Commencement Ceremony 2025

Live Stream and Captioning

A live stream for this event will be available on this page at the scheduled start time. Live English closed captioning is available by clicking the “CC” icon at the bottom of the player window. In addition, live captioning and automated translations are available at this link. The following language translations are available: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean.

Commencement for the academic year 2024–2025 will be held on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Commencement Day activities include ceremonies in Harvard Yard and at the GSD, and the Harvard Commencement Address. The GSD Diploma Ceremony is expected to begin at 2 p.m. However, we advise graduates and guests to allow for flexibility in their plans. 

Please note that the in-person Commencement event requires tickets for entry. Guests can find information about tickets and ticketed events on the Commencement Information Page.

The event will also be livestreamed on the video player above.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement Week page for more information. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Malkit Shoshan Speaks to GSD Graduates at Class Day 2025

The Harvard Graduate School of Design’s 2025 Class Day Awards Ceremony and Address will take place from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, in the Gund Hall Backyard.

Please note that the in-person Class Day event requires tickets for entry. Guests can find information about tickets and ticketed events on the  Commencement Information Page.

The event will also be livestreamed on the video player above.

The GSD has named Malkit Shoshan as its 2025 Class Day speaker. Malkit Shoshan is the 2024-2025 Senior Loeb Scholar at Harvard GSD and a 2024 Resident at The Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center. She is a designer, researcher, and writer, and founding director of the architecture think tank FAST (Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory). FAST employs research, advocacy, design, and public art to explore the complex relationships between architecture, urban planning, and human rights.In 2021, Shoshan was awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale for her collaborative project Border Ecologies and the Gaza Strip: Watermelon, Sardines, Crabs, Sand, and Sediment, which is also the subject of her forthcoming book with Amir Qudaih (Mack Books, 2024). Her award-winning books on spatial equity, peace, and conflict include BLUE: The Architecture of UN Peacekeeping Missions (Actar, 2023), Atlas of Conflict: Israel-Palestine (Uitgeverij 010, 2010), Village: One Land, Two Systems and Platform Paradise (Damiani Editore, 2014), Zoo, or the Letter Z, Just After Zionism (NAiM, 2012). Shoshan’s research and design work has been exhibited internationally and featured in prominent newspapers, magazines, and academic journals, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, and Harvard Design Magazine.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement page for more information about Class Day and Commencement Week activities. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Commencement Ceremony 2024

Live Stream and Captioning

A live stream for this event will be available on this page at the scheduled start time. Live English closed captioning is available by clicking the “CC” icon at the bottom of the player window. If the live stream player is unavailable in your region, a secondary stream is available here. In addition, live captioning and automated translations are available at this link. The following language translations are available: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Persian, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Korean.

Update at 1:15 p.m.: The GSD Commencement Ceremony is temporarily delayed due to inclement weather.

Update at 2:10 p.m.:  The GSD Commencement Ceremony will begin shortly.  Students, faculty, and family members are now assembling.

Commencement for the academic year 2023–2024 will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Commencement Day activities include ceremonies in Harvard Yard and at the GSD, and the Harvard Commencement Address. The GSD Diploma Ceremony is expected to begin between 12:45 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. However, we advise graduates and guests to allow for flexibility in their plans. 

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement Week page for more information. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Commencement Ceremony 2023

Live Stream and Captioning

A live stream for this event will be available on this page at the scheduled start time. Live English closed captioning is available by clicking the “CC” icon at the bottom of the player window. If the live stream player is unavailable in your region, a secondary stream is available here. In addition, live captioning and automated translations are available at this link. The following language translations are available: Greek, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Persian, Spanish, and Korean.

Commencement for the academic year 2022–2023 will be held on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Commencement Day activities include ceremonies in Harvard Yard and at the GSD, and the Harvard Commencement Address.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement Week page for more information. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Kimberly Dowdell Speaks to GSD Graduates at Class Day 2023

A recording of this event is available with audio description .

Live Stream and Captioning

A live stream for this event will be available on this page at the scheduled start time. Live English closed captioning is available by clicking the “CC” icon at the bottom of the player window. If the live stream player is unavailable in your region, a secondary stream is available here. In addition, live captioning and automated translations are available at this link. The following language translations are available: Greek, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Persian, Spanish, and Korean.

The Harvard Graduate School of Design’s 2023 Class Day Awards Ceremony and Address will take place from 3:30 pm–5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 24, in the Gund Hall Backyard.

