Michigan State University will host advanced degree and undergraduate commencement ceremonies for 1,046 College of Engineering graduates during the weekend of May 2-4, 2025. All events are in the Breslin Student Events Center, 534 Birch Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824.
Graduation for master’s candidates: The Advanced Degree Commencement for master’s degree graduates is Friday, May 2, at 9 a.m. There will be 84 master's candidates from the College of Engineering. The ceremony is about two hours. No admission tickets are required.
Graduation for Ph.D. candidates: The Advanced Degree Commencement for Ph.D. graduates is Friday, May 2, at 2:30 p.m. There will 68 Ph.D. candidates from the college. The ceremony is about three hours. No admission tickets are required.
Graduation for undergraduates: Commencement services for 894 Engineering undergraduate students will be Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. The undergraduate ceremony is about two hours. No admission tickets are required.
College of Engineering Interim Dean John Papapolymerou said he can’t wait to see the incredible accomplishments of the Class of 2025.
“I know these graduates have the skills and enthusiasm to tackle the career challenges that they will encounter,” he said. “You are Spartan Engineers. Grab onto the opportunities that are headed your way and grow from these experiences. You will change the world,” he added.
Papapolymerou will offer both the welcome and the closing remarks at undergraduate graduation. Amanda Idema, assistant dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs, serves as commencement coordinator.
Several spring Engineering undergraduates will be featured in special roles during MSU’s Commencement weekend.
Jack Carscadden, a senior in computational data science, will carry the Engineering banner during the one-hour Convocation ceremony for undergraduates on Friday, May 2, at 12:30 p.m. The ceremony serves as a “kick off” of Commencement. No degrees are conferred at this ceremony. Additional information can be found at the Baccalaureate Degrees page.
Undergraduate Commencement speaker
Samuel Rabick, an electrical engineering senior, will offer the undergraduate commencement address.
“I will be congratulating my peers on their well-deserved accomplishments and encouraging them to take the moment to celebrate and appreciate all those who helped them through their journeys to this point.”
Rabick is an Alumni Distinguished Scholar and member of the Honors College. After graduation, he will move to Pittsburgh to work for Eaton Corporation's DERMS CoE, the Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems Center of Excellence.
Read more on Rabick here.
Distinguished Alumni keynote address
David A. Pahl will offer the undergraduate keynote address as the 2025 Claud R. Erickson Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient. He will receive the College of Engineering’s top honor at the Engineering Alumni Awards banquet on Saturday evening, May 3.
Pahl is vice president and head of Investor Relations at Texas Instruments, where he oversees communications with TI’s investor community. He has almost 40 years experience at TI. His increasing responsibilities included sales and sales management in Silicon Valley, marketing manager in Dallas, product development manager in Houston, and the development of more than a dozen embedded processors, with teams based in Houston, Dallas, Tokyo and Bangalore. He served as business manager of several product lines in what is now TI’s Embedded Processing segment.
Pahl received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at MSU in 1986. He has served on the College of Engineering Alumni Board and as its co-chair. He has been named on the All-America Executive Team by Institutional Investor Magazine multiple times during his tenure.
Commencement livestream, social media
Commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed on the MSU Commencement website.
Social media users can follow the ceremonies on X, formerly known as Twitter, and other social media platforms using the hashtag #SpartanGrad25.
Family, friends and fellow alums can honor graduating students by submitting personalized messages and photos to be displayed on stage prior to the ceremonies. Supporters can submit their well wishes online now through graduation day.
Submit messages to recognize College of Engineering graduates
Safety protocols, parking, concessions
For the safety of attendees, no bags or purses will be allowed in the Breslin Center during commencement ceremonies. Cameras and camcorders are permitted, but cases are prohibited.
No food or beverages — including bottled water — will be allowed, and this applies to graduates, guests, and faculty. The Breslin Center will offer limited concessions during ceremonies.
Related links:
Additional prohibited items: noisemakers, selfie sticks, pets, signs and weapons of any kind. MSU is a smoke-free campus, including all outdoor and indoor spaces.
Metal detectors will screen all attendees at the Breslin Center, so please plan accordingly.
Parking at the Breslin Center is limited, so the public is encouraged to use the free shuttle service.
Programs available online, via mail
There are no printed commencement programs on-site at any ceremony location. However, attendees will be able to access the programs by scanning QR codes with their mobile device.
To order a program and have it mailed to you, visit this Commencement site. Programs will be mailed after the ceremonies.
Congratulations graduates. Come home often.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page