Academic Regalia

The traditions of academic apparel and procession date back to as early as the 12th century when the first “modern” universities at Bologna and Paris were centers of European learning. The usual garb of the time was a long gown—a necessity for warmth in unheated buildings of that era. Scholars, generally members of church orders in those days, wore such robes as well as hoods to protect their shaved heads. Later the hood became a cape that could be pulled over the head in unpleasant weather. Today there are three basic types of gowns and hoods. The bachelor’s gown has pointed sleeves and is designed to be worn closed at the front. The master’s gown is designed with an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, with an arc cutaway at the front of the sleeve. It may be worn either open or closed. The doctoral gown is a full design with voluminous bell sleeves, and it also may be worn open or closed. The hoods worn by those who hold a master’s degree are lined with the official colors of the institution awarding the degree. Graduates of Metro State University wear a hood lined with blue and white. Hoods on the Metro State faculty and administration show the colors of the institutions where their degrees were earned. The binding or edging of the hood is silk or velvet and the color indicates the subject area or discipline as listed below. Some of the colors of the master’s and doctoral hoods indicate the following disciplines: