Graduation is a major milestone before exploring the next step in your professional health career.
December University Commencement
Event Details
Undergraduate and graduate students that graduated in June, August and expected graduates for December 2025 will be invited to the University December Commencement on Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 3 p.m. at the John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center.
Students will receive an invitation to their Pitt email from the Office of Special Events (commencement@pitt.edu) on October 13. The deadline to RSVP will be November 20. Graduates should review the Commencement Checklist.
Guests
Currently each student is to receive four (4) tickets, an opportunity for additional tickets will not be determined until the number of students attending has been confirmed. For Family & Friends, we welcome you to check out the new Family & Friends Portal. It is your source of information to enjoy the Pitt Commencement experience fully.
Please note: SHRS has no input on the number of tickets a student receives or any influence on additional tickets.
Regalia and Honor Cords
Be sure to review how you receive your regalia and (undergraduate) honor cords at this link: Attire & Honors Cords | Commencement.
- Graduation Central Spook-tackular kickoff will be held at the University Store on Fifth October 28-31.
- Regalia can be ordered online for in-store pickup beginning October 28 through December 7. All orders after December 7 must be placed in person at the University Store on Fifth. Link to order regalia will be added soon to this site.
Hooding for graduate students receiving a doctoral degree:
All doctoral students will be hooded on stage at this event and will be allowed to select their hooder, as long as they are Pitt faculty or staff. If you have someone in mind to hood you, please confirm with them they are attending before designating them in your RSVP. The Office of Special Events will be reaching out to any hooder that has been designated to confirm attendance and provide instruction.
View more information on the University Commencement at https://www.commencement.pitt.edu/graduate-portal
Please note: SHRS does not hold a school graduation ceremony in December. Please check with your individual department for any recognition events.
SHRS Spring Graduation Ceremonies
The SHRS 2026 Spring Graduation Ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall.
Invitations were sent to April, June and August graduating students Pitt emails on February 25, 2026.
Included in the invitation is a link for you to RSVP your intentions to attend or not to attend by March 25, 2026. It will also include details on ordering and picking up your regalia, parking, accessibility, photography, guests, the livestream and more! Information is also provided below.
Guests
When you RSVP, you will be asked to select the number of guests that will be attending. There will be a five (5) guest limit per student.
- Graduating students and anyone under the age of 2 will not require a ticket.
- There will NOT be a waitlist for any additional tickets.
- We will not be accepting any requests for additional tickets.
Ceremony Information
Morning Ceremony
- This ceremony will be livestreamed.
- This ceremony will include undergraduate, graduate and PhD students from these departments:
- Communication Science and Disorders
- Health Informatics
- Sports Medicine and Nutrition (includes Athletic Training and Sports Science)
Afternoon Ceremony
- This ceremony will be livestreamed.
- This ceremony will include students from these programs:
- Undergraduate programs
- Emergency Medicine
- Rehabilitation Science
- Graduate programs
- Counseling
- Occupational Therapy
- PA Studies
- Physical Therapy
- Prosthetics and Orthotics,
- Rehabilitation Science PhDs – from graduate programs in the afternoon ceremony.
- Rehabilitation Technology
- Undergraduate programs
Regalia
All participating students are required to purchase and wear regalia for the SHRS ceremony (May 2) and the Undergraduate Commencement (May 3).
Regalia Details
You can order your regalia from the University Store before or during Graduation Central. Graduation Central will kick off on April 7 and run through May 1. More information can be found here.
- You will be able to pre-order your regalia starting on March 2. If you want to be able to pick up your regalia at Graduation Central, you will need to place your pre-order by Friday, April 3.
- April 7 will be the first day you can come to the University Bookstore to pick up your pre-orders or purchase.
- You can also purchase your regalia at Graduation Central.
Ordering Regalia
- Customer information needed: you will be asked for your height, weight and degree selection once you add your item to your cart.
- Shipping: If you choose to have your regalia shipped, you will pay an additional shipping cost of $17.95.
