Information for Candidates

We encourage you to read all details of the ceremony online at  http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/esl/em/records/commencement/

Important Information

The 2013 MUSC Commencement Ceremony will begin at 9:00 am on Friday, May 17^th at McAlister Field House, The Citadel.

Please plan to arrive with all your academic regalia at 7:30 am.

You will receive a line-up card at the candidate entrance to the Field House (see floor plan). Staff will direct you to your appropriate line.

You should leave all personal items you cannot fit in your pockets in your car or with a guest. There will be no secure location for you to leave your personal belongings including purses, cameras, hangers, umbrellas, etc.

When recessing after the ceremony, staff will direct you to a diploma distribution site where you must go to claim your diploma directly following the ceremony.

Thank you for completing Enrollment Management’s online degree application and ordering your academic regalia for the 2013 Commencement Ceremony.

The package you are receiving includes:

• a gown (bachelor, master, or doctoral level)
• a hood (bachelor, master, or doctoral level)
• a black cap
• a tassel (black for bachelor or master level; gold for doctoral level) with appropriate date drop (2012 for August and December graduates and 2013 for May graduates)

You should bring your academic regalia to McAlister Field House at the Citadel for the May 17^th ceremony at 7:30 am. If you forget all or part of your regalia, staff may not be able to accommodate you appropriately.

You regalia is yours to keep.

Along with your academic regalia you will receive nine (9) guest tickets for the May 17^th ceremony. You do not need a ticket for yourself.

Tickets are given in equal portion to all students who have indicated attendance to the ceremony at McAlister Field House.

Your tickets are yours to do with as you wish including sharing with other candidates who may need additional tickets.

If you feel you do not need all 9 tickets, Enrollment Management strongly encourages you to turn in unneeded tickets to the receptionist at Harper Student Center 3^rd Floor, 45 Courtney Drive.

Unclaimed and unused tickets will be offered to candidates who may request extra tickets via an online lottery request site at http://academicdepartment.musc.edu/esl/em/records/commencement/tickets/index.htm

The selling of tickets is strongly discouraged! No one will be admitted to McAlister Field House without a valid ticket. No exceptions.

You may now order announcements for the May 2013 Commencement Ceremony, and the Summer 2013 ceremonies for Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant Studies.

Please visit Josten’s website at http://www.jostens.com to place your order.

There are several parking options available to you and your guests for the ceremony. Please see the Citadel parking map.

There is limited parking on the Citadel campus around or near McAlister Field House most of which require a short walk. Guests may not be dropped off in front of the Field House as MUSC transportation needs full-time access to this area.

There is ample parking at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Hagood Avenue near MUSC’s employee parking lot. Shuttle buses will run starting at 7:30 am to transport guests onto the Citadel campus for drop off in front of McAlister Field House.

Additional Parking can be found by Joe Riley Field and Brittlebank Park. There are no shuttles from these locations.

If you have valid MUSC parking, you may utilize your parking space and use MUSC transportation to travel to MUSC Employee parking at the Hagood Avenue lot.

Reserved Seating for Disabled Guests

Seating in McAlister Field House mainly requires the navigation of stairs and bleachers.

Commencement guests who are disabled are eligible to receive a pass for themselves and for one assistant to sit in a special reserved section on the floor of McAlister Field House. Seating in this area is limited. Passes will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. A maximum of 4 passes may be requested.

This reserved section is located next to the candidate seating on the floor (see floor plan). Ushers will be present to collect passes and to give assistance as needed.

Candidates only may request passes beginning April 1, 2013 at http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/esl/em/records/commencement/passes.html

NOTE: All disabled guests are still required to have a ticket for entrance into the Field House. A reserved seating pass is NOT a ticket for admittance.

Reserved Parking for Disabled Guests

Guests who are disabled are also eligible for reserved parking located near McAlister Field House on the Citadel Campus (see campus map).

Public Safety officers will be present to identify valid passes and permit parking in this section.

Candidates only may request passes beginning April 1, 2013 at http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/esl/em/records/commencement/passes.html

Disable parking areas will be noted on the back of the pass.