Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Graduate Coating Ceremony

The Graduate Coating Ceremony honors Ph.D. candidates who have passed their qualifying exams, transitioning from a Ph.D. student to a Ph.D. candidate. Though the white coat ceremony is most commonly known as an educational milestone and ritual for M.D. graduates, The Johns Hopkins University is one of the few institutions in the country to present its graduating Ph.D. students with white coats.

Each coat is embroidered with the student’s name and with a graduate student pin affixed, which represents the unity of each of the 14 Johns Hopkins University doctoral programs. With their families, peers and mentors as witnesses, each student recites the graduate student oath, scientists’ pledge to always maintain integrity and commitment to the scientific community.

Watch the Recording

Graduate Coating Ceremony 2023

Speaker at podium addresses large audience.
Speaker at podium addresses audience.
Recent white coats celebrate achievement
Large group of white coats celebrate
White coats in audience stand
 

Graduate Student Oath

As I embark on my career as a scientist, I willingly pledge that:

  • I will practice and support a scientific process that is based on logic, intellectual rigor, personal integrity, and an uncompromising respect for truth;
  • I will perform my professional activities and interactions with scientific integrity and respect for the field and my peers;
  • I will acknowledge my role as an ambassador of science to the public, and strive to be honest, respectful, and unbiased with engaging the public;
  • I will value my work and its contribution to the scientific community;
  • I will never let the potential for personal recognition or advancement cause me to act in a way that violates the public trust in science or in me as a scientist;
  • I will foster a community that is inclusive of all and recognize that diversity cultivates innovation, creativity, and progress;
  • I will acknowledge and honor the contributions of scientists who have preceded me and become a worthy role model deserving of respect by those who follow me;
  • And I will always be cognizant that my work is for the advancement of knowledge and the benefit of all humanity.

By pronouncing this Oath, I declare my commitment to these professional standards and goals.

Learn about the Origin of the Scientist's Oath

 

Amanda's Story

The White Coating Ceremony is a rite of passage for doctoral candidates like Amanda Edwards, a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2015, she, along with 70 other school of medicine and public health graduate students, were recognized for the successful completion of their Doctoral Board Oral Examinations.