History of the conferment

The conferment ceremony originates from the public graduation and degree ceremonies of universities in the 13th century. The ceremonies initiated new Master's and doctoral degree holders into the academic community. The Finnish word for conferment – promootio – is derived from the latin verb promovere, i.e. to move forward, to promote.

The academic tradition of conferment ceremonies represents continuity and the ties of science and higher education to age-old European civilization.

The conferment is the most prestigious of academic events. Its purpose is to confer either Master's degrees or doctorates. Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology only arranges doctoral conferment ceremonies. The conferment was first held in 1994, and subsequently in 1999, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2017.

The conferment tradition includes a great deal of symbolism. The doctoral hat symbolises freedom and signifies that its bearer is a full-fledged member of the scientific community.  The doctoral sword symbolises an intellectual weapon in the quest for and defence of truth. At LUT, the sword is born by those with a doctorate in business administration or philosophy.