Getting to the Clayton campus

It’s important that you’re seated in the ceremony venue and wearing your academic dress at least 30 minutes before your ceremony begins. Doors to the venue open one hour before the ceremony. Please ensure you allow enough time for travel, parking, registration and gown collection.

Find out how to get to Clayton campus and find the graduation venue:

• transport and parking
• Clayton campus map (pdf 241kb)
• Robert Blackwood Hall.

If you’re familiar with the Clayton campus, you’ll see a lot of change is underway, particularly in the Graduation Precinct around Robert Blackwood Hall. It’s all part of our Monash Masterplan to create a vibrant and engaging campus experience for students, staff and visitors.

Please allow extra time to travel to the ceremony and follow temporary directional signs and instructions from traffic wardens to maintain your safety at all times.

The parking areas and graduation venue are best accessed from the main entrance on Wellington Road.

Parking tickets

Your graduation email will include two tickets for free parking during your ceremony – one for you and one for your guests. Please ensure the tickets are printed and clearly displayed on the dashboard of each vehicle to avoid a fine. The South East 4 (SE4) multi-level car park has been allocated for graduation ceremony parking. If there's a shortage of available parking in the SE4 multi-level car park, the attending parking officers will direct you to the nearest available parking spaces.

Drop-off – Accessibility point

There’s a drop-off zone at the Robert Blackwood Hall and a small courtesy shuttle to the Campus Centre to aid accessibility for guests with mobility needs. Accessible parking is available at a range of locations.

On graduation ceremony days, the service will run about every 10 minutes between 8am – 11pm. You don't need to book. Wait at the green shuttle bus sign for pick-up at either Robert Blackwood Hall or the Campus Centre.

If you're late or don't make it

If you arrive late, you may miss out on receiving your award on stage.

If you don’t show up for your ceremony, we'll move your graduation to May 2020 (excludes MBBS, physiotherapy and research degree awards – you will be graduated in absentia). In absentia graduation is not available for international students in December ceremonies.

Monash is smoke-free

To support the health and wellbeing of our staff, students, and visitors, smoking is no longer permitted on any Monash Victorian campus, including buildings and grounds. This applies to all students, staff, contractors and visitors. If you wish to smoke, you'll need to go off-campus.

Tickets

Please go to the marquee in the Graduation Precinct for registration, tickets and gown collection. You'll need to provide your photo identification – preferably, your Monash student card.

Graduand seating is allocated. When you register, we’ll give you tickets for you and your guest. Tear off and keep the section with your name and seat number. You have an allocated seat and you'll need this part of your ticket with you when you enter the hall.

Give the guest ticket section to your guests – their seating is not allocated. Your guests will be admitted to the hall when they present their ticket, and they can choose their own seat in the non-reserved areas.

Academic dress

After registration, go to the gowning area in the same marquee to collect your academic dress (gown, hood, and headwear). If you purchased your academic dress, it'll be available for collection from the same location.

Staff will help you with gowning in the marquee and, later in the hall, will ensure your regalia is positioned correctly before you walk across the stage.

Photography is located after the academic dress collection area. If time permits, you may wish to have photographs taken before your ceremony.

You must return your academic dress to Gown Returns on the ground floor of the Campus Centre in the Graduation Precinct (located after the refreshments and photography areas). See the ceremony timelines table for collection and return times for your ceremony.

A range of graduation services and merchandise are available on graduation day. All services are located in and around the Graduation Precinct. We recommend you make time to visit these services before your ceremony.

Ceremony recordings

Ceremonies on the Clayton campus are professionally filmed by CVP and are available in DVD, Blu-ray or USB format for $20. Place your order online before or after the ceremony. Recordings include the entrance procession, welcoming speeches, and a close-up of the Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor greeting each graduate.

Social media

We look forward to celebrating with you and covering graduations on social media. Photo opportunities have been created in the Graduation Precinct, and the large screen, opposite the Campus Centre will feature photos from our social channels.

You can share your celebrations on Monash social channels with the hashtag #monashalumni.

Our Facebook event will provide graduation-related updates, display our favourite photos and provide a channel for graduands to chat with us.

Photography

Celebrate your achievement with professional graduation photos. GFP Graduations will be available before and after the ceremony to capture images of you and your family celebrating this milestone occasion. Images are purchased on a USB or uploaded to a private web gallery for viewing, sharing and purchase.

Contact customer service for GFP Graduations.

