June 17, 2025

Congratulations to the Penn Engineering Online 2025 Graduates

Commencement 2025

On May 16, 2025, we celebrated the newest class of graduates from the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s master’s degree programs. More than 1,000 graduates from online and on-campus graduate degree programs joined the commencement ceremony in Penn’s historic Palestra – one of the most renowned and recognizable arenas in the country – which has been attracting spectators for nearly a century.

The commencement ceremony featured remarks from Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, who emphasized how the impact of a Penn Engineering education will span far beyond a student’s time at Penn. “The value of what you have learned – how to think critically, how to build boldly and lead responsibly – will endure,” he said.

Keynote speaker Trisha Kothari (ENG ’14), Co-Founder and CEO of Unit21, encouraged graduates to venture into their next chapter boldly, drawing confidence from their experience. “If you ever doubt your ability … look at what you’ve already done,” she said. “You’ve built robots. You’ve written compilers. You’ve debugged things at 3 A.M. You’ve done hard things.”

As graduates crossed the stage to receive their long-awaited diplomas, with the rumble of applause and swells of pride echoing from the crowd, Dean Kumar’s message to graduates reverberated through the arena. “Today, you are not just engineering graduates — you are graduates of Penn Engineering,” he said.

“You are ambassadors of what is possible. You will inspire the next generation, you will mentor those who follow and you will help build a profession that reflects and serves the world,” said Kumar. You can watch the Commencement remarks in full and view the recorded livestream of the master’s commencement ceremony here.

Penn Engineering Online: Class of 2025

Penn Engineering Online is proud to have graduated over 600 students from our online master’s degree programs this year. We were especially thrilled to celebrate in person with over 100 of those graduates who traveled from around the globe to partake in commencement festivities on campus. These online graduates joined the Penn Engineering Online Graduation Reception, which offered a them a special opportunity to gather face-to-face with peers and professors who they usually connect with virtually. The reception featured remarks from Boon Thau Loo, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Global Initiatives, a presentation of awards by Dr. Tom Farmer, MCIT Online Program Director, and student reflections from Derek Chen (MCIT ’25), Co-President of MOSA.

Looking ahead to their post-Penn future, Associate Dean Loo advised graduates to continue fostering the connections they have made and will continue to forge. “Keep in touch with the Penn Engineering Online community. With alumni living and working all around the world, our global network will give you a lifelong community of connections and support, both personally and professionally,” said Loo.

Chen acknowledged the accomplishments of the Class of 2025 and reminded them of the capabilities they have honed throughout their Penn Engineering journey. “Let’s carry forward the curiosity, resilience and sense of community that brought us here today. Remember that this degree isn’t just a reflection of who what we’ve learned, but rather proof of what we’re capable of.”

We wish the best of luck to all of the new Penn Engineering Online graduates, whose determination and innovation are remarkably admirable. They persevered through balancing rigorous Ivy League coursework, personal life commitments, and the challenges of progressing within a rapidly evolving tech space. Now, they launch into the world as Penn Engineering alumni and are ready to take on innovative and impactful work in computer science, data science, AI … and beyond! The future they are engineering is bright. Congratulations to the Class of 2025!