In pictures: The celebration of the Conferment of Doctoral Degrees spanned from Friday to Sunday

The events of the all faculties’ joint Conferment Ceremony began with a pre-conferment celebration on Friday 6 June. At the event, held in the Main Building of the city centre campus, the doctors and honorary doctors to be conferred and their companions were welcomed to the three-day festivities. After a sword-whetting performance, the honorary doctors and doctors whose fields have the tradition of a doctoral sword, had the opportunity to whet their own 

Saturday, 7 June, began with the laying of a wreath at the war graves of the Kalevankangas Cemetery. The wreath was laid by the Master of Ceremonies, Professor Maija Hirvonen, the Head Marshal, Professor Lasse Laurson, and the Conferrer of Degrees, Professor Juha Suoranta. 

The main event, the Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees, began at Tampere Hall on Saturday at noon. At the Conferment Ceremony, the honorary doctors and doctors were presented with the insignia of a doctor, i.e. a doctoral hat and, with the exception of doctors in the field of technology, a doctoral sword. The doctoral hat and sword practices of the new multidisciplinary University of Tampere combine the traditions of the predecessor universities.

The first to receive their hats were the 13 honorary doctors. The University's seven faculties had invited persons from Finland and abroad to accept honorary doctorates in recognition of excellence in fields represented at the University and other exceptional scientific, artistic or social merits. The speech by the representative of the honorary doctors was given by Permanent Secretary Anita Lehikoinen. Read more about the honorary doctors and their achievements

After the honorary doctors, 209 doctors who have graduated from the new Tampere University or one of its predecessors, i.e. the former Tampere University of Technology or the former University of Tampere University, were conferred. 

After the Conferment Ceremony, the Conferrer of Degrees, the conferred honorary doctors and doctors, the university’s management, professors and other audience walked in procession to the Tampere Cathedral park to a church service held in the cathedral or a secular event held at the Tampere classical upper secondary school. 

On Saturday evening, the conferred honorary doctors, doctors, their companions and other guests gathered at Tampere Hall for the Conferment Banquet and Celebration.  

After dinner, old dances were danced and at the end of the dances, the Conferrer of Degrees and marshals are divested of their duties and conferred doctors carried the Conferrer of Degrees out. The evening's program ended at three in the morning at the Keskustori square with a speech to the sun. 

On Sunday 8 June conferred honorary doctors and doctors and their companions took a ship to enjoy a picnic on the Viikinsaari island. 

Congratulations to all conferred doctors and honorary doctors, and thank you for participating in the festivities!

A recording of the Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees is available for watching until 23 June.