The GSD has named Kimberly Dowdell as its 2023 Class Day speaker. Dowdell is a licensed architect and frequent speaker on the topics of architecture, diversity, sustainability, and the future of cities. In her 2019–2020 term as National President of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), she worked closely with her board of directors and staff to increase opportunities for women and people of color to gain more equitable access to the building professions. She also more than doubled the organization’s membership and significantly raised NOMA’s profile during her two-year presidency.

Dowdell’s career aspirations are rooted in her upbringing in Detroit, where she was initially driven to utilize architecture as a tool to revitalize cities. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture at Cornell University and her Master of Public Administration at Harvard University. Her professional experience has spanned from architecture to government and teaching to real estate development. Dowdell is currently a principal in the Chicago studio of HOK, a leading global design firm. She co-founded the SEED Network in 2005 and has been a LEED accredited professional since 2007. In 2020, Dowdell was recognized as an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Young Architect of the Year awardee as well as an Architectural Record Women in Architecture award recipient. Dowdell also was recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business and Crain’s Chicago Business as a 40 Under 40 honoree in 2018 and 2020, respectively. In 2021, she was awarded the Cranbrook Kingswood Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2022, Dowdell was elected to the Cornell University Board of Trustees as well as to the AIA National Board of Directors as 2023 President-Elect.

In 2024, Dowdell will serve as the 100th National President of the AIA and the first Black woman to hold this position in the organization’s history. Dowdell’s overarching mission is to improve people’s lives, by design.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement page for more information about Class Day and Commencement week activities. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Special Commencement Ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021

On Sunday, May 29, 2022, the Graduate School of Design will host a Special Commencement Ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021.

Harvard University and the Graduate School of Design will celebrate the resilient recent graduates who experienced one-of-a-kind virtual graduation ceremonies but were unable to participate in traditional, on-campus Harvard University Commencement exercises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also invite you to watch the 2020 Virtual Commencement and 2021 Virtual Commencement ceremonies.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement Week page for more information. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Commencement 2022

Live Stream and Captioning

A live stream for this event will be available on this page at the scheduled start time. Live English closed captioning is available by clicking the “CC” icon at the bottom of the player window. If the live stream player is unavailable in your region, a secondary stream is available here. In addition, dedicated links for live captioning and automated translations are available: English, Greek, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Persian, Spanish, and Korean.

Commencement for the academic year 2021-2022 will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Commencement Day activities include ceremonies in Harvard Yard and at the GSD, and the Harvard Commencement Address.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement Week page for more information. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Danielle Allen

This event is also available to watch with audio description .

The Harvard Graduate School of Design’s 2022 Class Day Awards Ceremony and Address will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in the Gund Hall Backyard.

The GSD has named Danielle Allen as its 2022 Class Day speaker. Danielle Allen is a professor of public policy, politics, and ethics at Harvard University, and James Bryant Conant University Professor, one of Harvard’s highest honors. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, national voice on pandemic response, distinguished author, and mom. Danielle’s work to make the world better for young people has taken her from teaching college and leading a $60 million university division to driving change at the helm of a $6 billion foundation, writing for the Washington Post, advocating for cannabis legalization, democracy reform, and civic education, and most recently, to running for governor of Massachusetts. During the height of COVID in 2020, Danielle’s leadership in rallying coalitions and building solutions resulted in the country’s first-ever Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience; her policies were adopted in federal legislation and a Biden executive order. Danielle made history as the first Black woman ever to run for statewide office in Massachusetts. She continues to advocate for democracy reform to create greater voice and access in our democracy, and drive progress towards a new social contract that serves and includes us all.

Please visit the GSD’s Commencement page for more information about Class Day and Commencement week activities. You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Virtual Commencement 2021

Important information for Commencement 2021

Harvard University will again hold our Commencement celebrations virtually in 2021. The university, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, remain committed to holding in-person events for our 2020 and 2021 graduates in the future.

We will join together virtually to honor the class of 2021 and confer their hard-earned degrees on Thursday, May 27, 2021.

The GSD’s programs will be livestreamed on the school’s YouTube channel and Kaltura . Closed-captioning will be available in both English and Spanish .

The GSD’s Class Day Address will be presented virtually by writer Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of the bestselling essay collection Trick Mirror. Additionally, the program will feature Class Day musical performances by Brandee Younger, Tomeka Reid Quartet, and Natural Information Society.

