Why do we wear a Cap and Gown for graduation?
In the often unheated buildings of the middle ages, long gowns were
necessary for scholars to ward off the cold.
Academic dress for graduations started in the 12th and 13th centuries
when universities first began forming. Whether a student or a teacher,
standard dress for scholars was clerical garb. Most medieval scholars
had made certain vows, and had at least taken minor orders with the
church so clerical robes were their main form of dress to begin with.
In 1321, the University of Coimbra mandated that all Doctors,
Bachelors, and Licentiates must wear gowns. In the latter half of the
14th century, excess in apparel was forbidden in some colleges and
prescribed wearing a long gown. By the time of England's Henry VIII,
Oxford and Cambridge began using a standard form of academic dress,
which was controlled to the tiniest detail by the university.
Not until the late 1800s were colors assigned to signify certain areas
of study, but they were only standardized in the United States.
European institutions have always had diversity in their academic
dress, but American institutions employ a definite system of dress
thanks to Gardner Cotrell Leonard from Albany, New York. After
designing gowns for his 1887 class at Williams College, he took an
interest in the subject and published an article on academic dress in
1893. Soon after he was asked to work with an Intercollegiate
Commission to form a system of academic apparel.
The system Gardner Cotrell Leonard helped form was based on gown cut,
style and fabric; as well as designated colors to represent fields of
study. For example green was the color of medieval herbs, and was
assigned to medical studies. Because olive is close to green, was
designated for pharmaceutical studies.
In 1959, the American Council on Education had a Committee on Academic
Costumes and Ceremonies review the costume code and make changes. In
1986, the committee changed the code to clarify the use of dark blue
for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Specifications:
The shape and size of the hood and the sleeve design of the gown show
the degree a student pursued: a Bachelor's Degree gown has pointed
sleeves and no hood, a Master's Degree gown had long, closed sleeves
with arm slits and a narrow hood, and a Doctor's Degree had
bell-shaped sleeves and a draped, wide hood.
The color of the hood's lining tells which college or university the
degree was given by. For example: Harvard is crimson, Temple is cherry
and white, and Cornell is purple and white. However, other than the
lining, the hood must be black.
The field of study is designated by the color of the hood's facing.
For example: Theology is scarlet, Arts Letters and Humanities are
white, and Music is pink.
Caps should only be made of black cotton poplin, broadcloth, rayon, or
silk, to match gown they are to be used with. Velvet may only be used
for a doctor's degree.
Tassels should be fastened to the middle of the cap's top and allowed
to lie where it will. It should be black, or the color of field of
study, unless it is for a doctor's degree in which case is may be
gold.
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