Commencement Ceremony Information

Ozarks Tech holds two commencement ceremonies each year in May to recognize the graduates from that academic year. All those who graduated the prior summer and fall, or students who will graduate in the current spring or summer, are invited to participate. Attending the ceremony is not required in order to graduate. Students do not need to RSVP in order to attend the commencement ceremony.

There are two ceremonies, one at 3 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m. All degree and certificate programs are assigned to a designated ceremony, and graduates will walk in the ceremony assigned to their program of study. Please the Commencement Schedule for the complete list.
Doors for the 3 p.m. ceremony will open at 1:30 p.m. Grads should arrive no later than 2:30 p.m.
Doors for the 6 p.m. ceremony will open at 4:30 p.m. Grads should arrive no later than 5:30 p.m.

Please call the Registrar’s Office at (417) 447-6999.

Graduates must report to Hammons Student Center at least 30 minutes prior to your designated ceremony. Enter through the marked doors on the east side of the building, closest to Great Southern Bank Arena.

Guests will enter through the main entrance of Great Southern Bank Arena.

Caps, and gowns (regalia) may be picked up at the Ozarks Tech Bookstore on the Springfield campus. They are free for graduates! If you attend another Ozarks Tech location, check with a student services or student success representative at your location to place an order for your cap and gown. The items will be shipped to that location for you to pick up.

Some graduates will have accessories with their regalia. View the approved accessories for 2025.

If you want more information about the correct way to care for and wear your commencement regalia, watch the commencement regalia video. Don’t wait until the day of commencement to get your cap and gown ready! For commencement, your tassel goes on the right and you will move it to the left at the end of the commencement ceremony.

Commencement is a formal event, and professionalism and decorum are paramount. Historically, decorating caps violated the decorum of the event.
While decorating graduation caps at Ozarks Tech is not prohibited, grads who arrive at the ceremony with any of the following will have their cap replaced, or will be prohibited from attending:

• Inappropriate or obscene creations
• Anything hanging from the sides
• Anything that is not flat on the surface, 3-D designs are prohibited
• Anything that uses lighting
• Anything that would obstruct the view of those around you

Yes, graduation announcements and other gifts are available for purchase at the Ozarks Tech Bookstore on the Springfield campus. Stop by or give them a call at 447-6620.

As a general rule, graduates should dress up but dress comfortably. This is a formal event. Avoid t-shirts or jeans, and pick shoes that you can wear for an extended period of time.

Graduates should not bring purses, backpacks, umbrellas, balloons, flowers, outside food and drinks, or weapons. These items should be left at home or secured in a vehicle. Security procedures at Great Southern Bank Arena require all graduates to undergo a security check and be scanned by a metal detector at the student entrance (west doors of Hammons Student Center). Graduates should only carry their name cards into the ceremony. Cell phones are permitted but must be kept hidden and on silent mode.

GSB Arena is located on the Missouri State University campus at 685 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway in Springfield.

No. The ceremony will last approximately one hour. Attending grads must participate in the entire event, from processional to recessional. Use the restroom in advance and plan ahead.

Grads enter the commencement ceremony in two lines and are escorted to the right and left sides of the commencement floor. If you want to sit next to someone, they should be in front or behind you in line. Please keep in mind that due to the number of chairs in each row, the person in front of or behind you may not sit next to you.

A commencement program will be on each graduate’s seat when they enter the commencement ceremony. To ensure your name is printed in the program, apply for graduation by April 1. It’s easy to apply for graduation online in myOTC by clicking the Graduation button. You can also download the Printable Application for Graduation, scan it or take a picture of it with your phone, and email it to registrar@otc.edu, or drop off the form at the Student Services office at any Ozarks Tech location.

When grads get their name card at check-in in Hammons Student Center, do not write on it. Any hand-written notes will not be read at the commencement ceremony. Instead, when you hand your card to the reader to be read aloud at the ceremony, notify the reader at that time of the correct pronunciation.

Grads will be led out of the ceremony after the stage guests and faculty. Grads should remain in their seats until the appropriate time to exit. At that time, they will be led out of the ramp on the northeast side of Great Southern Bank Arena (formerly JQH Arena). Grads are encouraged to visit with guests ahead of time about a meetup plan after the ceremony ends.

All certificates and degrees earned will be listed in the commencement program, but only the highest degree earned will be read from the name card at the commencement ceremony. If a grad completes more than one program within a degree type, all programs will be read.

All grads attending the Ozarks Tech Commencement Ceremony will have their eligibility for scholastic honors for the commencement book and name card determined based on their current Ozarks Tech cumulative GPA at the time those documents are printed. Since spring semester grades are not yet available, they cannot be included in that calculation. Scholastic honors are re-calculated once grades for the spring semester are finalized, which may add or remove a student from the list of scholastic honors after the commencement ceremony. The final determination regarding eligibility for scholastic honors is made at the time the degree or certificate is conferred, and any scholastic honors earned will be listed on those documents. For more information, please see the Graduation FAQ and Scholastic Honors pages.

Grad Images is the official photographer for Ozark Tech’s Commencement Ceremony. All graduates will have their photos taken at the ceremony and will have the opportunity to purchase if they choose. Graduates should check their Ozarks Tech email account in the weeks following the ceremony for information.

Graduates who anticipate needing accommodations to participate should contact the Ozarks Tech Disability Support Services at (417) 447-8189. All guests will be accommodated by the event staff.

Graduates and guests may park for free in MSU parking lot #25, or Bear Park North.

Wi-Fi is not available in Great Southern Bank Arena unless the individual already has a Missouri State University account and password (MSU students, faculty, staff).

There is no limit on the number of guests attending for each graduate. No tickets are required.

Graduates will receive their diploma within 4-6 weeks of the commencement ceremony. Diplomas will be mailed to the address on file with Ozarks Tech or an alternate address if the graduate indicated one when applying for graduation in myOTC.