The hooding ceremony will last approximately one and a half hours. A reception will immediately follow in Sonoco Pavilion of the Moore School.

 Limit of 4 guests per graduate. Guests must be registered in advance. Students are responsible for registering any guests when they register themselves.

Register yourself and your guests for the Fall 2026 Master's Hooding Ceremony

FREE parking for our hooding ceremony guests is available at these locations:

Surface lots close to the Moore School and Colonial Life Arena.

All parking areas are at least half a block away and there are other events in the area, so please allow ample time for parking and walking. 

• Graduates walking in the Moore School Hooding and the university ceremonies are required to wear the black graduate robe, the business school hood in drab* and the cap with tassel.
• Regalia orders can be placed online. 
• Attire: Business professional. Dark pants and dress shoes are preferred. Dresses worn under graduation robes can be any color.
• Students need to report to the Room 123 of the Moore School no later than 1 p.m. Staff will provide additional instructions about the ceremony at that time. Prior to the procession, students will gather for a class photo. After the photo, graduates will be arranged in a line in the lobby in alphabetical order for the procession. People who are late may miss instructions and/or photos. Guests should proceed directly to the W. W. Hootie Johnson Performance Hall Room 101.

• Tassels should be worn on the left quarter of your cap.
• Each graduate will receive an index card in Room 123.
  • Please make sure to pick up your card and hold onto it. You will give it to the reader to call your name at the ceremony. 
  • If your name is incorrect on your card, we will have blank cards available for you to write your name correctly.
  • If your name is difficult to pronounce, you should either rewrite your name on the card phonetically or whisper your name to the reader as you approach.
• Deans and faculty will lead the procession to the performance hall. Graduates should fill in the rows in an orderly fashion. A staff member will be standing at the seats to guide you. Do not leave empty seats.
• At the appropriate time during the ceremony, the class will be asked to rise by row.
• Participants from the first row will be called forward. Remaining participants should remain seated until directed by one of the staff members assisting with the ceremony. The person at the end of the row will stand, and everyone else should follow to the stage.
• As you approach the stage, present your card to the reader for your name to be announced. Your academic program administrator and Interim Dean Niehaus will then take your hood from your arm. You should turn and face the audience while you are being hooded. There may be a button inside the hood with a string attached. Make sure this string is unbuttoned, or the hood will not go over your head.
• Do not rush onto the stage as you are being hooded. There will be a photographer taking individual pictures of each graduate.  Pause after being hooded to get your photo taken. Please provide adequate space after each graduate as hooding proceeds.  
• If your cap is knocked off during the ceremony, maintain your composure and wait to place it back on your head until after you have returned to your seat.
• At the end of the ceremony, music will begin for the recession. Please leave adequate space between you and your classmates as you leave the seating area.  Please follow the faculty out of the performance hall to allow students to meet their family members.
• During the hooding ceremony, photos will be taken by a university photographer. You will receive a link with access to all the photos taken during the ceremony within one week of the event.
• Diplomas will be mailed to your permanent address approximately 90 days after graduation. Be sure to check your permanent address in my.sc.edu to ensure it is accurate.