- The regalia sets include cap, gown, hood and tassel
- Bachelor Regalia Set – All Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees, choose For Degree Specialization – Health and Rehabilitation Science – Science Yellow
- Masters Regalia Set – Degree specialization choose Master of Arts –White (Speech Language Degree Only) or Master of Science – Science
Yellow - Doctoral Regalia Set
- For Clinical Doctorate in OT and Doctor of Medical Science – choose For Degree Specialization Clinical Science – Science Yellow
- For Doctor of Audiology, choose for Degree Specialization – Spruce (Dark Green)
- For Doctor of OT & PT, choose for Degree Specialization – Teal
- For PhD choose for Degree Specialization – Philosophy (PhD – All Areas Royal blue)
- Note: when ordering a 6-sided Tam is not required for cap.
Honor Cords for Undergraduates
To qualify for Honors, one must have completed 60 letter graded credits of coursework from Pitt and have a 3.250 Cumulative GPA.
- 2026 graduates, this will be based on your December 2025 cumulative GPA, as your grades are not final for spring term until after the ceremony.
- Pitt honor cords are blue and gold and are the same for all honor designations. Final honor designations for the following are determined after your degree is certified.
- Cum Laude 3.250-3.499
- Magna Cum 3.500-3.749
- Summa Cum Laude 3.750-4.000
- Picking up your Honor Cords
- Dates: April 7 – April 21
- Location: New SHRS Building at 3396 Fifth Avenue – Fifth and Halket Floor 8, Administrative Suite
- Available: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- If a student cannot pick up their honors cords in person, they will have to send an email to SHRS Advising: advising@shrs.pitt.edu and indicate which student will pick up their honors cords on their
behalf.
- If a student cannot pick up their honors cords in person, they will have to send an email to SHRS Advising: advising@shrs.pitt.edu and indicate which student will pick up their honors cords on their
- All cords not picked up by April 21 will be given out to students, by the student lineup marshal at your SHRS Graduation ceremony.
Hooding for Graduate Students
Students should carry the hood on their left arm as they approach the stage for hooding.
- Doctoral degrees in PT, OT, Audiology, Doctor of Medical Science and Chiropractic will be hooded on stage by their department.
- PhD recipients will be hooded on stage by their committee chair and the title of their dissertation will be read.
Other Regalia Information
- ONLY doctoral students (including PhDs) will be hooded on stage.
- All students should wear their tassels on the right side of their mortarboard.
- We will not have extra regalia or components of regalia for you at the ceremony. Please come prepared!
- Please wear sensible shoes as you must go up and down steps to the stage.
More information regarding regalia (including pricing, recycling, and a video on how to properly wear your regalia) can be found at this link for the University Store: Grad Central & Graduation Information.
Click on this link to place your order: Shop Regalia | The University Store on Fifth.
If you have any questions regarding regalia, please visit or contact the University Store.
Keynote Speakers
Morning Ceremony | Keynote Speaker
Kanwal ‘Ken’ Nischal, MD, FAAP, FRCOphth
- Division Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus and Adult Motility
- Medical Director Digital Health, UPMC Children’s Hospital
- Associate Medical Director, UPMC International
- Executive Vice Chair, UPMC Vision Institute
- Co-founded Charity World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS) (reg’d.1144806 London UK)
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Kanwal ‘Ken’ Nischal was Born in Nairobi, Kenya and grew up outside London, UK in Slough.
Nischal earned his medical degree from King’s College Hospital, London University and trained in Ophthalmology at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital and Oxford Eye Hospital rotation, which included the The Prince Charles’ Eye Unit where he worked with Jack Kanski. While there, he co-authored 3 textbooks with Jack Kanski. He completed a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.
He was appointed as Consultant at Great Ormond Hospital for Children, London and Hon. Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Child Health, UCL. There he developed a unique Pediatric Cornea service which quickly became a geo-center for children
with rare diseases affecting the cornea and anterior segment disease; he developed a craniofacial ophthalmic service and an ophthalmic service for rare eye diseases.
