Hooding gives graduate students a moment of their own
UW Tacoma’s School of Engineering and Technology hooding ceremony showed why smaller graduation traditions matter as the campus continues to grow its graduate programs.
By Syed Huzaifa Bin Afzal
The School of Engineering and Technology’s hooding ceremony at William W. Philip Hall showed why graduation should not only be measured by the size of the crowd.
On June 6 at 11 a.m., graduate students from the Master of Science in Computer Science and Systems, Master of Cybersecurity and Leadership, Master of Science in Information Technology, Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Systems programs were recognized in a ceremony centered on their own disciplines.
UW Tacoma’s hooding ceremonies page describes the presentation of the academic hood to master’s degree candidates as a special moment for candidates and faculty. Each school holds its own ceremony, so there is more time to recognize each candidate, and master’s candidates are encouraged to attend both hooding and the larger Commencement ceremony.
That difference matters. Commencement celebrates the graduating class as one campus community. Hooding gives graduate students a more personal moment with the faculty, classmates and programs that saw the work behind the degree.
Graduate school often happens quietly. Many students work full time, support families, change careers, complete capstone projects, conduct research or prepare for professional certifications while still showing up for class. The public may see the hood, gown and applause, but not always the late nights and pressure behind the degree. A hooding ceremony makes that work visible.
As a Master of Cybersecurity and Leadership student, I saw the ceremony as more than a formal academic tradition. It was a reminder that graduate education is not only about finishing courses. It is about entering a professional community with responsibility.
That meaning extends across every discipline represented. Computer science, cybersecurity, information technology, electrical and computer engineering and Ph.D. graduates are entering fields that shape digital systems, infrastructure, security, research and the way organizations function.
The ceremony also reflected how UW Tacoma is growing as a graduate-serving campus. SET recognized long-standing programs as well as newer ones, including the Master of Science in Information Technology. For MSIT graduates, this year’s hooding carried added meaning because they were part of the program’s first hooding class, helping create a tradition that future students will build on.
That is important for UW Tacoma’s future. The campus is known for serving transfer, working and community-connected students, but moments like this show that it is also becoming a place for advanced professional and research-focused degrees.
The SET ceremony also took place during a wider week of graduate recognition. Other hooding ceremonies continue across campus, including events for Milgard School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Social Work & Criminal Justice and the School of Urban Studies, before UW Tacoma’s main Commencement ceremony at the Tacoma Dome on June 12.
That is why hooding should not be treated as secondary to Commencement. It serves a different purpose. Commencement celebrates the whole graduating class. Hooding honors the academic journey within a specific field of study. Both are needed.
For graduates, the ceremony offers a pause before the next step. Some will move into new jobs, promotions or doctoral study. Others will return to work with new skills and confidence. But before that happens, hooding gives students one moment to stand with their programs and recognize that the work behind the degree mattered.
UW Tacoma’s Commencement will celebrate the Class of 2026 as one campus community. The hooding ceremonies remind us that within that larger celebration are smaller stories of discipline, growth and belonging. For graduate students, that personal recognition is not extra. It is the moment that makes the achievement feel fully seen.
