Each year, at noon on the third Friday of March, medical students in the United States wait anxiously to learn where their professional career will take them after the culmination of their studies. As of May 2015 there are 179 total medical schools in the United States. This includes 143 allopathic (MD) and 36 osteopathic (DO) medical schools. The result of Match Day determines not only the type of training each student will receive but also defines their medical specialty and, ultimately, where they will live during the first years of their chosen profession.

The first Educational Recognition Awards ceremony was held in 1999, envisioned by an ad hoc faculty group as a means of reaffirming education as the founding and primary mission of the campus. The event is characterized by recognition of educational excellence in all three schools, a celebration of the collaboration between the three schools and pride in the dedication, passion and creativity of faculty. Recipients are nominated and chosen by their faculty colleagues; students also participate in the nominating process within the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Graduate School of Nursing. The awards are presented by the deans of each school at an event held toward the end of the academic year.

An evening of fun for ALL students, faculty, staff, their families and friends:

• Dance to the music of DJ Xkaliber
  
• Hors d'oeuvres, beer and wine

A continental buffet for faculty, graduates and their guests will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Buffets will be set in the 1st Floor Multi-Purpose Room of the Albert Sherman Center (ASC) and the Faculty Conference Room. There will be seating on the terraces outside the ASC and the school building and in the school lobbies. There is no charge for this event; however, we do ask that you tell us whether or not you are planning to attend and how many guests you will bring with you.

The University of Massachusetts  Medical School (UMMS) awards doctoral degrees in medicine, biomedical sciences and master’s degrees, DNP's and doctorates in nursing. Students from the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and  Graduate School of Nursing are hooded by representatives of their chosen profession and receive diplomas from the dean of their respective school. The event is held annually on the Sunday following Memorial Day.