Welcome to the commencement website for the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), and congratulations to the Class of 2025!
For more info see: https://commencement.usc.edu
2025 USC School of Cinematic Arts Commencement Ceremony
Friday, May 16, 2025
Shrine Auditorium, 665 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007
1:00 PM Ceremony
GUEST SPEAKER
Miky Lee
Commencement Speaker
Miky Lee, Vice Chairwoman of CJ Group, is a visionary leader in the entertainment industry, driving CJ's expansive entertainment and media ventures through its subsidiary, CJ ENM.
A pioneer who founded CJ's entertainment and media division and led CJ's investment in DreamWorks SKG in 1995, her rich history in entertainment leadership is marked by a series of transformative achievements. As an executive producer, she has played a pivotal role in bringing to fruition such acclaimed works as Parasite, the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards; Decision To Leave and Broker, which won Best Director and Best Actor respectively at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival; and Past Lives, a nominee for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards.
Her influence also extends beyond the silver screen. A driving force behind K-pop's global rise, she spearheaded the creation and expansion of KCON, the world's largest K-culture and music festival, spanning the U.S., the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. She also founded the MAMA Awards, recognized as the world's premier K-pop awards show.
Miky Lee serves on the boards of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Hammer Museum, Berklee College of Music, and Otis College of Art and Design. Her contributions to the entertainment industry and the global promotion of Korean culture have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2022 Pillar Award from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the 2022 International Emmy Directorate Award from the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the 2024 Abu Dhabi Festival Award from the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation. She was also honored with Korea's highest cultural distinction, the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, in 2023, and received the 2024 Global Citizen Award from the Atlantic Council for her impact on the international entertainment landscape.
GRADUATE LINE-UP
Graduates enter the Shrine Auditorium and line up at 12:00 PM at the Expo Hall entrance on 32nd Street. Please be on time!
Bring your charged device with digital tickets, and your cap and gown with you. All graduates will have a SCA Ceremony
ticket and a UPC campus ticket you will need for access on Friday, May 16.
Backpacks, air horns, and balloons are not permitted inside the Shrine Auditorium. These items will be confiscated at the door.
GUESTS
Guests enter the Shrine Auditorium through the main entrance on Royal Street. Doors open at 12:00 PM for ADA guests and
12:15 PM for general admission. Guests must have a digital ticket to enter. Please be prepared to share your UPC digital
ticket for access to campus via Trousdale Parkway for the SCA Reception. Children under 2 years old do not need tickets.
As is standard with events in large venues, all guests must pass through a metal detector to enter the Shrine Auditorium. All USC Ceremonies will be adhering to a clear bag policy. Any bags that do not comply will have to wait in a line for bag check. The following items are prohibited: backpacks, air horns, and balloons. These items will be confiscated at the door.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Currently, there are no restrictions or limitations for visitors coming to campus or the Shrine Auditorium.
All COVID policies are subject to change.
While masks are not required for this event, we ask that attendees, vaccinated or unvaccinated, consider wearing them for their own protection and the protection of others.
Please note that protocols are subject to change. Information on protocol updates will be communicated by email or other appropriate mechanism.
CAP & GOWN RENTAL
Rental of regalia is available through the USC Bookstore.
Click here for more details.
Return your gown and hood after the SCA Ceremony at the drop location outside the Shrine Auditorium (on Royal Street) or at the Bookstore on May 16, 2025.
COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM
The Commencement Program lists every graduate's name who is
eligible to graduate in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025 provided they verified their information with Degree Progress prior
to printing. These programs will be available online.
DVDs
DVD recordings of the SCA ceremony will not be available.
GRAD PHOTOS
GradImages will be photographing all graduates at the SCA Ceremony as each one crosses the stage. GradImages will email
complimentary proofs to graduates after the ceremony, provided they completed a Commencement reader card via Tassel before
the ceremony, or provided their full contact information including address to their Division. Everyone's photo will be taken.
No obligation to purchase. Visit www.gradimages.com for more
information or to pre-register online.
HONOR CORDS
Honor cords are provided by the SCA and will be available for pick up in your Division office through May 15, 2025. Honor cords
may be worn by undergraduates who have earned a minimum 3.5 university GPA by the end of the Fall 2023 semester.
Note: Eligibility to wear honor cords is not an indication that academic honors (cum laude, etc.) will be designated on your
diploma/academic record since these honors will be awarded after final grades are determined after Commencement.
MISCELLANEOUS
No backpacks, air horns, or balloons are allowed inside the Shrine Auditorium.
RECEPTION
The SCA Commencement Reception immediately follows the SCA Ceremony and is held at the School of Cinematic Arts directly
following from 3:30-5:00 PM. One digital ticket admits a guest to both the SCA Ceremony and the Reception. Graduates and
children under 2 years old do not need tickets to enter either event.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
An ADA Accommodation entrance on Royal Street at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard will open at 12:00 PM at the Shrine
Auditorium. When graduates register for the SCA Ceremony, they must note how many guests require wheelchair seating. Due to
space limitations, only one guest may enter and sit with that guest in the wheelchair seating area.
ADA ACCOMMODATION / EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
If a guest requires a Sign Language Interpreter for the ceremony, graduates were able to request that when registering for the
ceremony via Tassel. These guests may enter at the ADA Accommodation entrance on Royal Street at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard
at 12:00pm at the Shrine Auditorium. Due to space limitations, only one guest may enter and sit with that guest in the sign
language interpreting area. CART captioning will also be provided on large screens within the auditorium.
STROLLERS
Please check in all strollers at the Special Needs entrance of the Shrine Auditorium on Royal Street at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard.
No strollers are allowed in the theatre seating area.
TICKETS
Digital tickets are required for entry to BOTH the SCA Ceremony and the SCA Reception and were loaded into the graduate's USC
Ticket Account or Gameday App. One ticket admits a guest to both events. Children under 2 years old and graduates do not need
tickets to enter either event. Limit of 10 tickets per graduate. If additional tickets are desired for guests, students should
see a staff member in their Division office during the SCA Commencement registration period.
TRANSIT & PARKING
For transit by car, train or rideshare, and for parking information, please refer to USC's website for details.
Return your gown and hood immediately following the SCA Ceremony at drop locations outside the Shrine Auditorium on 32nd Street, on campus or at the Bookstore on Friday May 16, 2025. You may keep your cap and tassel.
For all details and pertinent information regarding regalia, please refer to the USC Commencement website.
Commencement Timeline:
Thursday, May 15 - USC Main Commencement
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
7:00pm
Friday, May 16 - SCA COMMENCEMENT DAY
Shrine Auditorium
1:00pm
Any questions can be directed to your SCA Division office staff/advisor.
DIVISION OFFICES
Division of Cinema & Media Studies
mediastudies@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3334
SCA 320
Division of Media Arts + Practice
map@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.5700
SCI 101
Film & Television Production Division
productionoffice@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3317
SCA 434
Interactive Media & Games Division
usc_interactive@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.4472
SCI 201
John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts
animation@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.4396
SCB 210
John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television
writing@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3303
SCA 335
Peter Stark Producing Program
pstark@cinema.usc.edu
213.740.3304
SCA 366
Expanded Animation Research + Practice (XA)
expandedanimation@cinema.usc.edu
213.821.9770
SCA 250