Types of Academic Regalia for Faculty Members

College Commencement is arguably the most important day of the academic calendar. Graduates dress up in caps and gowns, while faculty wears graduation regalia that signifies their academic standing.

When the faculty looks their best and wears the correct regalia properly, it adds prestige to the entire commencement ceremony. In this guide, we've outlined the faculty academic regalia for different degree levels including Trustee, Marshall, and Presidential regalia.

Academic Regalia, is a formal attire worn by faculty members during commencement ceremonies, convocations, and other official academic events. It symbolizes academic achievement and conveys the wearer's academic credentials, discipline, and institution affiliation. The components of academic regalia for faculty members typically include the gown, cap, and hood, each with distinct variations according to degree level, discipline, and university tradition. Here's a guide to understanding the different types of academic regalia for faculty members:

The gown serves as the base of academic regalia and varies by the highest degree earned by the faculty member.

• Bachelor's Gown: Typically unadorned, with pointed sleeves. It is the simplest form of academic gown.
• Master's Gown: Features oblong sleeves that are open at the wrist. The sleeves may have a base hanging down, distinguishing it from the bachelor's gown.
• Doctoral Gown: The most elaborate, often featuring bell-shaped sleeves and velvet panels along the front and around the neck. The velvet can be black or a color representing the wearer's discipline. Doctoral gowns may also include distinctive piping in the institution's colors.

Caps are worn as part of the academic attire and can vary in style.

• Mortarboard: The most common type, a square cap with a tassel attached. The tassel's color can denote the academic discipline or the institution's colors.
• Tam: A softer, often velvet, beret-like alternative to the mortarboard, preferred by some doctoral holders. Tams can have four, six, or eight sides and are adorned with a tassel.

A graduation hood is a key component of academic regalia that signifies the wearer's degree and discipline through its length, lining, and velvet trim color.

• Bachelor's Hood: The shortest, often with a simple cut and the least decoration.
• Master's Hood: Longer than the bachelor's, with a wider velvet trim representing the wearer's discipline.
• Doctoral Hood: The longest and most elaborate, with a wide velvet trim and a fully lined silk interior that displays the colors of the institution conferring the degree. The color of the velvet edge signifies the academic discipline.

The color of the velvet trim on the gown's sleeves and the hood's edge indicates the wearer's academic discipline. For example:

• Arts and Letters: White
• Science: Golden Yellow
• Engineering: Orange
• Philosophy (Ph.D.): Dark Blue
• Medicine: Green
• Law: Purple
• Theology: Scarlet

University trustees handle everything from overseeing the budget to reviewing current academic programs. Meanwhile, the Marshal directs the commencement ceremony and reports directly to the President. Usually, schools give custom faculty graduation regalia to these members.  These gowns typically include custom colors and embroidered seals on the front panels. Meanwhile, the tam can be worn in crimson or Oxford blue, with a gold bullion tassel.

Finally, the President makes the biggest strategic decisions that guide a university's future.  The most ornate faculty academic regalia is reserved for the President.  These gowns include a colored gown with embroidered seals on the front panels and 3 or 4 chevrons on each sleeve. The President also wears a premium doctorate gown and the most distinctive tam, a gold bullion tassel.

Universities may have unique traditions and variations in their academic regalia. For instance, some institutions might have custom gowns for doctoral graduates that reflect the university's colors and symbols. It's common for faculty members to wear regalia that corresponds to the institution from which they received their highest degree, not necessarily where they are currently teaching.

Understanding academic regalia's components and variations allows for an appreciation of the rich tradition and symbolism behind these garments. For faculty members, wearing regalia correctly honors their achievements, disciplines, and the history of academia. When participating in academic ceremonies, it's important for faculty to adhere to their institution's guidelines to ensure their attire reflects the proper academic protocol.