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If you complete all graduation requirements in December, you are considered a February graduate.
September grad? Your commencement is earlier in May of that same year.
Graduation
Congratulations! You did it! If you are a UWW Interdisciplinary Studies student, this page will provide you with information about your commencement ceremonies and instructions for making sure you are cleared for graduation.
Are you a 2021 graduate (February, May, or September)? Be sure to review the below checklist to make sure you are on track.
If you notice any problems or discrepancies on your transcript, contact your academic advisor right away. It sometimes takes longer than you expect to resolve a problem, so it should not be left unattended until right before graduation.
Your academic advisor will send an UWW Intent to Graduate Form to your student email address near the end of your last semester for you to review and sign.
Having an incorrect EGT could cause problems with your record if it is not changed before the last day of classes. Your name will not be added to the graduation list to be reviewed by your academic advisor unless this is accurate. To update your EGT, follow these instructions: SPIRE > Main Menu > Graduation > Graduation Data > Change Expected Graduation Term.
- Review your unofficial transcript in SPIRE and your degree plan to make sure all program requirements have been completed and all your credits are represented.
- Review your Academic Records Report (ARR), located in SPIRE, to ensure all general education requirements are completed. Please note, the ARR will not accurately reflect the completion of area of concentration credits. Your academic advisor will confirm that requirement has been fulfilled.
Make sure you have submitted transcripts for any courses completed outside of UMass Amherst while you were a UWW student, CLEP scores, etc. Remember, these items need time to process, so this should be completed as soon as possible.
Make sure prior learning portfolio and special transcript credits have been added to your transcript (portfolio credits will appear as credit earned for UWW 296Y).
Check SPIRE regularly to ensure you do not have a balance or a hold on your account. You will not be graduated until balances and holds are resolved.
Verify your name as you would like it to appear on your diploma: SPIRE > Main Menu > Graduation > Graduation Data > Diploma Name > Change Diploma Name.
Your diploma and certificate will be mailed to the address in SPIRE so make sure it's accurate: SPIRE > Main Menu > My Personal Information > Addresses.
This beautiful event is the university's official graduation ceremony, typically attended by thousands of graduates, family, friends, faculty, staff, and dignitaries. Held annually, the ceremony is for all UMass Amherst students graduating in February, May, and September of that calendar year. UMass Amherst has announced that the main ceremonies for 2021 graduates will be held in-person (without guests) and via livestream on May 14, 2021, and the main ceremony for 2020 graduates will be held in November 2021. Details for both are TBA.
Cap and gown ordering is open now for 2021 graduates (February, May, and September). In order to receive your cap and gown by May 14, order by the April 1 priority deadline. UWW Degree Completion Program students can select “University Without Walls” under the “major” dropdown, and no additional degrees.
This is typically a smaller, heartfelt ceremony where UWW Degree Completion Program graduates, families, friends, faculty, and staff celebrate and acknowledge your individual accomplishments. This event is not meant to replace the main commencement ceremony, and all students are encouraged to attend both. UMass Amherst has not indicated plans to hold senior recognition ceremonies for 2021 or 2020 graduates.
The UWW Degree Completion Program will be creating a video to celebrate the class of 2021 as well as our 50th anniversary, and we’d love for you to be part of it! You can join in by sending us a video clip or two. Up to thirty seconds in length is ideal, but if it’s longer, don’t worry. We’ll edit it if we need to! Here’s last year’s celebration video for inspiration, and here are some prompts you can try:
- A clip of you celebrating your graduation. This could be celebrating with loved ones in-person or on Zoom, dancing with your kids or pets, showing off your diploma if you’re a February grad, throwing your cap in the air (doesn't have to be the one that comes with your gown), or another idea of your choice. We want to feel the joy and love!
- A clip of you responding to one or more of these questions:
- How does it feel to graduate with your bachelor's degree?
- Who has been your biggest inspiration throughout this process?
- What words of wisdom do you have for your fellow UWW Interdisciplinary Studies grads?
- What was your favorite experience as a UWW Interdisciplinary Studies student?
You can email your clips and any questions you have to @email by Wednesday, April 21. If your video is too large to email, please use a shared drive like Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox. We will use as many clips as we can. If you use your phone, please take the video in landscape (phone on its side) and not portrait (phone vertical) mode.
Your diploma will be mailed to your address in SPIRE shortly after you are cleared for graduation. You can expect to receive your certificate, which recognizes your area of concentration, within three months of your official graduation date. In the meantime, if you need to demonstrate your area of concentration to employers or graduate schools, it is listed on your transcript.
