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Graduation and Commencement Information

Join us at the NC State and College of Natural Resources commencement ceremonies to celebrate and honor you and your achievements.

A graduate in a red cap and gown holds up the wolfie hand signal

Schedule of Events

There are 2 commencement ceremonies – The University ceremony and the CNR ceremony. For more information on the University ceremony, please visit the University Commencement website. See below for the differences between the ceremonies and for further details on the College of Natural Resources ceremony.

University
Commencement
College of Natural Resources
Commencement
Date Saturday, December 14, 2024Friday, December 13, 2024
Time 9:00 a.m.2:00 p.m.
LocationPNC Arena
1400 Edwards Mill Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27607
The McKimmon Center
1101 Gorman St.
Raleigh, NC 27606
Who’s
Invited
All NC State graduatesAll CNR graduates
How RecognizedBy collegeIndividually
(each graduate’s name is called)
Printed ProgramNo names printed
(all available online)
All CNR graduate names printed
Academic RegaliaRequiredRequired
Guest
Tickets 
Not required Required
RSVP RequiredRequired
Stage UseOnly Doctoral candidates walk across the stage.
Master and Bachelor
candidates stand as groups.
All graduating students walk
across the stage.

    College of Natural Resources Fall Commencement Ceremony

    Friday, December 13, 2024

    Time: 2:00 p.m.
    The McKimmon Center, Room 1
    1101 Gorman St.
    Raleigh, NC 27606

    Graduating Students must arrive in regalia no later than 1:15pm.

    The College of Natural Resources Commencement Ceremony on December 13th at 2:00pm is a ceremony for all undergraduate and graduate students in:

    • Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
    • Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
    • Department of Forest Biomaterials
    • Center for Geospatial Analytics

    Fall 2024 Graduation Deadlines

    • Undergraduate graduation application closes October 25, 2024
    • Graduate graduation application closes November 1, 2024
    • Privacy settings, diploma name and diploma address update deadline for both undergraduate and graduates is October 25, 2024

      Tips for picking up your cap and gown:

      • The NC State Bookstore sells all graduate apparel at its physical location in Talley Student Union.
      • No preordering is necessary, but all apparel must be paid for at the time of pick-up.
      • You must present a photo ID.
      • Caps/Gowns/Tassels range from $35-$55
      • Hoods (graduate students only) cost around $37

      Ticket Information:

      • Tickets for the CNR ceremony at The McKimmon Center are required.
      • Graduating students will be allotted up to 6 tickets for their guests to attend the ceremony (this number does not include the graduate). Graduating students can request the number of tickets they need on the RSVP form, which will be emailed in October to all CNR students who have applied to graduate.
      • The deadline to RSVP to attend is November 6th.
      • Tickets will be available for pick-up from Nov. 11th-15th, further details on ticket pick-up will be sent via email to CNR students who have completed the RSVP form.
      • When you pick up tickets, you can request extras. If we can accommodate your request and have extras available, any unclaimed tickets will be distributed starting November 18th.

      Seating Information:

      • Doors open at about 1:15pm for guests needing accessible seating.
      • Doors open at about 1:30pm for all other guests.
      • The McKimmon Center is accessible and assistance will be available for those needing accessible seating. If one of your guests are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations for this event (excluding accessible seating), please contact the McKimmon Center Client Relations staff (919-515-2277) during business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, Monday – Friday to discuss accommodation(s) at least two (2) weeks prior to the event. 
      • Plan ahead by viewing the virtual tour of The McKimmon Center (The ceremony will be in Room 1, and graduating students will check-in in rooms 3, 4, 5 & 6.)

      Parking Information

      • Parking in the front lots of the McKimmon Center is free. Accessibile parking is available, but it is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Three smaller parking lots on each side of the Center are reserved for University employees. Visitors will need to park in designated visitor parking spaces to avoid ticketing.

      Photography Information

      A professional photographer will be taking a photo as each graduating student crosses the stage and a posed still photo before they return to their seat. Proofs will be emailed after graduation. You can order proofs directly from the photographer. For information, call 800-722-7033 or email info@photospecialties.com

      Fall 2024 CNR Commencement Program

      A digital version of the Fall 2024 CNR Commencement Ceremony program will be available to share with friends and family, and will be posted on this site closer to the commencement date.

