Academic Dress Evolution in the U.S. And The World

The academic dress portrays dozens of meanings. The color alone speaks greatly of who the wearer is. Discover important facts about the academic robes in the U.S. setting. Why is this so important? As an observant, it will help a lot to say who the person is with just the sight of his academic regalia. As a member of the academe, it will be a great guide when situations in the academic world call for wearing academic robes.

Academic Regalia For U.S. Graduates

The standard of the U.S. when it comes to academic regalia is mostly adopted from continental Europe. In fact, the United Kingdom and the U.S. have basically the same standards when it comes to academic robes.

The academic robes of doctor graduates are generally black. However, some universities in the U.S. still use different shades of colors. Master graduates wear basically the same kind of robe only that the shade of black is different but still the manner of wearing the gown is similar. Most of the time, the difference in shades vary according to the holder’s degree level. In other cases, the shades of the robes speak of the department or college a wearer comes from.

However, because of the poor outdoor weather condition in the U.S., the academic regalia are seldom used in universities. But to follow the tradition of wearing academic robes for scholarly purposes, most of the graduation ceremonies in the U.S. are held in controlled environments such as a hall.

Academic Regalia In General

Though the academic dress speaks of who the wearer is, it has still its limitations. For instance, academic achievements are not showcased together with the robes. They are presented using other objects such as sashes and honor cords for graduation.

Tassels also come together with the academic gown. They speak of the specific discipline mastered by the wearer. In most indoor ceremonies, tassels are moved from right to left to indicate the commencement of the honor of the wearer. The poor weather outdoors can make moving of the tassels obsolete.

Another component of the regalia is the hood. The hood’s color liner usually speaks of the standing of the wearer. For instance, the hoods worn by bachelor students are made with a fair rabbit fur as a rim. On the other hand, the hoods worn together in a master’s dress come in a classy fur and made of tinted silk. The doctor’s hoods are rimmed with tinted silk and made of a crimson cloth material. When it comes to undergraduates, they usually wear black hood. However, most of the time, they are not required to wear any kind of hood.

There is enough reason why despite the modernity of most university graduations today the academic regalia tradition remains in place. This is because of the huge part and symbolism the whole regalia portray in every commencement ceremony. Whether it is in the U.S. or any other part of the world, you can expect that this important tradition will stay as long as the academe is alive.