Why is it called commencement instead of graduation?

Is there a difference between commencement and graduation?

Graduating from college and walking across the stage in your commencement ceremony are two different things, but they're intertwined. College graduation marks the completion of your degree requirements, while commencement celebrates those accomplishments and looks toward the future.

What is the difference between baccalaureate and commencement?

Unlike the massive commencement exercises held in stadiums or arenas, baccalaureate ceremonies offer a quieter, more intimate opportunity to pause and reflect on this rite of passage, hear a keynote speaker, a faculty member and student speakers offer advice to the graduating class and enjoy students' musical talents.

What is the origin of commencement ceremony?

Graduation through the ages. University graduation ceremonies are part of an 800-year tradition which stretches back to the establishment of the first universities in Europe in the 12th century, when Latin was the language of scholarship.

Where did commencement originate from?

Why is graduation called “Commencement”? The word reflects the meaning of the Latin inceptio – a “beginning” – and was the name given to the initiation ceremony for scholars in medieval Europe. The original college degree certified that the bearer could instruct others in a given academic discipline.

What is commencement in simple terms?

com·​mence·​ment kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt. 1. : an act, instance, or time of commencing. 2. : the ceremonies or the day for presenting degrees or diplomas to graduates of a school or college.

Why is commencement the end?

Despite meaning "beginning", commencement may be mistaken to mean "ending" due to its association with the end of one's studies. Its usage originated with students finishing their studies and being awarded a degree, thus commencing as bachelors or masters in a subject and enjoying new privileges within academia.

What is commencement in the USA?

About Commencement & Graduation

Commencement refers to the ceremony, officiated by the provost of the university, where you share the excitement and importance of your academic accomplishments with peers, family, and friends.

Is it OK not to attend graduation?

Let me start by clarifying, at least for those who don't know, it is not mandatory to attend the graduation ceremony to be awarded your degree. You have worked hard for your degree, completed all your assignments and submitted your dissertation, meeting all the criteria for completing and being awarded your degree.

What not to say in a commencement speech?

Stay away from jokes: Yes jokes can be fun but it is hard to draw the line from being fun to being unprofessional. Your safest bet will be to keep the jokes aside. Avoid negativity: You should avoid negativity at all costs. Your impression makes a big impact; it should always be a positive one.

What is the proper term for a college graduation ceremony?

Commencement is open to all graduating students, regardless of what college or school they are graduating from. During the university's undergraduate Commencement ceremony, ASU President Michael Crow confers degrees on all ASU bachelor's degree candidates by schools (not individually).

Which ceremony is also known as a commencement?

The graduation ceremony is also sometimes called: commencement, congregation, convocation or invocation.

What is the difference between ceremony and commencement?

Simply put, Commencement is a ceremony held once a year that honors students who just have or will soon graduate, which means completing all requirements of their degree program. Participating in Commencement does not automatically mean that a student has graduated.

What does the root word commencement mean?

A root word has no prefix or suffix — it's the most basic part of a word. The root word at the heart of "conformity," for example, is "form." In linguistics, a root word holds the most basic meaning of any word.

What is the base word of commencement?

From Old French comencement, corresponding to commencer (“to begin”) +‎ -ment.

Is graduation an American tradition?

Since the start of the Western university system in the 1200s, many different graduation traditions have taken hold in our American culture. Here are a few fascinating facts about the traditions surrounding a graduation ceremony, most of which we carry even into modern-day homeschool graduations.

Why do graduates wear caps and gowns?

So why do people wear long black robes and mortarboard hats for graduation ceremonies? The tradition of caps and gowns dates back to the Middle Ages at Oxford in England when academic buildings were not heated, and students and teachers wore hooded gowns daily to stay warm.

When was the word graduation invented?

graduation (n.)

General sense of "a dividing into degrees" is from 1590s; meaning "action of receiving or giving an academic degree" is from early 15c.; in reference to the ceremony where a degree is given, from 1818. also from early 15c.

What is the hardest baccalaureate degree?

What religion is Baccalaureate ceremony?

The event is typically a Christianity-based interdenominational (ecumenical) service, though it may also be conducted with a particular tradition's liturgy, especially if the academic institution is affiliated with a certain Christian denomination such as the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, among others.

Why is it called a baccalaureate degree?

The odd name, baccalaureate, comes from the early years of higher education when the bachelor's degree was called “the baccalaureate.” It is believed that, during the 15th century, Oxford University established a tradition of sending their graduates off through a (very) long service that included sermons offered in ...