Nischal was member of the medical advisory committee to the Department of Health, Her Majesty’s Government UK.
He was recruited by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh he moved to Pittsburgh in 2011.There he developed the division of Pediatric ophthalmology and Strabismus and Adult Ocular Motility at
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, establishing the Vision Enhancement Center, Collagen Cross Linking Center, Myopia Treatment Center, Ocular genetic service, Pediatric electrophysiology service and eye movement service, while continuing development of the Pediatric Cornea service. He has been a lead in the dissemination and education of myopia arresting therapies through WSPOS consensus statements, editorials, webinars and lectures globally.
He is credited for developing the TIPP Rhexis technique for pediatric cataract surgery, the banded technique for traumatic pediatric cataract surgery, and adapting techniques used in adult ophthalmology for children with rare ocular diseases e.g. DALK for mucopolysaccharidoses, SLET for very large corneal dermoid.
Nischal Co-founded Charity World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS) (reg’d.1144806 London UK) and is a co-executive officer of WSPOS. There are 6000 members, making it the largest single pediatric society in the world, created to develop services for children’s eye care globally.
Afternoon Ceremony | Keynote Speaker
Paul Rockar Jr., PT, DPT, MS (’81), FAPTA
- Past president and board member of the American Physical Therapy Association of Pennsylvania (APTA)
- Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA
- Legacy Laureate and 225th Anniversary Awardee of the University of Pittsburgh
- Recently completed his term as a trustee and president of the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research
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Paul Rockar is a physical therapist and received his bachelor of science from the University of Pennsylvania. He has a master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Pittsburgh and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Temple University. Rockar is the past CEO of UPMC Centers for Rehab Services (now the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute), a large network of community-based comprehensive rehabilitation services in Western Pennsylvania.
He and his wife, Judy, live in Murrysville and have two adult daughters. They are also blessed with five grandchildren. The couple are long time parishioners of Mother of Sorrows Church in Murrysville.
GradImages - Ceremony Photography
During each SHRS ceremony, GradImages will be taking photos of you as you walk across the stage to receive your diploma. After each ceremony, we will provide GradImages with your Pitt Email, so that they can send you photo proofs to view and purchase.
You can preregister now until the day of the ceremony to receive a coupon code for 20% off an order of $50 or more.
Please direct any questions to their Customer Service Department at (800) 261-2576, online at www.gradimages.com, or email ecc.giservice@gradimages.net. They have a large team of customer care representatives ready to help graduates and family members with anything they may need.
University Commencement
For Undergraduates Only
Spring Commencement will be held at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 3:30. Rain or shine.
This venue change will ensure every eligible graduate can participate and receive an appropriate number of tickets for their family and friends.
Eligible spring graduates who have applied for graduation through the Registrar’s office will receive invitations for the commencement ceremony from the Office of Special Events in the next few weeks, with an April 9 deadline to register for the ceremony.
Additional information, including ticketing and event details, will be provided in the coming weeks. Keep up with the latest by visiting Pitt’s commencement website and following @PittCommencement on Instagram.
Celebration Graphics
Celebrate the University of Pittsburgh graduates with signs for your yard and windows, designs for the tops of cookies, cakes and cupcakes, social media assets, selfie signs, regional campus signage, pennants, stickers and Zoom/Teams digital backgrounds. Congratulations, Pitt grads!
International Students and Families
The Office of International Services (OIS) offers a Fact Sheet about inviting friends and relatives to the U.S.
If you have any additional questions, please contact OIS:
Office of International Services
Email: OIS@pitt.edu
Phone: +1-412-624-7120
Friends and Family Attending an SHRS Ceremony
Pre-order gifts for your SHRS graduates!
All online orders will be available for pickup on-site the day of graduation. To retrieve your order, please stop by our booth located conveniently at the entrance to graduation before the ceremony begins.
Please take a look at the selection of gifts through the link below!