Academic Regalia

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and other contemporary institutions of higher learning evolved historically from the great medieval universities in Europe such as those in Bologna, founded in 1088, Oxford in 1167, and Cambridge in 1209.

Originally, the university was a guild of Masters of Arts, and the degree was the token that full membership had been attained. Even as, after “serving his time,” an apprentice was licensed to practice his trade or “master,” so the Master of Arts was certified by his superiors and admitted to the practice of instruction and, therefore, the ceremony marking the occasion was known as “Commencement.”

The term “Bachelor” originally designated a man who was assistant to a small landowner and in medieval times denoted the apprentice as opposed to the master workman. It is uncertain when the title of “Doctor” was established as a degree superior to that of “Master,” but at Bologna it was conferred in Law in the 12th century, and Paris awarded the degree in Divinity about the same time. There is mention of the “Doctors of the different Faculties” at Oxford in 1184, so that the term was evidently used as a title for those possessing the highest degree of learning soon after the establishment of the first universities.

At that time, everyone–men and women, royalty and commoners–wore gowns; that is, long, full-flowing robes, and the king himself decreed what quality apparel might be worn by whom. After about 1600 they were rarely worn by men other than legal and official personages.

The hood first appeared as a separate article of attire in the 13th century, but by 1600 it, like the gown, ceased to be worn at all except by legal, official, academic, and clerical personages.

During the early years of the medieval universities, scholars wore the same general type of clothing as everyone else: gowns, cloaks with hoods attached, or separate hoods and caps. After a while, details of scholars’ apparel were prescribed by university statutes to distinguish the faculties as well as the different degrees of learning. When the fashions of the people changed, scholars kept the original styles both because they were prescribed by university statutes and “because it is honourable and in accordance with reason that clerks to whom God has given an advantage over the lay folk in their adornments within, should likewise differ from the lay folk outwardly in dress.”

In today’s academic procession, the regalia not only contribute pageantry and color, but denote the academic status of their wearers. The cap, or mortarboard, is worn by all academics upon occasion; but only those who hold an academic degree wear the tassel to their left, and only those who hold the Doctor’s degree are permitted tassels of gold.

Gowns are of three basic patterns: (a) the Bachelor’s gown, of unadorned black and with long pointed sleeves; (b) the Master’s gown, unadorned black but with an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, square cut with an arc cut away; and (c) the Doctor’s gown, velvet-faced, with bell-shaped sleeves and bars of velvet on each sleeve.

Hoods are of two shapes and lengths, also corresponding to the degree held by the wearer. Their binding or trim is colored to indicate the department or faculty to which the degree pertains, while the lining is decorated in the colors and arrangement characteristic of the institution which awarded the degree.

It should be noted that some institutions depart to a lesser or greater degree from these general rules in the design and execution of their academic regalia.

Hood Colors Fields

White Humanities, Liberal Arts

Orange Engineering

Apricot Nursing

Gold Sciences

Peacock Blue Public Policy

Light Blue Education

Dark Blue PhD Degrees –all fields

Light Brown Business

Brown Art

Purple Law