Schedule for Thursday, May 27

• 10:30 am: Harvard University Virtual Awarding of Degrees
• 12:30 pm: GSD Awards Ceremony
• 1:10 pm: GSD Class Day Address by Jia Tolentino (timing is approximate)
• 1:45 pm: GSD Diploma Ceremony (timing is approximate)
• 3:30 pm: Department and program toasts to graduates begin
  • 3:30 pm: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning & Design
  • 4:00 pm: Design Studies, Design Engineering
  • 4:30 pm: Doctoral programs

All times EDT.
Links for toasts to graduates events will be shared by email.

In addition to ceremonies and social events, the Commencement Exhibition is another important part of our graduation celebrations, showcasing work by our graduating students. To view this year’s exhibitions, visit:

2021 Virtual Thesis Exhibition
2021 Commencement Exhibition

2021 Class Day Speaker

Jia Tolentino is a staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of the bestselling essay collection Trick Mirror, which has been translated into eleven languages. She was the recipient of a Whiting Award, a MacDowell Fellowship, and the 2020 Jeannette Haien Ballard Writer’s Prize. She graduated from the University of Virginia, received her MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan, and lives in New York.

2021 Class Day Performers

The Tomeka Reid Quartet featuring Jason Roebke, Tomas Fujiwara and Mary Halvorson performs original compositions composed by cellist, Tomeka Reid . Over the last decade, Reid has emerged as one of the most original, versatile, and curious musicians in Chicago’s bustling jazz and improvised music community. Her distinctive melodic sensibility has been featured in many distinguished ensembles over the years. Mary Halvorson is one of the most recognizable guitarists of her generation, a musician who’s won accolades (MacArthur Fellow) from both sides of the Atlantic, through her many projects. Tomas Fujiwara is one of the most sought after drummers on the New York scene. He leads and co-leads several dynamic ensembles and has also played in the Indian brass band Red Baraat. Bassist, Jason Roebke is also bandleader in his own right, scoring deserved praise with the debut recording by his octet in 2014; he’s also served as the harmonic anchor for a veritable who’s who of Chicago bandleaders. The Tomeka Reid Quartet is honored to have been asked to share in this momentous celebration and hope you will enjoy the music! Congratulations, class of 2021!!

A leading voice of the harp today, performer, composer, educator and concert curator Brandee Younger defies genres and labels.  Recently awarded Rising Star Harpist in Downbeat Magazine’s 2020 Critics Poll, she has performed and recorded with artists including Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Jack Dejohnette, Charlie Haden, Common, John Legend, The Roots, Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill. In 2020, she released her fifth album Force Majeure and her original composition “Hortense” was featured in the Netflix Concert-Documentary, Beyoncé: Homecoming. In 2019, Ms. Younger was selected to perform her original music as a featured performer for Quincy Jones and Steve McQueens’ “Soundtrack of America”.  Ms. Younger’s ability to seamlessly inject the harp into arrangements and venues where it has historically been overlooked is a testament to her deep love for and exemplary command of the instrument.  In addition to performing, Ms. Younger is on the teaching artist faculty at New York University and The New School College of Performing Arts in New York City.

Ms. Younger earned her Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance at the Hartt School of Music and her Master of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University.   Past residencies and masterclasses include The Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), University of Birmingham (UK), Howard University, Drexel University, Princeton University, Tulane University, Trinity College, The Hartt School, University of Michigan, DePaul University and Berklee College of Music.

She holds leadership positions on the advisory board of New Music USA,  through the Apollo (theater) Young Patrons Steering Committee and the American Harp Society, Inc. where she is Director at Large.  As a concert curator, Ms Younger organized “Divine Ella ,” part of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s annual Women’s Jazz Festival. She also served as curator of the 2016 Harp On Park concert series, “highlighting the diversity of the harp and the contemporary importance of an ancient instrument,” and most recently coordinated “Her Song,” featuring the works of women composers, both for Arts Brookfield . Ms. Younger has recorded five albums, and her first with a major label will be released by Verve-Universal in early August 2021

For the past eleven years, Joshua Abrams has composed, recorded & toured with a shifting ensemble of musicians known as Natural Information Society (NIS) . Grounded in Abrams’ interwoven & mutilayered compositions, the group’s long-form environments have been described as ecstatic minimalism. NIS navigates forms that emphasize collective listening & simultaneous differences while building a space that is both meditative & propulsive. Lisa Alvarado’s hanging paintings create a visual analog to the music & recontextualize performance space. Her work appears on the covers of the group’s six lps on Eremite Records & their collaboration with Bichin’ Bajas on Drag City Records. Their latest recording, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) features Evan Parker & notes by Theaster Gates. For this performance the group includes Abrams on guimbri,  Alvarado – harmonium, Kara Bershad – harp, Hamid Drake – tar, Nick Mazzarella – alto saxophone & Mai Sugimoto – flute.  

