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 2022-2023 Academic year are:
Fall Term: December 9, 2022
Spring Term: April 21, 2023
Summer Term: August 5, 2023
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 (APRIL GRADUATES)
Seniors graduating in April and their guests are invited to attend the Senior Recognition Night, which will be specific to the MEMS department. Registration and tickets (4 allotted per student) will be required. The event will be held on the evening of April 29, 2023. Information on attendance will be sent to all students who have applied to graduate in April. For those students graduating in August that would like to participate in the April Commencement activities, please contact Heather Manns for instructions after January 1, 2023.
SENIOR RECOGNITION (DECEMBER GRADUATES)
December graduates along with four guests each are invited to attend the Swanson School of Engineering Senior Recognition event. The small, intimate ceremony celebrates your graduation achievement! More information regarding the event will be sent to all students who have applied for December graduation.
ORDER OF THE ENGINEER
There is a ring ceremony for Order of the Engineer. 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 holds one annual commencement. It occurs on the last Sunday in April and is held at the Petersen Events Center. Students who graduate within a graduation year are invited to attend. A graduation year encompasses August and December of one year and April of the following year. (Example: August and December of 2022 and April of 2022 graduates will be invited to the 2023 annual commencement.) 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 AND TRANSCRIPT
Your diploma, along with a complimentary official copy of your final transcript, 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, 2022
Spring Term: April 30, 2023
Summer Term: August 12, 2023