Harvard To Confer Degrees

University President Lawrence H. Summers will award a total of 6,409 degrees and 361 certificates to Harvard College and graduate school students in today’s 351st Commencement Exercises.

Despite a tradition of sunny weather on Commencement, the National Weather Service has forecast a 70 percent chance of showers until early this afternoon.

Around 32,000 degree candidates, family members, faculty, alumni, and guests are expected to attend the ceremonies, where former professor in the Kennedy School of Government and Professor of Government Daniel Patrick Moynihan will deliver the keynote address.

Moynihan, who retired from four terms in the U.S. Senate last year, has been a respected voice in the American government since 1954 (please see related story, this page).

Harvard College will grant a total of 1,569 degrees in the Yard’s Tercentenary Theatre.

While 1,560 of these are bachelor of arts (A.B.) degrees, nine are bachelor of science (S.B.), according to data released yesterday by the Harvard News Offices. The graduating students include 836 men and 732 women.

Seventy-five of the candidates earned their diplomas summa cum laude in their concentration, 56 magna cum laude with highest honors and 484 magna cum laude in their field of concentration. Three hundred and seventy eight earned cum laude in general studies, 426 earned cum laude in their field of concentration and 150, or just under just under 10 percent of the Class, received non-honors degrees.

Following morning exercises, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will award degrees to a total of 786 candidates in Sanders Theater.

Three hundred and twenty nine will receive Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees, 66 Master of Science (M.S.) degrees, 388 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, and three Master in Forest Science (M.F.S.) degrees.

The Graduate School of Design is awarding a total of 166 degrees, with 52 Master in Architecture (M.Arc.) degrees, 47 Master in Design Studies (M.D.S.) degrees, 22 Master in Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) degrees, 21 Master of Architecture in Urban Design (M.A.U.D.) degrees, 13 Master in Urban Planning (M.U.P.) degrees, nine Doctor of Design (D.D.) degrees and two Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Architecture in Urban Design degrees.

Harvard Medical School will bestow Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees upon 154 graduates, and Master in Medical Sciences (M.M.Sc.) degrees upon 13 graduates.

The School of Public Health will confer a total of 336 degrees, including 190 Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees, 124 Master of Science (M.S.) degrees, two Master of Occupational Health (M.O.H.) degrees, three Doctor of Public Health (D.P.H.) degrees and 17 Doctor of Science (D.S.) degrees.

In Radcliffe Yard, the Graduate School of Education will award 767 degrees, including 686 Master of Education (Ed.M.) degrees, 78 Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees and three certificates of advanced study.

Nine hundred eleven candidates at the Graduate School of Business Administration will be awarded Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees and five will be awarded Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) degrees.

At the Kennedy School of Government’s JFK Memorial Park, a total of 513 degrees will be conferred, including 294 Master in Public Administration (M.P.A.) degrees, 57 M.P.A. with concentration in International Development degrees, 157 Master in Public Policy (M.P.P.) degrees, and five Master in Public Policy and Urban Planning (M.P.P./U.P.) degrees.

Of the 689 degrees conferred by the Law School at Holmes Field, 135 will be Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degrees, 546 Doctor of Law (J.D.) degrees, and eight Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D) degrees.

Ninety-nine candidates will receive degrees from the School of Dental Medicine, including fourteen Master of Medical Sciences in Oral Biology (M.M.Sc.) degrees, 32 Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degrees, ten Doctor of Medical Sciences in Oral Biology (D.M.Sc.) degrees, and 43 specialty certificates.

The Divinity School will award 156 degrees, including 39 Master of Divinity (M.Div) degrees, 104 Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) degrees, five Master of Theology (Th.M.) degrees, and eight Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degrees.

At the Loeb Drama Center of the American Repertory Theater, the University Extension School will confer a total of 550 degrees.

All of these figures include degrees awarded in November 2001 and June 2002.

According to the Harvard Commencement Office website, the Morning Exercises will be held rain or shine. But in the case of severe weather conditions, the University Marshal may decide to implement the Rain Program, so that guests could view the ceremony simultaneously from inside the Science Center, Sanders Theatre, the undergraduate Houses and graduate and professional Schools.

Regardless of weather, undergraduate and Advanced Degree Candidates will sit in Tercentenary Theatre.

—Staff writer Ishani Ganguli can be reached at ganguli@fas.harvard.edu.