More than 862 students will walk in two graduation ceremonies Dec. 13 at Bartow Arena, and 178 doctoral candidates will be recognized in a separate ceremony Dec. 10. This fall, the University of Alabama at Birmingham will begin recognizing graduating students with a separate ceremony for doctoral graduates and combined ceremonies for those earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Doctoral graduates will be recognized in a special doctoral hooding ceremony at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, in the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. This semester, the UAB Graduate School will confer the university’s highest degrees on 178 doctoral students from 19 states and 11 countries, representing 36 disciplines.
More than 1,966 students are eligible to graduate from UAB this semester, and at least 862 students will participate in morning and afternoon ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 13, at Bartow Arena.
The first ceremony, for students graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences and Collat School of Business, will be at 9:30 a.m.
The second ceremony, for students from all other schools and colleges, will be at 2 p.m.
Doors will open one hour prior to each ceremony. There is no limit on the number of guests who can attend the ceremonies. Bartow Arena enforces a clear bag policy. Strollers must be left in the concourse area. Visit the UAB commencement website for full details.
Watch a livestream of the ceremonies on Facebook and YouTube. Use the hashtags #UAB and #UABClassof2025 on social media.
Professor Alison Chapman, Ph.D., in the Department of English, will carry the mace for both ceremonies Dec. 13. Chapman received the prestigious Charles P. and Caroline W. Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction, the highest academic honor in the College of Arts and Sciences. This award is given to honor notable achievements in their specialized field, national or international recognition of peers, and demonstration of talents that contribute to the elevation of the arts and sciences in the UAB and Birmingham communities.
The Alabama Pipes and Drums will lead the procession for both ceremonies, and the Department of Music’s Faculty Brass Quintet will perform. Students Tavion McCorvey and Lauren Haygood will sing the national anthem and the UAB alma mater for the ceremonies, respectively.
Free public parking is available in the 12th Street Parking Deck. Before and during the ceremonies, 13th Street South will be closed to through traffic to accommodate pedestrians around Bartow Arena. Parking for persons with valid state handicap permits or tags is available in Lot 24 on the south side of the Bartow Arena Lot. A campus map and more information is available at www.uab.edu/commencement/travel.