Commencement
The 2024 Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology Commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM PST in Ackerman Grand Ballroom!
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions below for information about the MCDB Commencement ceremony. Graduating students in the major will receive more information about the ceremony from the MCDB Undergraduate Advisors. Please email undergradmcdb@lifesci.ucla.edu with any questions.
Students and their guests can find more information about 2024 UCLA Commencement at these links: https://www.commencement.ucla.edu/ and https://www.college.ucla.edu/commencement/.
For students graduating this year, you can use the following resources to help you prepare for graduation and Commencement:
MCDB COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY FAQS
PREPARATION FOR THE CEREMONY
What’s the difference between graduation and commencement?
Students can graduate (complete all requirements for their degree) during any quarter of the year. Commencement ceremonies occur only once per year in the Spring and you are invited to walk in these ceremonies, whether or not you are actually graduating in Spring quarter. This is the time for you to be publicly recognized by the university, as well as your friends and family, for your scholastic achievements. Participating in commencement activities does NOT guarantee that you will actually earn a degree. Make sure to confirm via your DAR that you have met all major and degree requirements.
Who can participate in the 2024 MCDB Commencement ceremony?
MCDB majors who graduated in Fall 2023 and Winter 2024, as well as degree candidates for Spring and Summer 2024, may participate. Fall 2024 degree candidates can file a Special Inclusion Petition to participate in Spring 2024 commencement activities via MyUCLA, beginning April 1, 2024. More information can be found here.
How do I purchase my cap and gown?
Caps & gowns, as well as announcements, diploma plaques and frames, Alumni Association memberships, graduation gifts, etc. can be purchased from Grad Etc. online at https://www.uclastore.com/students-graduation-resources. Or call (310) 825-2587.
What do I need to submit to the MCDB Undergraduate Advisors before the ceremony?
Graduating students will receive an email from the MCDB Undergraduate Advisors with a short survey to complete. This survey will ask you for your preferred name to be listed in the program, a brief personalized statement (20 words or less) also to be included in the program, and the phonetic pronunciation of your name to be read as you walk across the stage. Please be on the lookout for this email from undergradmcdb@lifesci.ucla.edu for more details.
TICKETS
How does ticket ordering work for the MCDB Commencement ceremony?
Graduates must order their own ticket and their guest tickets via MyUCLA.
Please note that College Commencement tickets and MCDB Commencement tickets are ordered separately. They are NOT the same set of tickets.
As the graduate, do I need a ticket for the ceremony?
Yes, please be sure to order a graduate ticket for the MCDB Commencement ceremony. The cost is $0.
How many guests can I bring to the MCDB Commencement ceremony? Do they need tickets?
Please note that guest tickets are only available through the graduating students ordering tickets for themselves and their guests. Guests cannot independently reserve or purchase tickets.
Each graduate will be allotted a limited number of guest tickets. Students will be able to order up to three guest tickets and waitlist a fourth guest ticket, all at no cost. While it is our hope that we will be able to accommodate all students’ requests for waitlist tickets, our ability to grant the waitlist will depend on the venue capacity and total guest tickets ordered. You will be notified if your waitlist ticket request was granted by the end of Week 9.
It is unlikely that we will be able to accommodate requests for more than four guest tickets per graduate. However, students may request additional tickets by emailing undergradmcdb@lifesci.ucla.edu no later than Friday, May 24, 2024. In the event that we have the capacity to grant additional guest tickets beyond four per graduate, each additional ticket will be $20, charged to your BruinBill.
When can I start ordering tickets for the MCDB Commencement ceremony?
Ticket ordering will begin on Friday, May 10, 2024 and conclude on Friday, May 24, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST. No tickets will be sold at the ceremony. Entry to the event will be restricted to ticket-holders only.
How will I receive my tickets?
All tickets for the MCDB Commencement ceremony will be electronic.
Beginning on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, students will receive their tickets from tickets@cto.ucla.edu.
Please be on the lookout for two emails:
- One email will contain your graduate ticket.
- The second email will contain your guest tickets.
Please be sure you check your junk folder for these emails. Tickets will be sent to the email listed in MyUCLA.
MCDB COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
When is the MCDB Commencement ceremony?