Outside of NIS, Abrams has played & recorded with a broad range of artists including Fred Anderson, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Nicole Mitchell & The Roots. He has composed scores to ten feature films including the Oscar nominated Abacus: Small Enough to Jail.  Abrams was a recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts 2018 Grants to Artists award. Natural Information Society’s most recent album, descension (Out of Our Constrictions), was released earlier this month on Eremite Records.

Questions?

If you have a question about GSD Commencement 2021, please contact [email protected].

To find resources for new graduates and information about future Commencement celebrations, visit the Commencement Resource page.

You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site .

Virtual Commencement 2020

Important information for Commencement 2020
In March, Harvard University announced  that celebrations honoring the graduating Class of 2020 this May would not be held in person. While the University remains committed to holding an in-person celebration for our 2020 graduates in the future, Harvard will come together virtually to honor the graduation of the Class of 2020 and to confer their hard-earned degrees this Thursday, May 28, 2020, with activities beginning at 10:30 AM EST. Harvard will live stream this virtual ceremony , and after, each School (including the GSD) will host their own online ceremony.
The GSD’s Award Ceremony, Class Day Address, and Diploma Ceremony will begin at 12:30 PM EST, and will be broadcast live on the school’s YouTube channel . For students and families who experience difficulty accessing YouTube, please visit this concurrent livestream . No registration will be required to view the program. Social Hours for graduates and guests will happen separately over Zoom and Remo.
Schedule
11:00 AM: Harvard University program  for all graduates, including official conferral of degrees
Tune in early at 10:30 for a pre-show countdown
12:30 PM: GSD Awards Ceremony
Tune in early at 12:15 for a pre-show performance by the Boston Brass Ensemble
1:10 PM (approx.): Class Day Address by artist Jenny Odell
1:45 PM (approx.): GSD Diploma Ceremony
Followed by TIN CAN, a short film by artist Mikel Patrick Avery and featuring the New Orleans-based Trendsetter Brass Band
3:30 PM: Department and program toasts to graduates
3:30 pm: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, Design Engineering
4:00 pm: Design Studies, Doctoral graduates
Doctoral graduates are also invited to join the event for their primary affiliated department.
Graduates received emails with log-in information to share with their guests.
*All times are Eastern Daylight (EDT) time zone.
In addition to ceremonies and social events, the Commencement Exhibition is another important part of our graduation celebrations, showcasing work by our graduating students. This year, the exhibition is online, and officially opened the morning of Commencement Day, May 28.
Questions?
If you have a question about Commencement 2020, please contact [email protected].
You may also wish to view the university-wide Commencement site.
 

What’s Next?
Alumni engagement
After Commencement, graduates become part of the worldwide Harvard community of alumni. Alumni are encouraged to register to maintain their connections with classmates and professional contacts. To learn more, see the GSD Alumni Resources  page, and the Harvard Alumni Association  website.
Alumni can also continue to access some aspects of Harvard’s libraries. The Frances Loeb Library has a page with information on library use for GSD alumni .
Your Harvard email account will have a grace period before it is deactivated, but be aware that some Harvard services will be unavailable or limited after your official date of graduation and separation from the university. Ensure you have materials you may need from Canvas or my.Harvard in advance of graduating.
Future Years
If you are planning ahead for a future Harvard Commencement, these are the dates for the next several years. All Thursday dates are for Commencement Day itself, including the GSD’s Diploma Ceremony. All Wednesday dates are for the GSD’s Class Day activities.
2021: Wednesday, May 26 & Thursday, May 27
2022: Wednesday, May 25 & Thursday, May 26
2023: Wednesday, May 24 & Thursday, May 25
2024: Wednesday, May 22 & Thursday, May 23
2025: Wednesday, May 28 & Thursday, May 29
2026: Wednesday, May 27 & Thursday, May 28
Note that in 2020, 2025 and 2026, Commencement occurs during the same week as the Memorial Day holiday.