May 2026 Commencement information will be published on the BU Commencement homepage.
COM Graduate Convocation Ceremony
No formal ceremony is held in January or September. All eligible students are welcome to attend the May commencement weekend events.
The College of Communication invites all August 2025, January 2026, May 2026, and August 2026 graduates to attend the 2026 Graduate Convocation Ceremony. The COM Graduate Convocation Ceremony is exclusive to COM graduate students (master’s and Ph.D.). Please read the information below in detail.
Other information about the All-University Commencement and special events can be found on Boston University’s Commencement website.
When: Friday, May 15, 2026, 3 PM
Where: Walter Brown Arena (285 Babcock Street)
Length of Ceremony: The ceremony will be approximately two hours.
Caps, Gowns, and Announcements: Order your cap, gown, and hood. When you receive your order, open the bag to make sure you have a 1. Gown, 2. Cap + Tassel, 3. Hood. No additional regalia will be available at the ceremony.
Transportation: There is a shuttle service and public transportation all along the campus.
Guests: There is no limit on the number of guests permitted to attend.
B-2 Visa/International Travel: Please see the instructions here for more information.
Disability Accommodations for Students and Guests: Should you or any member of your party have particular accessibility issues that require accommodations (i.e., accessible parking, seating, and individual services), you can find more information here.
Reception: A reception will immediately follow the Graduate Hooding Ceremony in the Walter Brown Arena. Appetizers and drinks will be served.
Diplomas: Diplomas will be mailed to all graduates. No diplomas will be available on the day of the ceremony. See the diploma mailing schedule.
Photos: Details regarding photography can be found here.
BU All-University Commencement Ceremony
When: 153nd All-University Commencement Exercises – Sunday, May 17th, 1 pm
Where: Nickerson Field
The All-University Commencement will feature speeches from the President of Boston University, the Commencement speaker, and a student speaker. Additionally, there will be presentations to the Honorary Degree recipients and the conferral of degrees. This is a large ceremony, and all undergraduate and graduate students are invited to attend. Students will not walk across the stage or have individual photos taken during the ceremony.
General Graduation Application Instructions
Boston University has three graduation dates per academic year. Please note that the “graduation date” is the date that degrees are officially conferred by the University Registrar, and does not imply that the University has ceremonies for these dates. COM graduates participate in the May commencement only. There is no January or August ceremony.
More instructions are below.
- Application for Graduation: Complete a graduation application.
- Diplomas: See the schedule for mailing diplomas.
- Regalia (Cap, Gown, and Hood): If you would like to purchase your cap & gown, please visit the central commencement website to order regalia.
Graduation Checklist
- Review the courses, credits, academic, and completion projects required to complete your degree.
- Complete a graduation application.
- Receive an email certifying your graduation from the Graduate Affairs Office (comgrad@bu.edu). This cannot be completed until final semester grades are submitted in the MyBU Portal – http://www.bu.edu/student.
- Federal Loan Borrowers: Complete your Exit Counseling requirement through http://www.studentloans.gov.
- Complete the COM Graduate Student Exit Survey (https://bostonu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1BS10SSm6vSyfE9)
- Please update your diploma mailing address in the MyBU Portal – http://www.bu.edu/student. You will receive an email from the Central University Registrar when it’s time to enter your diploma mailing address.
- Review the alumni services available to you.
Credit Requirements
- Media Science: 48 credits
- Media Science with a concentration in Marketing Communication Research: 48 credits
- Advertising (Students who entered before Fall 2019): 52 credits
- Advertising (Students who entered after Fall 2019): 48 credits
- Public Relations: 48 credits
- Journalism: (Students who entered before Fall 2020): 48 credits
- Journalism: (Students who entered after Fall 2020): 50 credits
- Television: 48 credits
- Media Ventures: 40 credits
- Screenwriting: (Students who entered before Fall 2020): 64 credits
- Screenwriting (Students who entered after Fall 2020): 60 credits
- Film and TV Studies: 64 credits
- Television: 48 credits
- Emerging Media Studies (MA): 40 credits
- Emerging Media Studies (Ph.D.): 62 credits
Additional Academic Requirements
- A 3.0 (B) grade point average is required to qualify for a BU COM graduate degree. If a student’s grade point index is less than 3.0 in ANY semester, or if more than 8 credits for grades below B- are received during the length of the program, the student’s record is reviewed by the department of enrollment to determine whether the student should be permitted to continue as a candidate for the degree.
- A grade below a C- will not receive graduate credit (information taken from the COM bulletin).