Stage photos

All graduates are photographed receiving their degree from the Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor. Images are available for immediate purchase following the ceremony. All prints include the Monash University crest and year of graduation. If you'd like to view your moment on the stage, visit us in the marquee opposite the entrance/exit doors of Robert Blackwood Hall.

Plaques and frames

GFP has an impressive range of frames, mats and plaques to showcase your hard-earned award certificate. Choose from contemporary high-gloss frames in stunning white and black, or something more traditional from our selection of mahogany, teak or classic wood. Plaques replicate your degree on a silver or gold metal sheet, affixed to a base of your choice. Whichever style you choose, GFP will ensure your degree is perfectly presented for the office or home.

The frames and plaques stand can be found in the registration marquee.

Monash merchandise

Looking for a special gift or memorabilia for your graduation day? The Monash Book and Merchandise Store offers a wide variety of graduation memorabilia, including Monash University graduation koalas and bears, frames, gifts and apparel. Look out for our vouchers to get 20% off clothing when you spend over $50. We stock a range of Monash-branded (and Australian-made) frames for testamurs and standard photos. On graduation days, we offer a testamur framing service and fresh floral bouquets.

You can find us in two locations in and around the Campus Centre:

• ground floor
• the marquee located in the Graduations Precinct.

Flowers

Vendors sell flowers on campus on graduation day. Flowers may not be taken into the Robert Blackwood Hall – they can be checked in at a desk in the foyer.

Food on campus

The Monash Club is the perfect space to host your graduation celebrations. Ideally located at the corner of Sports and Exhibition Walk, we’re walking distance to the ceremony centre at Robert Blackwood Hall. With a variety of spaces available, we can cater to your needs. Our modern lounge is a warm, casual space for a pre-ceremony coffee or a post-ceremony celebratory drink. A full beverage list and bar snacks are available. Alternatively, reserve a table in our a la carte restaurant, which is open for breakfast and lunch. Please call or email our reservations team for further information and bookings or visit the Monash club website:

Address: 32 Exhibition Walk
Phone: (03) 9905 0888
Email: monash.club@monash.edu

Alternatively, walk around the Graduation Precinct before your ceremony and listen to the live music, take photos and enjoy a selection of sweet and savoury offerings from our on-campus food outlets.

Your ceremony will be held in the Robert Blackwood Hall and will will run for approximately 120 minutes.

You and your guests must be seated in the hall at least 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony. This will ensure the briefing and ceremony start on time.

If you have any special requirements (e.g. assistance on stage or wheelchair access) and haven't let us know already, please do so as soon as possible.

All graduands and guests will receive a program at the venue. The program includes the order of proceedings, a list of graduands receiving their awards and a copy of the doctoral candidates’ thesis abstracts.

Ensure you have your graduand ticket with you when you enter the hall – it will show your assigned seat number. It's important you sit in your assigned seat to ensure your name is called in the correct order. Give all your personal belongings to your guests to take care of during the ceremony. This includes flowers, gifts, handbags, car keys and any other personal items.

Doctoral candidates

Doctoral candidates must be at the assembly point in the foyer of the Robert Blackwood Hall at least 30 minutes before the ceremony starts so they can join the formal academic procession. In some graduations, doctoral candidates sit on the stage with academics and dignitaries. The ticket you collect at registration will show if you are sitting on the stage or in the graduate seating in the hall.

Parents with children

You can’t take your children with you on stage and they can’t sit with you while you’re waiting to receive your award. If you'd like your children to attend, you'll need to organise one of your guests to supervise them during the ceremony.

To provide a more child-friendly ceremony, we’re live-streaming the ceremonies on the large screen in the Graduation Precinct.

The hall will open one hour before the ceremony starts and your guests can choose their own seats when they enter. If your guests prefer to take young children or babies to the hall, they’re encouraged to sit near the doors so they can take their children outside to settle if they become restless during the ceremony. For safety reasons, prams are not permitted in the hall, but may be parked in the designated area in the foyer.

Notice informing participants of visual and audio recording during function

Photographs, video recordings, audio recordings and live streaming will be undertaken during the course of this function. The recordings may be used, reproduced, published, communicated or broadcast for advertising, marketing, informational or promotional purposes and/or for teaching and research purposes. Photos may also be uploaded to social media pages, such as the official Monash University and the Monash Alumni community’s social media pages.

Ceremony proceedings

Once graduands and guests are seated, the academic procession enters the venue.

