thursday, May 30: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Friday, May 31: 10:00am to 3:00pm

Please bring your diploma case with you for pick-up; while not required, this will allow you to place the paper within right away.

More details about diplomas – paper and digital – are available on the Registrar’s Office website.

How do I order graduation photos?

Photo ordering information for the Class of 2024 will be mailed directly following the ceremonies from GradImages. Graduates will receive an email and a hard copy packet will be sent to the mailing address on file.

Where is my program and/or departmental reception?

Following the main school reception, graduates are invited by their home departments for program-specific receptions and celebrations. Please contact the individual program director or department for more information about the time and location for these events.