General Information for PhD Students 

Please Note: Tickets, diploma destination and meal requests for the Morning Harvard Yard and the GSAS Diploma Ceremony should be ordered via the ticket form provided by GSAS. Tickets for the HSPH Kresge ceremony should be ordered through the HSPH ticket order form (details below).

As a PhD student, you officially earn your Harvard degree through GSAS. However, your strong affiliation with HSPH places you in a unique position with respect to the Commencement events on June 5, 2008.

Many PhD students would like to attend the morning ceremony at Harvard Yard, their GSAS diploma ceremony in Cambridge – and then the HSPH Kresge courtyard diploma ceremony. The information contained in this web page outlines important details and considerations for June 5th Commencement activities.

A. Ph.D. students in the BPH Program, Division of Biological Sciences

are encouraged to attend both the GSAS and HSPH ceremonies. Michael Grusby hosts
a luncheon for graduates, their guests and advisors in HSPH Building 1-717 from 12:30-1:30. Keep in mind that though Harvard provides buses between campuses, there is approximately one hour and forty-five minutes between the end of the Yard ceremony and the beginning of the HSPH ceremony. GSAS will make every effort to read the names of PhD BPH candidates as close to the beginning of the GSAS ceremony as possible. However, there is no guarantee as to how quickly this will occur and you will need to be in line in Kresge for the HSPH ceremony by 1:30pm. See below for more specific timeline information as well as other details.

B. Ph.D. students in Biostatistics

are strongly encouraged to attend both the GSAS and HSPH ceremonies. The Biostatistics department chair (Louise Ryan) will attend both ceremonies, and you will be individually introduced at both. GSAS will make every effort to read the names of PhD Biostatistics candidates as close to the beginning of the GSAS ceremony as possible, so that you can make it back to HSPH in time for the HSPH ceremonies by 1:30. See below for more specific timeline information as well as other details.

Websites For All Three Ceremonies:  

Please review the websites for the central Harvard University Commencement Office, the GSAS commencement and the HSPH commencement -

Harvard University
http://www.commencementoffice.harvard.edu/

GSAS
http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/current_students/commencement.php

HSPH
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/commencement/

Contact Information:

HSPH event contact:
Brittany Marshall at bmarshal@hsph.harvard.edu

GSAS event contacts:
For general questions and special information about tickets, meals, and logistics: Susan Gilbert at sgilbert@fas.harvard.edu or Paula Szocik at szocik@fas.harvard.edu .
For questions about academic matters and Sanders Theatre specifically: Rise Shepsle at rshepsle@fas.harvard.edu .