All graduands and guests are asked to stand.

The procession will enter in the following order:

1. faculty managers
2. doctoral candidates
3. members of staff
4. members of Council
5. faculty academic and professional staff
6. guest speaker
7. President and Vice-Chancellor
8. Manager, Ceremonial (bearer of the mace)
9. Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor.

The proceedings are as follows:

1. the members of the procession walk on stage and take their seats
2. the Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor delivers a welcome address
3. the President and Vice-Chancellor deliver an address
4. graduands are called row by row, to await individual presentation
5. degrees are conferred and certificates awarded in sequence
6. doctoral candidates are conferred and certificates are awarded in sequence
7. the guest speaker makes a graduation address
8. the Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor closes the ceremony and invites everyone to refreshments
9. the procession, followed by the new graduates, exits the venue
10. guests are asked to stand as the procession leaves.

The Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor will shake hands with each graduand before presenting them with their award certificate (testamur). If you don’t want to shake hands for cultural reasons, place your right hand on your left shoulder as you walk across the stage. This is recognised as a sign that you don’t wish to shake hands.

At the end of the ceremony, graduates join the academic procession to exit the building. This involves going up and down some flights of stairs. Please let graduations staff in the hall know before the ceremony if you aren't able to participate.

We recommend you pre-arrange a meeting place near the Graduation Precinct to meet up with your guests after the ceremony. The ceremony will be professionally recorded and there will be a close-up photo of the Chancellor or Deputy-Chancellor greeting each graduand. These will be available for purchase after the ceremony. See graduation services for details.

Refreshments

You and your ticketed guests are invited to join the other graduates, academics and dignitaries for light refreshments after the ceremony. These will be served in the post ceremony function marquee in the Graduation Precinct.

Return your gown

You must return your academic dress to Gown Returns on the ground floor of the Campus Centre, after refreshments and photographs. Please check the ceremony timelines table for return times for your ceremony.

Monash has an exceptional reputation worldwide, and we are particularly proud of our alumni who apply their knowledge throughout Australia and around the globe.

You are now part of an enterprising and inclusive Monash global community of more than 385,000 alumni living in 155 different countries.

Wherever you go and whatever you do after graduation, connect with your fellow alumni and stay in touch with us.

The benefits of staying in touch

Graduation day is an important milestone, but your connection with Monash doesn't end here. As a graduate, you continue to be a valued member of the University through our alumni community.

You'll receive lifelong benefits exclusive to alumni:

• complimentary professional development masterclasses
• industry networking opportunities in Australia and overseas
• access to a global alumni-to-alumni mentoring program to guide your career planning
• an employment service called Monash Talent, which places graduates in the first three years after they complete their degree.

To participate in these programs and receive these services, along with other alumni benefits, please ensure you provide your personal email address in WES or contact the Alumni team at monashalumni@monash.edu.

Monash Alumni social channels

Updates regarding many of our alumni activities and programs can also be found on our social media channels:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• WeChat
• Weibo

Monash University alumni engagement

Email: monashalumni@monash.edu
Call: +61 9903 4602
Visit: Monash Alumni

You can update your details using our online form.

Your experience matters

Graduate Outcomes Survey

Keep an eye on your email inbox for an invitation to complete the Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey allows you to have your say about your time studying and what you are doing now. Fill it out and help us make higher education better for future students.

As part of the GOS, employed graduates can volunteer their supervisor's contact details for the opportunity to participate in the Employer Satisfaction Survey (ESS). The ESS enables employers to provide their perception of how well Monash University prepared graduates for the workforce; it's not an assessment of its graduates. The results of the ESS provide information about the current and emerging skills needed for the workforce and how well higher education institutions are responding to industry needs.

Provide feedback on your graduation experience

We'll send you an email shortly with an invitation to provide feedback on your graduation experience. Tell us what worked and what didn't. Your honest feedback will help us improve future graduations.

Career Connect is proud to offer you support for up to 12 months after you complete your studies.

With support and guidance from Career Connect, you can:

• participate in workshops refining your skills, including how to write a professional resume, build a compelling LinkedIn profile and perform well at interviews
• receive online feedback on your job application documents and interview question responses
• access the Career Success Coaching program to explore industry trends and employability strategies that will help you develop and progress your career plans
• when writing job applications and preparing for interviews, use the employability skill reflections you've created in Student Futures
• further develop your capability and confidence to successfully launch your career.