Graduation

Find out about graduation eligibility and how to apply.

Eligibility to graduate

To be eligible for graduation, a doctoral candidate must have:

• successfully defended their thesis at the oral defence
• completed their corrections and amendments to the satisfaction of their school
• lodged their thesis in the University Library.

You will then be informed via letter from the Dean of the WFGR that you have fulfilled the requirements of the doctoral degree and that you are eligible to graduate.

Conferment of the degree

Once the Dean WFGR has approved the award of your PhD, the graduation office will email you instructions on how to apply to have your degree conferred.

In these instructions Doctoral graduands are asked to provide a 50 word “summary” of their theses, which will be read out by the Vice-Chancellor at your graduation ceremony. The description should work well when read out loud and clearly explain to a lay audience the relevance of the research or communicate one exciting thing about your work in a way that a lay audience can understand.

• pdf112.7KBGraduation Information
• pdf182.2KBSample abstracts for graduation

You do not need to attend a graduation ceremony to have your qualification granted. All Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington qualifications are granted by the University Council, who meet approximately every six weeks between February and November. The date printed on your qualification certificate is the date the qualification was awarded by Council.

View the Graduation Office website for more information.

After graduation

After graduation, you are encouraged to remain involved in the life of the University.

You will be automatically enrolled on the Register of the Court of Convocation, which elects five members to the University Council.

You may join the Alumni community, which will help you keep up-to-date with news and events at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

You may also be interested in the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation, a charitable trust which raises funds for a variety of projects with the help of graduates.

Wellington Careers and Employment will be able to provide you with advice about employment and career options.