      Livestream Information

      For friends and family who would like to watch the CNR ceremony remotely, they can view the livestream on December 13th at 2:00pm. A livestream link will be posted on this site and sent in an email to graduating students closer to the commencement date.

      Frequently Asked Questions

      The NC State University Commencement is for all NC State Graduates. Students will be recognized by college, and only Doctoral candidates walk across the stage. The College Ceremony is only for students graduating from The College of Natural Resources. At the college ceremony, every graduating CNR student in attendance will have their name called and walk across the stage. The College of Natural Resources ceremony is on Friday, December 13th at 2:00pm at The McKimmon Center, and the University ceremony is on Saturday, December 14th 9:00am at PNC Arena. You must RSVP for each ceremony separately. (Visit https://commencement.ncsu.edu for information on the University-wide ceremony.)

      Graduating from college and walking across the stage at your commencement ceremony are two different things, but they are intertwined. College graduation marks the completion of your degree requirements. The commencement celebrates those accomplishments and looks towards the future.

      If you plan to finish in the summer, you may be eligible to participate in the CNR May commencement. The policy for allowing summer graduates to “walk” in the CNR spring commencement states that students must have no more than 12 hrs remaining to fulfill degree requirements, which they will complete during summer, and a current GPA of 2.0 or higher.

      The undergraduate application is due by October 25, 2024 at 11:59 pm for Fall 2024

      The graduate application is due by November 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm for Fall 2024

      The undergraduate application is due by February 3, 2025 at 11:59 pm for Spring 2025

      The graduate application is due by March 19, 2025 at 11:59 pm for Spring 2025

      A google form will be sent out in the weeks leading up to graduation requesting information needed from graduating students for ceremony preparation. Be sure to spell out your name and write out the pronunciation phonetically to ensure proper pronunciation as you walk across the stage.

      Academic honors are based on your cumulative GPA. For commencement recognition purposes, your cumulative GPA at the beginning of your last semester will be used in publications and the ceremony. However, your diploma and official transcript will list the academic honor that you earn once your final grades are posted.

      Summa Cum Laude: 3.75 and Higher (GOLD sash)

      Magna Cum Laude:  3.5-3.749 (SILVER sash) 

      Cum Laude:  3.25-3.499 (WHITE sash)

      Parking in the front lots of the McKimmon Center is free. Accessibile parking is available, but it is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Three smaller parking lots on each side of the Center are reserved for University employees. Visitors will need to park in designated visitor parking spaces to avoid ticketing..

      Room 1 in The McKimmon Center is fully accessible. Chairs in the room can easily be moved to accommodate wheelchairs.

      There will be nowhere to store personal belongings, so bring minimal necessities and if you’d like to, a sealed water bottle.

      Bachelor’s degree candidates drape the tassel on the right side of the cap, and will ‘turn’ it at the conclusion of the University Commencement ceremony. Professional, Master’s, and Doctoral degree candidates drape the tassel on the left side of the cap.

      For the Fall CNR ceremony in The McKimmon Center, graduating students will enter the main entrance of The McKimmon Center in full regalia. After entering, turn down the hallway on the right to the check-in rooms. Each department or center will check-in in a specific room: Room 3 – Forestry & Environmental Resources Dept., Room 4- Forest Biomaterials Dept., Room 5 – Center for Geospatial Analytics, Room 6 – Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management Dept. There will be signs directing graduates to check-in rooms on commencement day.

      Graduating students will line-up by department, major, and then alphabetically, the same way the names will be listed in the program.

      For the Fall CNR ceremony in The McKimmon Center, guests will enter through the Main Entrance near visitor parking, and follow signage to the guest seating. The ceremony will be held in Room 1. Doors will open between 1:15pm and 1:30pm. Guests needing accessible seating will be seated first, then the doors will open for general seating.

      About an hour and a half is the anticipated ceremony time.

      Additional Questions?

      Contact the CNR Academic Affairs Office

      Visit: Biltmore Hall Room 2018
      Phone: 919-515-6191
      Email: cnr-graduation@ncsu.edu