Texas A&M Expected To Award A Record 5,062 Degrees During December Graduation Ceremonies

Texas A&M University will award an estimated 5,062 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees during its December 2017 graduation ceremonies. The total, which will set a record for fall graduation at Texas A&M, includes the University’s campuses in College Station, Galveston, and Doha, Qatar, and at its law school in Fort Worth and dentistry school in Dallas.

The University also will present an honorary doctoral degree to Leif Andersson, one of the world’s most renowned scholars in the genomic and molecular study of domestic animals. Andersson is a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and a past Faculty Fellow with the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, class of 2013-14. He also is a professor in functional genomics in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology at Uppsala University. He received the 2014 Wolf Prize for Agriculture from the Wolf Foundation in Israel. The University will award the honorary degree to Andersson during the 7 p.m. College Station graduation ceremony on Friday, Dec. 15.

Graduation statistics

• By classification: In all, the University estimates it will present 3,867 undergraduate degrees, 1,160 graduate degrees and 35 professional degrees. The Office of the Registrar emphasizes the precise number of degrees awarded will not be determined until closer to the ceremonies.
• By campus: The main campus expects to award 4,838 degrees to graduating students in College Station, and at the Health Science Center (including the School of Dentistry in Dallas) and the School of Law in Fort Worth. The University plans to present 207 degrees at the Galveston campus and 17 at the Qatar campus.
• By college or school: The College of Engineering will award an estimated 1,222 degrees, the most among the University’s colleges and schools. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will present the second most with an estimated 774 degrees, followed closely by the College of Liberal Arts with an estimated 754 degrees, and the College of Education and Human Development with an estimated 712 degrees.

Schedule of ceremonies

The College Station campus will host four graduation ceremonies at Reed Arena on the West Campus. Three ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 15.

• The first ceremony at 9 a.m. will include graduate students and undergraduates from the College of Engineering (an estimated 1,222 degrees).
• The second ceremony at 2 p.m. will include graduate students and undergraduates from colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences (an estimated 774 degrees), Geosciences (131) Nursing (25) and Science (210), and the School of Public Health (37), as well as graduate and professional students from the College of Medicine (14) and graduate students from the Bush School of Government and Public Service (18). More than 40 Texas A&M cadets are scheduled to receive their commissions as new officers in the U.S. Armed Forces during this ceremony.
• The third ceremony at 7 p.m. will include graduate students and undergraduates from the colleges of Architecture (an estimated 247 degrees), Liberal Arts (754) and Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (184). An honorary degree will be presented to Professor Leif Andersson.
• The final ceremony is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at Reed Arena in College Station. It will include graduate and undergraduate students from the Mays Business School (an estimated 479 degrees) and the College of Education and Human Development (712).
• The Galveston campus will present an expected 207 degrees during a ceremony that begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Galveston Island Convention Center.
• The campus in Doha, Qatar, expects to award 17 degrees without ceremonies; the School of Law presented 28 degrees on Dec. 8 in Fort Worth, and the School of Dentistry in Dallas presented three degrees without a ceremony.

More information about guest services and activities for graduates and families is available online.

Reed Arena parking and transportation information

Guests attending Commencement in Reed Arena are invited to park for FREE in the following areas:

• West Campus Garage
• Parking Lot 100 (A through F, J and M) around Reed Arena
• Lot 102 is reserved for Disabled Parking
• Lot 100G is reserved for special guests

Valet parking for Reed Arena is available in Lot 100A for $12 (cash only) per vehicle. Access Parking Lot 100A via John Kimbrough from either Discovery Rd. or Wellborn Rd. A commencement parking map can be viewed .

To avoid traffic after the commencement ceremony, review Transportation Services’ recommended departure routes.

For additional event information, download the Destination Aggieland mobile app at the App Store or get it on Google play and visit the “Other Events” section.

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Biographical information: Leif Andersson

Among the world’s most renowned scholars in the genomic and molecular study of domestic animals, Leif Andersson has carved a scientific niche by approaching farm animals as model organisms. As group leader and professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, Andersson analyzes interbreeding among species of farm animals, such as between wild boars and domestic pigs, to identify the genes and mutations that affect specific traits.  He also investigates how the mutations may alter the function and regulation of the genes.

Andersson and his research team compare genomes from many species of domestic animals to discover the molecular mechanisms and underlying traits that are important to human and veterinary medicine.  They study the genetic background of phenotypic traits, such as gaits in horses as well as disorders such as cancer, metabolic syndrome and inflammatory diseases.  Their discoveries provide insights in genetics, animal breeding, evolution and biomedical research.

A professor in functional genomics in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology at Uppsala University, Andersson also serves as a guest professor in molecular animal genetics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala. He earned his doctorate from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in 1984.

A member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, Andersson has received the Thureus Prize in Natural History and Medicine from the Royal Society of Sciences, the Linneus Prize in Zoology from the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Sweden, the Hilda and Alfred Eriksson’s Prize in Medicine from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Olof Rudbeck Prize from Uppsala Medical Society. In January 2014, the Wolf Foundation selected Andersson for the Wolf Prize in Agriculture to honor his use of cutting-edge genomic technologies in animal research.

As a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Andersson has collaborated with faculty-researchers in the college, including James E. Womack, University Distinguished Professor; David Threadgill, University Distinguished Professor; and Loren C. Skow, professor.  Andersson was selected as a 2013-14 Faculty Fellow by Texas A&M’s Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.

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Media Contact: Rusty Cawley, (979) 458-1475, rcawley@tamu.edu