Academic Traditions

The design of academic gowns and hoods in the United States was inherited from British universities. The gown is medieval in concept and originated in European universities. The cap or mortarboard is from Italy, but the hood as an academic vestment is distinctly British.

In the early years, teachers wore academic gowns with appropriate hoods in the classroom, a practice still followed in England. In the United States, gowns and hoods are worn only on ceremonial occasions.

In 1894, a recent graduate of Williams College, Garner Cottrell Leonard, prepared a code of academic gowns and hoods, which was adopted by leading U.S. universities. That code is still observed today.

In 1895, President Low of Columbia University said in his annual report, “The movement towards the adoption . . . of a distinctive academic costume for professors and graduates has received a new impetus this year.” The goal was a uniform practice among American colleges and universities whereby the cap, gown and hood would indicate the degree of the wearer, the faculty under which it was obtained, and the institution which conferred the degree.

The general wearing of gowns for commencement in the United States started in the 1880s. By 1897, nearly 50 American universities had registered the color of their hoods and hood lining. Although gowns originally were designed to be worn open or closed, closed gowns have become the tradition in the United States.

Because the clergy were the teachers of the Middle Ages, it is natural that their attire became symbolic of the teaching profession as it moved out of the cloister. Currently, there are three distinct types of gowns: the undergraduate gown with a long, pointed sleeve; the master’s gown with a long, closed sleeve; and the doctor’s gown with full, balloon sleeve and chevrons.

At one time the gown color denoted the wearer’s educational specialty, but in the United States the majority of gowns are black. Some universities have designated a particular color for their gown, such as the Yale blue, the Cornell red, and the Northwestern purple. These are symbolic of the school’s color rather than the area of educational specialty. The University of Oklahoma adopted gowns specific to our institution in January of 2006. All graduation candidates wear a crimson stole with the university seal embroidered in cream on one side and the word, “Live on, University” on the other and doctor’s gowns are trimmed in crimson velvet.

Medieval gowns were woolen. Some were decorated and some lined with fur for warmth. In later eras velvet came into use, primarily for decoration. In the 19th century, bachelor’s gowns were of worsted material; master’s and doctor’s were silk. Trim was used only on doctoral gowns; the velvet trim on the facing, and the bars and chevrons on the sleeves were either black or the color of the trimming on the hood. Today, rayon, nylon and polyester have replaced the lightweight wool.

Originally, the hood was the upper part of the cowl worn by monks and friars in the Middle Ages, designed to keep rain and drafts off the wearer. When not needed, it was pulled down and hung over the tippet, or short cape, which was layered over the gown for additional warmth. Later the hood and tippet were joined in one piece to become the “full-shaped” American-style hood.

According to the Leonard code, all hoods are black. Bachelor’s and master’s hoods have a “simple” shape, or stylized hood, while the doctor’s hood is 6 inches longer and utilizes the “simple” shape attached to a tippet. Hoods usually are the same material as the gown.

In medieval times the hood lining was often fur, but in 1426 an order issued at Oxford allowed hoods lined with silk for the summer months. Currently, most hoods are lined with rayon, nylon or cotton satin instead of expensive silk or fur. The trim around the edge of the hood, 2 to 5 inches in width, represents the department of faculty or learning. The lining of the hood is the colors of the college or university conferring the degree. In 1895, the University of Oklahoma chose colors of crimson and cream. An individual wears the lining colors of the institution granting the degree, or the colors of the institution to which the wearer is officially connected.

The velvet panel on the top of the master’s and doctoral hoods represent the discipline or area of study.

The colors of the tassel worn by candidates for all degrees have a significance which is rooted historically in the traditions of academic life.

The colors of the tassels worn by candidates for the baccalaureate degrees represent the field of knowledge in which the degree is conferred. All master’s candidates wear black tassels. Doctoral candidates formerly wore black tassels, but they now wear a “gold bullion” tassel, which used to be worn only by presidents and chancellors.

At the University of Oklahoma, the following colors are used to designate the various fields of study and their supporting colleges. Clinical doctorates wear tassels in colors representing their area of study or discipline.