General Information

Commencement Convocation

For 158 years, Howard University’s Commencement Convocation has honored the achievement of all graduates with the conferring of bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral degrees during an official ceremony. The iconic ceremony features a highly accomplished speaker who delivers words of guidance to graduates. Past speakers have included sitting U.S. presidents such as Barack H. Obama (LLD ’07, D.Sc. ’16) and Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D.L. ’23) as well as prolific leaders such as Oprah Winfrey, Chadwick A. Boseman (BFA ’00, DHL ’18), Vice President Kamala Harris (B.A. ’86, LLD ’12, DHL ’17) and Colin Powell (LL.D. ’94). This year’s speaker is The Honorable Muriel Bowser, the seventh elected mayor of Washington, D.C. 

Howard University acknowledges excellence and achievement by conferring honorary degrees on persons who have achieved distinction in their respective fields of endeavor. The honorary degree is conferred on a selective basis, upon recommendation of the executive committee of the Howard University Board of Trustees, on distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for demonstrated achievement and distinction in a field or activity consonant with the mission of Howard University. This year, honorary degrees will be bestowed on Bowser, Rosalind Brewer, interim president of Spelman College and chair emerita of its board; Antoine Garibaldi, Ph.D. (B.A. ’73), president emeritus at the University of Detroit Mercy; Robert (Bob) Iger, immediate past CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and, posthumously, the Reverend Richard Smallwood (B.A. ’71, M.Div. ’04), iconic music composer and choral director.

The Long Walk

During Commencement, graduates form a processional from Greene Stadium to The Yard. It is the reverse of the march made as incoming freshmen walk from The Yard to Greene Stadium to be pinned. The Long Walk symbolizes the arduous journey of dedication, maturity, and tenacity which begins as a talented but untested freshman and ends as a degreed Howard graduate on a pathway to make a difference by bringing "truth and service" to the world as a professional and a community leader. In theory, the journey is a full circle odyssey, ongoing throughout a student's academic progression and completed only after they replace the footprints they made as academic neophytes with those of credentialed scholars. 

Learn more about the Long Walk.

School and College Recognition Ceremonies

In addition to the Commencement Convocation, which honors all graduates and at which degrees are officially conferred, there are separate ceremonies organized by the individual schools and colleges. During these ceremonies, additional achievements are recognized and there is often a noted speaker and celebratory performances. These ceremonies take place during the week leading up to Commencement Convocation and after Commencement Convocation. 

Learn more about school and college recognition ceremonies.