SAVANNAH — Mercer University had its first commencement in Savannah on Saturday for the first 38 graduates from the School of Medicine’s Savannah campus.

In all, the University conferred more than 1,750 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees during five commencements.

Mercer’s medical involvement in Savannah began in 1996 when the university established a clinical relation with Memorial University Medical Center, which provided instruction for third- and fourth-year students at the Mercer School of Medicine. In the fall of 2008, Mercer expanded its existing two-year clinical program at Memorial into a full four-year campus of the Mercer University School of Medicine. The expanded four-year program in Savannah confers the MD degree and employs the same curriculum and teaching methods as the Macon campus.