TIP SHEET: University of Virginia Final Exercises: By the Numbers

May 17, 2007 — Final Exercises consist of Class Valedictory Exercises on Saturday, May 19, and Final Exercises, on Sunday, May 20.

Number of commencements

  • 2007 marks the 178th year that Final Exercises (U.Va.’s traditional way of describing commencement) have been held at the University of Virginia.

Degrees being awarded

  • 3,367 baccalaureate (38 earned in three years and two earned in two years)
  • 506 first professional degrees
  • 2,027 graduate degrees, including 324 Doctor of Philosophy degrees, 23 Doctor of Education degrees and one Doctor of Juridical Science degrees
  • 576 degrees awarded to international students from 84 different countries
  •  Another 204 students are earning master’s degrees, seven doctoral degrees and 26 education specialist degrees after completing work at centers around the state through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
  • Total number of degrees awarded to the Class of 2007: 5,900

Oldest degree-earner

  • Undergraduate: Mallory Walker Jr., 67, of Washington, D.C., will receive his bachelor’s degree in history.

Youngest degree-earner

  • Undergraduate: Mary Polk Hannon, 19, of Fredericksburg, will receive a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs.

Degrees by gender

  • Total female: 3,127 (53 percent); bachelor’s, 54.3 percent; master’s, 53.7 percent; education specialist, 88.9 percent; Ph.D., 46.4 percent; law, 40.1 percent; M.D., 51.1 percent.
  • Total male: 2,774 (47 percent); bachelor’s, 45.7 percent; master’s, 46.3 percent; education specialist, 11.1 percent; Ph.D., 53.6 percent,; law 59.9 percent,; M.D., 48.9 percent.

Most degrees by state

  • Virginia 3,443
  • New York 196
  • Pennsylvania 157
  • Maryland 150
  • New Jersey 107

Most degrees by nation
  • United States 5,452
  • China 93
  • India 53
  • South Korea 36
  • Japan 24

Degrees by school

  • Basic Sciences (interdisciplinary): 73 (47 master’s, 26 doctorates)
  • College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences: 2,815 (2,365 bachelor’s, 289 master’s, 161 doctorates
  • Curry School of Education: 703 (39 bachelor’s, 544 master’s, 45 education specialists, 75 doctorates)
  • Darden Graduate School of Business Administration: 294 (293 master’s, one doctorate)
  • McIntire School of Commerce: 501 (321 bachelor’s, 180 master’s)
  • School of Architecture: 157 (99 bachelor’s, 55 master’s, three doctorates)
  • School of Continuing and Professional Studies: 27 (27 bachelor’s)
  • School of Engineering and Applied Science: 660 (434 bachelor’s, 154 master’s, 72 doctorates)
  • School of Law: 402 (33 master’s, two doctorates, 367 J.D.)
  • School of Medicine: 139 (139 M.D.)
  • School of Nursing: 130 (82 bachelor’s, 39 master’s, nine doctorates)

Most popular undergraduate majors

  • Psychology 337
  • Economics 335
  • Commerce 321
  • History 297
  • Foreign Affairs 238
  • English 224
  • Biology 207

Who’s counting?

  • Chairs: For about 6,000 graduates, their families and guests, approximately 45,000 chairs, at 50 sites, including 20,000 on the Lawn, are set up for Finals Weekend.
  • Fencing: About 1,000 feet of fencing is installed to protect guests from slipping down the steeper inclines of the Lawn and to maximize safety.
  • Food: U.Va. Catering operates food stands on the Sunday of Finals Weekend; this year, they plan to serve 17,000 petite gourmet cookies, 4,000 bakeshop cookies, 400 gallons of lemonade, 200 gallons of iced tea, 4,000 bottles of water, 400 pounds of golden pineapple, 400 pounds of cantaloupe, 400 pounds of honeydew, and 400 pounds of strawberries.
  • Sound Systems: Sound systems are provided for more than 30 U.Va. venues.
  • Stages: Workers install 12 stages of various sizes around Grounds and furnish them with podiums, tables, stairs, ramps or lifts, skirting, rails and sound systems.
  • Stakes & ropes: To demark sections of the Lawn, hundreds of stakes are driven into the ground, painted white and attached to about a half-mile of roping.
  • Staffing: Prior to Finals Weekend, approximately 40 full-time Facilities Management employees work around the Grounds to ensure that the Lawn and other areas are in impeccable condition. About two weeks prior to the event, between 80 and 100 facilities staff members engage in additional preparations for the event. Thousands of labor hours are expended to make sure that the minutest details have not been overlooked.

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