The MCDB Commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM in Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
How long is the MCDB Commencement ceremony?
The MCDB Commencement ceremony lasts typically about 1.5 hours.
What time should graduates arrive?
Graduates should arrive no later than 8:30 AM. Students should proceed to the Registration Table to check in.
What time should guests arrive?
Guests should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony, but doors will open as early as 8:00 AM. Guest seating is first-come, first-serve, but there really isn’t a bad seat in the room.
Tickets will be scanned for entry. Guests will not be allowed in the ballroom without a ticket.
What will I do after arriving at the ceremony location?
At the Registration Table, graduates will check in and fill out a Grad Images card. (Grad Images are the professional photographers who will take your picture as you cross the stage). Please hold onto this card and bring it with you when you cross the stage.
Once checked in, you may mingle with your friends and family. Please sit down by 8:45 AM. Seating will be reserved for graduates directly in front of the stage, but there is no assigned seating. The program begins promptly at 9:00 AM.
Where do my guests and I sit?
Graduates will sit in the first few rows directly in front of the stage.
Guest seating is first-come, first-serve, but there really isn’t a bad seat in the room.
What will happen during the ceremony?
There will be a Chair’s welcome, a keynote speaker, a processional across the stage, and congratulatory remarks from the MCDB faculty. For the processional, you will walk across the stage when your name is read. Graduates will then return to their seats for the remainder of the ceremony. Please only get up when a staff volunteer tells your row to stand.
How do I get my diploma?
Your diploma will not be handed to you at the MCDB Commencement ceremony, but will be available a few months after you graduate from UCLA. You can learn more about receiving your diploma on the Registrar’s Office website.
Can we take pictures?
Guests will be able to take photos from their seats. Grad Images will be present to take pictures of the ceremony and each graduate. Grad Images is our official photographer.
What do I wear?
Please wear your cap and gown to the ceremony. Bring safety pins and/or bobby pins for your cap and gown just in case!
Is there a rehearsal?
No rehearsal will be held. You will be given instructions on the processional at the ceremony.
Are balloons, signs/banners, and noise makers allowed in Ackerman Grand Ballroom?
Please refrain from bringing balloons, signs/banners, and noise makers into Ackerman Grand Ballroom, since they impede the view of guests behind you and distract from the ceremony. Large items must be placed at the back of the ballroom.
Where do we park?
Students and guests attending 2024 Commencement ceremonies will be able to purchase a parking permit online, through the Bruin ePermit portal, beginning May 1, 2024.
To avoid long lines at the self-service pay stations on campus, it is recommended to purchase your parking permit in advance of attending the Commencement ceremonies. To learn more about commencement parking, please visit: https://transportation.ucla.edu/campus-parking/commencement-parking
Where can I find other commencement information?
For more information about the College ceremony and other departmental ceremonies, please visit https://commencement.ucla.edu/.
ACCESSBILITY AND ASSISTANCE
Is the venue accessible?
Ackerman Grand Ballroom is accessible to individuals with mobility assistance devices and have designated accessible seating areas.
I am a graduate needing special accommodations. Whom should I contact?
UCLA graduates needing accessibility accommodations should contact the Center for Accessible Education. Please also convey any special accommodations to the MCDB Undergraduate Advisors as soon as possible by emailing undergradmcdb@lifesci.ucla.edu.
Please note that there is a small staircase that graduates will use to ascend and descend the stage during the processional. Please let the MCDB Undergraduate Advisors know as soon as possible, if you will need help accessing the stage, so we can work with the venue to accommodate you.
I am a guest needing accessibility accommodations. Whom should I contact?
For guests needing ASL or audio interpretation accommodations, the graduate should contact the MCDB Undergraduate Advisors on behalf of their guest to initiate the request. Please email requests to undergradmcdb@lifesci.ucla.edu.
Can the university provide a wheelchair or other form of transport to guests who have trouble walking?
While all venues are accessible, the university is not able to provide transport or mobility assistance devices to guests to facilitate moving through the campus or getting to a venue. There are two locations on campus (Gateway Plaza and the Dickson Plaza Flagpole) where guests can be dropped off curbside which might lessen traveling time. Due to space limitations, these guest drop-off areas should only be used when a guest has limited mobility.