Program Completion and Graduation

In order for your program to be considered complete, you must have completed all program requirements as listed in the Academic Calendar and all grades must be entered.  For thesis-based students, this includes successfully defending your thesis/dissertation, submitting all documentation to the College of Graduate Studies, successfully uploading your thesis to cIRcle, and meeting all formatting requirements.

Master’s Thesis:  For complete scheduling and approval deadlines go to the Scheduling Timelines for Graduation section of the Thesis and Dissertation Examination page.

PhD Dissertation: For complete scheduling and approval deadlines go to the Scheduling Timelines for Graduation section of the Thesis and Dissertation Examination page.

Final Thesis/Dissertation Approval Deadlines

For thesis-based students, the Final Thesis/Dissertation Approval Deadline is the last day for your uploaded thesis to be approved in cIRcle in order to be considered for the corresponding degree conferral period.  All thesis-based students must upload their thesis to cIRcle in order to graduate.

Coursework Only Students

For coursework only students, final grades must be entered by the deadlines below. Note some programs have an internal application process for program completion that may be required. Check with your program regarding submission deadlines.

Major Paper/Project Students

Check with your program regarding submission deadlines. All grades must be entered by the dates listed under the “Coursework Only Students” section.

Fees Payable Upon Completion of Degree

No student will receive a degree parchment until all outstanding tuition and student fees have been paid in full. Tuition and student fees are due in September, January, and May for graduate students.

Student fees are not prorated. Candidates who have paid more than the minimum tuition installments for their degree will have their tuition fees prorated to the end of the month in which the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies confirms that all degree requirements have been completed.

To graduate from UBC, you must complete a formal application process that comprises three steps:

1. Complete the Program Completion Application in Workday.
   • This application must be submitted to have your degree conferred by Senate and officially completed.
2. Submit the Program Completion Questionnaire in Workday.
   • This mandatory questionnaire collects information for adjudication including the conferral period you are applying for (February, May, September or November).
3. Submit the Graduation Application
   • This application must be submitted to receive your parchment and to indicate whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony. PhD students only: this is where you will submit your doctoral citations for the ceremony.

Please note: You must complete the Program Completion Application, the Program Completion Questionnaire, and the Graduation Application or you will not be eligible to graduate.

More information on how to apply to graduate and view your program completion status can be found in the Workday tutorial.

You may apply for degree conferral before your final thesis is approved; however, your application will not be approved unless all degree requirements are completed by the posted deadlines below.

Application Deadlines

If you do not complete all components of your application by the final application deadline, your will need to apply for the next available degree conferral period.

The College of Graduate Studies confirms each student’s eligibility for degree conferral and recommends the names of the successful applicants to be presented to Senate.

Students may have their degrees conferred in either February, May, September, or November annually. A graduation ceremony is only held in June, so students who choose to have their degrees conferred in February, September, or November will be invited to participate in the June ceremony.

The degree parchment will be couriered or available for pick-up approximately two weeks after the degree conferral date. If you have any questions regarding your degree parchment, please contact gradapps.okanagan@ubc.ca

Graduation Ceremonies

Congratulations on approaching the completion of your degree program! Earning a graduate degree is a great achievement, and the Graduation ceremonies at UBC Okanagan celebrate the success and contributions of all our new graduates. The graduation ceremony occurs in June only.

You can find out all the details of your ceremony at Graduation at UBC Okanagan including:

• date and approximate time
• gown rental
• obtaining tickets
• photographs and videos
• general ceremony instructions

Doctoral students are the University’s top students, earning the highest degree bestowed by UBC and contributing to the institution and the world through their research. In recognition of the accomplishments of its doctoral graduates, UBC has instituted the reading of doctoral citations during graduation ceremonies.

What is a doctoral citation?

The citation should summarize, in lay language and a maximum of 350 characters, the nature of the independent research, the contribution to knowledge made by the candidate in the dissertation, and the intellectual and/or practical value of the work. The citation is read during the hooding for each doctoral graduate at the convocation ceremony. The title of the dissertation is not read out.

How do I submit the doctoral citation?

There is a field in the Graduation Application for you to submit your doctoral citation. If you forget to complete this section of the application, you can submit the doctoral citation directly to our office using the Doctoral Citation Submission Form.

Who writes the doctoral citation?

The candidate writes the citation, and checks it with their supervisor before submitting it to the College of Graduate Studies. All doctoral students attending the June ceremony are required to submit a citation.

It is important that those present at the ceremony are able to comprehend the nature of the research and appreciate its contribution to society, although they may have no specialized knowledge of the field or its technical terms. For this reason, all citations are subject to editing for clarity by the College of Graduate Studies.

Examples of citations:

John Andrew Smith

Dr Smith showed in the walrus and whale how the production of prostaglandin hormones is regulated by different enzymes in the uterus and placenta before birth. These comparative studies assist us in understanding how the fetus regulates the timing of its own birth in all mammals.

Sylvia Wei Chung

Dr Chung examined how Alcoholics Anonymous helps people maintain sobriety and develop psychosocial well-being. She found a culture in which ‘veteran’ AA members apprentice newer members through ritual, stories and direct instruction, enhancing the success of each. This research illuminates the role of community and mentorship in treating addiction.

Warren James Endicott

Dr Endicott developed an inexpensive and environmentally friendly method to release phosphorus fixed in plant material. He subsequently applied his method to treat agricultural waste products resulting in the capture of phosphorus in a form that can be reutilized thereby reducing the build up of phosphorus in our waterways.

Raymond Solteau

Dr Solteau studied the politics of reusing another writer’s language in the early works of Karl Marx. Though Marx’s work has long been analysed in terms of its more explicit political content, Dr Solteau argues that the implicit politics of the form are just as important to Marx’s project.