NOTES ON ACADEMIC REGALIA
The attire worn by the graduates, faculty and ofcers of the university for Commencement exercises has historic
roots in the distant medieval past. Dressed in cap and gown, graduates and professors form part of a long tradition,
which dates back to Paris, Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge.
The precise origins of the several parts of the academic garb are not easy to discover. However, since medieval
students enjoyed the status of clerics during their university years, one may assume that their attire found its
inspiration in the clerical dress of medieval times. The gown seems to be an adaptation of the robe of the friar or
priest; the hood resembles the monk’s or friar’s cowl; and the mortarboard cap may have evolved from the skullcaps
that were needed to protect against the drafts of medieval classrooms.
Academic attire began to appear on campuses in the United States in the late 1890s. Since that time, its use has
become universal for University functions, and its pattern is highly uniform.
THE GOWN
The bachelor’s gown is a yoked, closed-front
garment, with long, pointed sleeves; the master’s
gown has full, bell-shaped sleeves. Only the doctor’s
gown is trimmed — with velvet panels down the front
and three velvet bars on each sleeve. Black is also
proper for the color of the gown; however, some
universities have adopted distinctive colors for these
gowns, and the wearer has the option of wearing
his/her school color or black.
Though black velvet is proper trimming for all doctor
gowns, the color of the panels and sleeve bars is
often varied, in order to indicate the faculty that
granted the wearer’s degree:
Dark Blue for Philosophy
Light Blue for Education
White for Arts and Letters
Gold-Yellow for Science
Orange for Engineering
Purple for Law
Brown for Management
THE CAP
The mortarboard has become the universally
accepted style in colleges and universities of the
United States. Many European institutions still retain
distinctive forms of academic headdress.
The doctor, following graduation, has the right
to wear a gold tassel on the mortarboard; black,
however, is perfectly proper. The practice of varying
the color of the tassel on the others has gained
acceptance:
White for Arts
Gold-Yellow for Science
Dark Blue for Philosophy
Light Blue for Education
Drab Brown for Commerce
Red for Technology
Purple for Law
Orange for Engineering
THE HOOD
The hood at rst seems to have been worn over
the head and was attached to the gown. When the
skullcap was introduced, the hood was retained but
detached and worn much as it is today. Each degree
(bachelor, master, doctor) has a special hood, which
varies in length. The doctor’s also varies in pattern.
The color or colors with which the hood is lined are
those of the college or university, which granted
the wearer’s degree — for example, Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University, is known by the gold
chevron on the eld of royal blue. The colored velvet
binding or edging of the hood, in different widths for
the bachelor, master, and doctor, is the key to the
faculty granting the degree. The colors follow the
same scheme indicated above for the panels of the
doctor’s gown.
The particular eld of graduate study is indicated by
the color of the satin binding:
Gold for Human Factors and Systems
Lemon for Engineering Physics
Silver for Aeronautics
Drab Brown for Business Administration,
Business Administration in Aviation
Management, Aviation Finance, and
Project Management
Orange for Aerospace Engineering,
Cybersecurity Engineering, Electrical
and Computer Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, Software Engineering,
Unmanned and Autonomous Systems
Engineering, Software Engineering, and
Multidisciplinary Engineering