June 05, 2026

Congratulations to the Penn Engineering Online 2026 Graduates

Commencement 2026

Graduates from Penn Engineering Online’s master’s degree programs gathered on campus on May 15, 2026 to celebrate commencement alongside fellow students, faculty, family members, and friends. Students from the MCIT Online (now MAS-CS Online) and MSE-DS Online programs, and the inaugural MSE-AI Online class, traveled to Philadelphia from around the country and world. After semesters of balancing coursework across different time zones with careers, families, and life, they united to commemorate their dedication and accomplishments.

During the master’s commencement ceremony at the Palestra, Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, spoke to graduates of all online and on campus master’s degree programs. He reflected on the global nature of the graduating class and the impact graduates will have far beyond campus. “The master’s class of 2026 includes more than 1,000 students from over 70 countries — one of the most globally distributed classes we have ever seen,” he said. “What you’ve built here will not stay in one place. It’ll move across borders, across disciplines and across industries.”

Kumar encouraged graduates to approach their careers with curiosity, adaptability and openness to change. “Your career will look less like a ladder and more like a network,” he shared. “A network of experiences, a network of skills, a network of people and opportunities.”

He also reminded graduates that exploration and lifelong learning are essential in an evolving technological landscape. “Explore boldly. Learn continuously. Stay open to change,” he said. “When the path is unclear — and it will be — trust that you have the tools to build it, because you do. You’re not just entering the future. You’re equipped to shape it.”

The ceremony’s keynote address was delivered by Vanessa Lyon, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and a graduate of the MCIT Online program. Drawing on her experience returning to school while leading global consulting teams, Lyon reflected on the discipline and mindset cultivated through engineering education.

“At 43, I returned to school to get more of that magic,” she said. “Engineering constantly exposes what you don’t yet understand and forces you to close the gap.”

Lyon emphasized that understanding systems and learning continuously will remain essential even as AI transforms industries. “People have predicted for decades that technology would reduce the need for engineers,” she said. “They’ve been wrong every time. Each wave made systems more complex and increased demand for people who actually understand them.”

Calling this “the most exciting time ever to be an engineer,” Lyon encouraged graduates to embrace the responsibility and opportunity ahead. “The generation sitting in front of you will have more consequential engineering problems to solve than any generation before,” she said.

You can watch the Commencement remarks in full within the recorded livestream of the master’s commencement ceremony here.

Penn Engineering Online: Class of 2026

Celebrating the accomplishments of graduates from Penn Engineering’s growing portfolio of online master’s degree programs— including MCIT online (now MAS-CS Online), MSE-DS Online and MSE-AI Online — is not only rewarding for the graduates themselves, but for the entire Penn Engineering Online community. Professors and staff members who have collaborated virtually with students throughout their academic journeys take joy in being able to convene together face-to-face after many semesters of hard work.

Boon Thau Loo, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Global Initiatives, spoke to Penn Engineering Online reception attendees about the remarkable growth of the global community students have helped build together.

“As you embark on the next phase of your life, I encourage you to continue learning and growing and also have an open mind and a sense of adventure,” Loo said. “Please keep in touch through the Penn Engineering Online community. We now have alumni living and working in various tech roles all around the world.”

Loo also spoke personally about the impact Penn Engineering Online has had on faculty and staff. “Without a doubt — and I think I speak for many of our faculty here — the online programs have really been one of the highlights of our careers at Penn,” he shared.

MCIT Online graduate Qi Zhang accepted the Outstanding Academic Award and spoke to an audience of fellow online classmates and faculty. He reflected on the resilience shared by graduates across Penn Engineering Online programs. “This journey was not always easy,” Zhang said. “It was filled with early mornings, late nights and weekends dedicated to studying instead of resting.”

Looking toward the future, Zhang reminded graduates to carry forward the confidence they developed throughout the program. “If there is one thing I hope we all take away from this journey, it’s the confidence that we can do hard things,” he said. “We’ve already proven that to ourselves.”

As the Class of 2026 moves forward into careers spanning software engineering, artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and beyond — they do so as part of a global Penn Engineering alumni network united by curiosity, resilience and innovation.

We congratulate all of the Penn Engineering Online graduates whose dedication, ambition and perseverance brought them to this milestone achievement.