Is there any difference between "confer degrees" and "presenting diplomas"? I read the following passage on a university's website: The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering will hold its annual

Search from various English teachers...

xiaokaoy

Is there any difference between "confer degrees" and "presenting diplomas"? I read the following passage on a university's website: The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering will hold its annual Commencement ceremony on the River Campus Eastman Quadrangle, beginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 18. During this ceremony degrees will be conferred for all bachelor's and master's candidates. Individual diplomas are presented at the Departmental Diploma Ceremonies. It seems that conferring a degree and presenting a diploma are two different activities. What's the difference?

Apr 8, 2014 4:37 AM

Answers · 4

This is a tricky one. It appears one ceremony is just for show (looks, appearance and is formal), while the other you actually receive your physical degree in a less formal ceremony. If you really have a concern here post the link and Ill figure it out for you. Every institution is different so one may need more info to answer this. But, your main question, confer and present are essentially the same word and are considered synonyms.

April 8, 2014

Still haven’t found your answers?

Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!