• 116th Commencement – May 2023
  • CCA is celebrating the following students as members of the Class of 2023:
    • Degree Recipients: Fall 2022
    • Anticipated Degree Recipients: Spring 2023 & Summer 2023
  • Seats have been saved for eligible students who completed the Commencement Questionnaire (Workday) by the deadline and indicated they plan to participate in the ceremony.
• Annual Ceremony
  • CCA hosts commencement once a year in May. The Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony and the Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony are held on the same day.
• Dual Degree Students
  • Students in dual degree programs are invited to participate in one commencement ceremony after completion of all requirements for both degrees.

• Saturday, May 13, 2023
  • Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
    • 10:00 a.m. - Doors open for students and guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
      • Please plan to arrive early, and thank you for your patience while guests are seated and the student procession is organized.
        • The ceremony will start promptly at 11 a.m.
    • 11:00 a.m. - Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 12:00 p.m.)
  • Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
    • 2:00 p.m. - Doors open for students and guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
      • Please plan to arrive early, and thank you for your patience while guests are seated and the student procession is organized.
        • The ceremony will start promptly at 3 p.m.
    • 3:00 p.m. - Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 4:30 p.m.)

• Sydney Goldstein Theater
  • Map: 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
    • Ticketed Guests: Enter through the main doors on Hayes Street
    • Students & Faculty: Enter through the driveway on Franklin Street

• Seats have been saved for students who completed the Commencement Questionnaire (Workday) and indicated they plan to participate in the ceremony.
• Eligible students who plan to participate in the ceremony do not need a commencement ticket – only your guests need tickets.
• Unless the Commencement Questionnaire (Workday) and Commencement Ticket Request (Google Form) were submitted by the deadlines, we cannot guarantee seats will be available for eligible students and their guests.

• Tickets are required to enter the theater, and tickets are assigned to specific seats.
  • Please read your tickets carefully – some parties are seated in multiple sections depending on ticket availability at the time tickets were picked up.
• Only ticketed guests will be allowed to enter the commencement venue, and only students eligible to participate in the ceremony were allowed to request tickets. Students who requested tickets decide who to invite.
• If you are interested in attending the ceremony as a guest, please connect with your student to discuss whether they are planning to participate and whether they have completed their Commencement Questionnaire (Workday) and Commencement Ticket Request (Google Form).
  • Each participating student was eligible to request up to 4 complimentary guest tickets via the Commencement Ticket Request (Google Form) after completing the Commencement Questionnaire (Workday) by the designated deadlines.
  • A limited number of extra tickets was made available for a small fee ($2 each) following initial commencement ticket pick up based on ticket availability – availability was determined based on the number of participating students, their initial requests for tickets, and venue capacity.
• Without tickets, guests will not be admitted to the theater.
  • Exception: Small children under age 2 do not need tickets if they will be seated on someone's lap.
• For students with more guests than tickets, we will be recording both commencement ceremonies and making the recordings available in CCA's Vault. An email will be sent out to the commencement class with information about how guests can log in and view the ceremonies.

• Location: Sydney Goldstein Theater
  • Map: 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
• Directions:
  • Please visit the Sydney Goldstein Theater website to learn more about how to get there.
• Transportation:
  • Driving in San Francisco can be a challenge, and we strongly recommend alternatives:
    • Public Transportation:
      • BART
      • MUNI
    • Rideshare Services:
      • Lyft.com
      • Uber.com
• Parking:
  • If you are driving, please plan to arrive early – driving and parking in San Francisco usually take longer than expected. Consider reserving a spot in advance using a parking app:
    • SpotHero.com
    • ParkMe.com

• No flowers or balloons are allowed in the theater.
  • If you plan to give your student flowers or balloons, please present them before or after the ceremony.
  • If flowers or balloons are brought to the theater, guests will be asked to leave them in their car or leave them in the lobby. We discourage leaving items that attract attention and items of value in unattended parked vehicles, and we cannot guarantee that flowers or balloons left in the lobby will still be there at the end of the ceremony – neither CCA nor the venue is liable for lost, stolen, or damaged items.
• No food or beverages are allowed in the theater.
  • Water is available in the lobby.

• Sydney Goldstein Theater's COVID protocol follows San Francisco Department of Public Health guidelines and/or requirements of the featured guests. At this time, masks are encouraged but not required. Additionally, we will continue to follow CDC guidelines and local health directives. Currently, vaccination status will not be checked at the venue.

