2017 Commencement Summary
Find all the information and news about SDSUs commencement in one, convenient place.
SDSU will host seven separate ceremonies from May 12-14 at Viejas Arena and one ceremony on May 11 at its Imperial Valley campus.
“Commencement is the highlight of our year,” said SDSU President Elliot Hirshman. “We are proud of our graduates and all they have accomplished here at SDSU. Now they join our over 300,000 alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders. We look forward to seeing how they use their education to improve our region and our broader society.”
The College of Sciences will hold the largest ceremony, honoring 1,778 degree candidates. The College of Engineering will have the most intimate ceremony, awarding 849 degrees.
Commencement schedule
Thursday, May 11Imperial Valley Campus, 7 p.m., Rollie Carrillo Quad
Friday, May 12
College of Arts and Letters, 10 a.m., Viejas Arena
College of Sciences, 3 p.m., Viejas Arena
Saturday, May 13
Fowler College of Business, 8 a.m., Viejas Arena
College of Health and Human Services, 1 p.m., Viejas Arena
College of Engineering, 5:30 p.m., Viejas Arena
Sunday, May 14
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, 9 a.m., Viejas Arena
College of Education and Division of Undergraduate Studies, 2 p.m., Viejas Arena
Connect with commencement
Go behind the scenes of SDSU commencement by connecting on social media.Tune into SDSU’s Facebook page and Snapchat (@sandiegostate) prior to each ceremony to see videos and photos of graduates.
Follow SDSU’s Twitter and Instagram accounts to see tweets and photos posted by students, faculty and staff.
Each ceremony will be broadcasted online. Please visit SDSU’s Commencement website for additional information.
Parking and traffic information
SDSU will provide courtesy parking during commencement ceremonies at all main parking structures and lots. Please consult the campus map to locate parking areas.Campus visitors should be advised that the university expects Viejas Arena to reach its 12,414-person capacity during several ceremonies and alternate modes of transportation to campus are encouraged.
Honorary doctorates
Three distinguished SDSU alumni will receive honorary doctor of humane letters degrees from SDSU during the 2017 commencement ceremonies.Andrea Skorepa ('71) will receive an honorary doctorate from the College of Arts and Letters at its May 12 commencement ceremony. Harold Brown ('59) will be recognized at the Fowler College of Business commencement ceremony on May 13, and Jack McGrory ('76) will be honored at the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts commencement ceremony on May 14.
SDSU has conferred more than 45 honorary degrees since 1963, when President John F. Kennedy received the first, a Doctor of Laws degree.
Top 10 degrees
The most popular degrees among this year's graduates represent a wide variety of academic disciplines on campus. Here are the top 10 degrees of 2017:No. 1: B.A., Psychology
No. 2: B.S., Criminal Justice
No. 3: B.S., Business Administration - Finance
No. 4: B.S., Kinesiology - Pre-Physical Therapy
No. 5: B.S., Business Administration - Marketing
No. 6: B.S., Business Administration - Accounting
No. 7: B.S., Mechanical Engineering
No. 8: B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies
No. 9: B.A., Economics
No. 10: B.A., Communication (Liberal Arts)
