Like the mortarboard, American graduation robes are loosely based on the traditional academic garments of Britain's oldest universities at Oxford and Cambridge. The British costume has its origin in the dress of medieval clergy and scholars.
The colors and decoration of academic regalia vary according to country, college, and field of study. In 1894, American educators began to standardize U.S. graduation ceremonies and to regulate the style of graduation gowns and colors. The current version of thisAcademic Costume Code and Academic Ceremony Guide is published by the American Council on Education.
According to this guide, the gowns for bachelor and master's degree candidates are black and untrimmed. The doctoral candidate robe has velvet facings in the front and three bars of velvet across the sleeves. Doctoral robes are usually black, but some universities allowcolored robes.
The field of study in which the candidate is receiving a degree dictates the trim color on a doctoral robe and a master's or doctor's hood. Some of the trim colors have historical meaning -- for example, scarlet has long been associated with the church, so a doctor of theology's outfit is trimmed in red. In addition, the lining of a master or doctor's hood is in the official color(s) of the institution granting the degree.
A complete list of colors and which academic discipline they represent can be found in the Academic Costume Code and an illustration of the colors is available on this academic apparel manufacturer's site.
Robe or Gown: The three types of degrees each have a different style gown. Bachelor's gowns have pointed sleeves, and are worn closed. Master's gowns have oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, with the base hanging down, and rear part of the oblong cut square while the front arc cuts away. These robes have fasteners so they can be worn open or closed. Doctoral gowns have bell-shaped sleeves, also designed with fasteners so it is worn closed or opened. For the doctor's robes also have trimmings including velvet panels down the front and three bars of velvet on the sleeves. All three gowns are usually black, though some colleges and universities use the color of the school.
Hood: Academic Hoods are black, made from the same fabric as the gown. They vary in length depending on the degree from three feet to four feet, and the doctoral hood is wider. Lined with college or university colors, they typically have one field color and one chevron color, though sometimes there are school specific variations. The edge of hoods are velvet in the color of the degree subject (see side link).
Cowl: Cowls are typically made from velveteen rather than velvet, and are used for Associate Degrees. They do not display a degree or discipline color, just the institutional colors on the lining. The outside is generally black.
Tam: Tams are typically used for Doctoral degrees, though some Master's programs do use them. Tams are made from velvet, and usually have a ribbon over the fabric, and in black. Color variations do occur with some colleges. The number of sides vary, and can be four, six, or eight sided. eight, six, or four sides. Four sided is usually only used for Master's degrees, while six and eight sided are used for Doctor's degrees depending on which the University prefers. Tams are "poofed" at the top instead of flat, and come with a tassel usually in gold, with one or two buttons and sometimes in a gold bullion color.