• Students had the option to request ADA seating when picking up their tickets. If you received an ADA ticket, staff will be available in the lobby to guide you and a companion with a regular ticket to your seats.
• Ticketed guests who require accommodations and who did not receive an ADA ticket, please see a staff member at the venue, and we will do our best to accommodate you.
  • Please note: loge and balcony seating requires climbing stairs – orchestra seating does not.
• Closed captioning will be provided.
• Service animals are welcome in the theater.

• Small children under age 2 do not need tickets if they will be seated on someone's lap.

• Stroller parking will be available near the lobby. Please ask a staff member for assistance at the venue.

• During the commencement ceremony, a professional photographer from GradImages will take photos of participating students. After the ceremony, GradImages will contact participating students with information about options for buying the photos if they choose to purchase them. Students will have an opportunity to provide their contact information during student check in on the day of the ceremony. There is no obligation to purchase photos.

• We will be recording both commencement ceremonies and making the recordings available in CCA's Vault. An email will be sent out to the commencement class with information about how guests can log in and view the ceremonies.
• The ceremony will not be live streamed.

• As part of CCA's commitment to sustainability, the programs for both commencement ceremonies can be found on cca.edu. Check out the Class of 2023 Commencement pages for the Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony program and the Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony program, including our degree candidates' names and information about our honorary doctorate recipient, distinguished alumni speakers, student speakers, alumni video, and more.
  • Please note: Some students' names may not appear because they opted out of having their names published publicly when completing the Commencement Questionnaire (Workday). If students opted to have their names published, they appear as requested. If students did not complete the Commencement Questionnaire, their preferred names from Workday were published.

• View culminating and capstone student projects in the 2023 Showcase.
  • Please note: Participation in the 2023 Showcase was optional.
• Learn more about end-of-year celebrations and exhibitions.

Tag us in all of your posts using @cacollegeofarts and #CCArts, so we can regram and retweet!

• Celebrating the unique identities of our CCA community, we encourage participating students to wear whatever feels celebratory and authentic to you for the commencement ceremony.
  • As an artistic community, we encourage students to embrace unconventional ceremony attire: choose to wear something that feels celebratory, expresses your identity, and shows off your creativity. Find, make, or borrow something.
  • Looking for something more traditional? Students are welcome to purchase traditional academic regalia from online vendors.
    • Please note: the deadline to order from Herff Jones, CCA's academic regalia vendor, has passed.
• When wearing traditional academic regalia, CCA students traditionally wear tams (velvety, beret-like caps) instead of mortarboards.
• If wearing traditional academic regalia, find the colors for CCA's master's hoods in our Graduate Student Information.

• Staff will be available at the venue to answer your questions and provide instructions throughout the ceremony.
• There is no rehearsal for students participating in the ceremony, except the student speakers.

• Student check in begins one hour before the ceremony starts. Please plan to arrive in plenty of time for student check in – students will enter the theater in a procession, and it takes time to organize everyone.
  • Saturday, May 13, 2023
    • Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
      • 10:00 a.m. - Doors open for students and guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
      • 11:00 am - Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 12:00 p.m.)
    • Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
      • 2:00 p.m. - Doors open for students and guests (tickets are required, no exceptions)
      • 3:00 p.m. - Ceremony begins (expected to conclude at 4:30 p.m.)

• Sydney Goldstein Theater
  • Map: 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
    • Ticketed Guests: Enter through the main doors on Hayes Street
    • Students & Faculty: Enter through the driveway on Franklin Street

• Please bring your CCA ID to check in.
• Remember your tickets if you have not already given them to your guests.
• Please leave personal items at home or with your guests for safekeeping.
  • Any items you bring with you will need to be carried during the procession. After crossing the stage for the conferring of degrees, students will not return to their original seats.

• Staff will confirm your name on the eligibility list and give you a name card to complete. If you would like to have the option to purchase professional photos, please add your email address and mailing address to the card, so the photographer can send you proofs and purchasing options. Please note: purchasing photos is not required.

• At the beginning of the ceremony, students will enter the theater in a procession after guests are seated.
• To see who will be speaking and learn about the alumni video, review the ceremony programs:
  • Bachelor's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
  • Master's Degree Candidates' Ceremony
• During the conferring of degrees, staff will guide students onto the stage. Celebrating the individuality and diversity of our CCA community, each student will say their own name before crossing the stage to shake hands with the president and have their photo taken.
• After crossing the stage, staff will guide students back to their seats – please note that you will be returning to a different seat than you were in originally.
• At the end of the ceremony, students will leave the theater in a procession. After the procession has left the theater, students will be able to meet up with their guests.