It’s a picturesque moment. The caps are thrown in to the air with gusto as the cheers of “commencing” the next chapter are let loose. For some Drake University undergraduate students who choose to graduate in December, this scene is not the same as the traditional May ceremony.

Approximately 290 students are expected to complete their degrees at the Fall Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 17. Students will still walk away with degrees, just like the Spring Commencement Ceremony, only the number of students is less.

Nancy Geiger, Drake’s student records analyst, said that the numbers scheduled to graduate at the end of this semester is well within the average for the past few years.

An invitation for the event was sent in the form of a survey. The questionnaire inquired as to whether students would participate in the December 2011 or May 2012 ceremonies, or if they would not participate in either one.

Geiger said the December ceremony will be much like the May ceremony.

“The December commencement is being currently planned as a streamlined version of the commencement held in May,” Geiger said. “It will include the students crossing the stage and being individually introduced.”

LouAnn Simpson, professor of business law, will serve as the university marshal for commencement.

Students choose to graduate for a number of different reasons including credits, job opportunities and money.

Jon McDonald, a Drake advertising and marketing senior, will graduate in this December but will choose to walk in the commencement next May.

“I came in with a semester of credits and wanted to get a head start on the job competition,” McDonald said.

The 131st Commencement Ceremony for Undergraduate Degree Recipients will take place at 10 a.m. on May 13, 2012.