To graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, or engineering physics, a student must have satisfactorily completed all required courses within the program. The student also must have obtained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 for (a) all courses completed at the University of Pittsburgh and (b) all departmental courses. 

GRADUATION APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Please complete the following two steps when applying for graduation:

STEP 1: GET CERTIFIED

ME, MSE, and ESCI students: Notify Heather Manns that you have applied for graduation. Your file will then be reviewed by Dr. Slaughter and you will be notified of what you will need to complete for graduation.

STEP 2: APPLY FOR GRADUATION

Complete a Graduation Application via Peoplesoft. Please make sure you also declare any minors and certificates. Instructions can be found here. 

Declaring a minor/certificate

SSOE students who are declaring a minor, certificate, and/or subplan (concentration) within Engineering and need to have it added to PeopleSoft, fill out the Qualtrics survey and it will be added. Ideally, this needs to be done prior to completing the application or application will not be accurate. However, if you need to make a change to your application regarding SSOE minors or subplans once you are already in the application process, you will be able to during step 8 of the directions linked above.

Students who are declaring a major, minor or certificate through the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences need to do so prior to applying for graduation. This process is done manually and may take a few days making it important that you complete this as soon as possible. To declare a major, minor or certificate in DAS, please complete this online form.

Students who are declaring a major, minor or certificate through the School of Computing and Information need to do so prior to applying for graduation. This process is done manually and may take a few days making it important that you complete this as soon as possible. To declare a major, minor or certificate in SCI please complete this online form. 

CO-OP PARTICIPANTS 

Those of you who are graduating and have finished three co-op rotations, please submit your Co-Op technical paper in order to have your co-op experience satisfy one technical elective. The deadlines for submission for the 2024-2025 Academic year are:

Fall Term: December 10, 2024
Spring Term: April 22, 2025
Summer Term: August 1, 2025

CAREER DEVELOPMENT 

At the Swanson School of Engineering, our graduating students gain more than marketable skills and education excellence. They gain access to the University of Pittsburgh Career Development, an office offering comprehensive, informative resources to help bring talented grads together with today's hottest industry careers and research opportunities. Visit the Career Development site to learn more about:

  • Academic internships
  • Job fair information
  • On-campus recruiting
  • Alumni services
  • Connecting with career advisers, and much more

SWANSON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING EVENTS

SENIOR RECOGNITION NIGHT (DECEMBER GRADUATES)

December graduates along with guests are invited to attend the Swanson School of Engineering Senior Recognition event on December 18, 2024 at 10 am. The small, intimate ceremony will be held at the Carnegie Museum of Art Theater and will celebrate your graduation achievement! More information regarding the event (including ticket allocation) will be sent to all students who have applied for December graduation.

SENIOR RECOGNITION (APRIL AND AUGUST GRADUATES)

April and August graduates along with guests are invited to attend the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department (MEMS) Senior Recognition event. The small, intimate ceremony celebrates your graduation achievement! More information regarding the event (including ticket allocation) will be sent to all students who have applied for graduation in April or August. The event will be held on May 3, 2025 at 7:30pm at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall.

ORDER OF THE ENGINEER

There is a ring ceremony for Order of the Engineer in both December and April. For information about participating in the ceremony, please contact ENGRevents@pitt.edu. Find more information about the order here. 

ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT CONVOCATION

The University of Pittsburgh will now hold an annual December and April convocation. Both are held at the Petersen Events Center. Students who apply for graduation will receive an invitation to their corresponding event. August graduates will be invited to the following fall convocation. The Office of Special Events makes all of the arrangements for commencement. Graduation Central is held approximately two weeks prior to commencement. Students are able to pick up their regalia, tickets, and other information regarding commencement during the two-day event.

Questions? Please contact the Office of Special Events: 1200 Bruce Hall, 412-624-7100. 

Note: Those students who are graduating in August are welcome to participate in the MEMS Senior Recognition Night. Please contact the MEMS undergraduate administrator at undrmems@pitt.edu for instructions on how to be included in the events. 

DIPLOMA

Your diploma will be mailed to you at no charge approximately four to six weeks after your official graduation date.

OFFICIAL GRADUATION DATES

Fall Term: December 17, 2024
Spring Term: April 30, 2025
Summer Term: August 16, 2025