DECEMBER 3, 2021 — During a typical Commencement celebration at UTSA, everyone is wearing a cap and gown, but some look very different than the others. We decided to tap into the history behind the academic regalia to find out what the different colors and styles represent.
The tradition of the academic dress dates back nearly eight centuries. In medieval Europe, all townsmen wore long, flowing robes or gowns. The materials and colors varied greatly, according to the wealth and rank of the individual and were governed by royal decree. Gradually, distinctive gowns were developed for the various professions, trades and guilds. Today, this tradition remains for gowns of religious orders and judiciary, and in academic regalia.
Through the years great diversity in color and style of cap, gown and hood have evolved. In 1895 a commission was established to come up with a uniform code for academic costume. Today the gowns, hoods and mortarboards worn by the graduating students of most institutions, including UTSA, follow this code.
Bobby De Leon is a first-generation student who earned his bachelor's degree in music education.
At UTSA the gowns and mortarboards are navy blue. The style of the gowns vary depending on the degree the student receives. The sleeves of the gowns worn by the master’s degree recipients are square at the end. The doctoral degree recipients’ gowns have flowing sleeves with three bars of velvet and a facing of velvet down the front with the UTSA seal. The velvet trim is five inches wide for the doctoral degree. The color of the velvet border indicates the degree and align with the tassel colors listed below.
The biggest difference in regalia can be found in the hood, which identifies the graduate degree and institution in which it was awarded. For master’s students, the hood is short. For those receiving a doctoral degree, the hood is longer and lined with silk in the official colors of the student’s institution. UTSA’s hoods are lined in orange with one white chevron.
The academic caps have their own special meanings. Developed in the 15th century, some caps were stiff, some soft, some square and some round with a tuft in the center. The tassel used today is an elaboration of the tuft. While some institutions still use the round caps, most institutions, including UTSA, have adopted the mortarboard style that comes from Oxford University. Students earning terminal degrees wear a tam.
The tassel color for graduate degrees indicates the discipline in which the degree has been earned, except that a gold bullion tassel is worn by recipients of doctoral degrees. For a bachelor’s degree, the tassel's colors represent the university in a tricolor of orange, blue and white. The gold cord, worn by some undergraduate students, indicates graduation with honors: summa cum laude, magna cum laude or cum laude.
UTSA leadership and faculty wear the robe specific to the university where they earned their highest degree. President Taylor Eighmy’s regalia is indicative of the University of New Hampshire, where he earned his Ph.D. in environmental engineering. Eighmy is in the Roadrunner spirit with his orange hood, which actually signifies his engineering degree. He also wears the UTSA Presidential Medallion, which symbolizes the authority and responsibility vested in the President. The brass medallion has the university seal on one side and the words “Presented by the UTSA Development Board in honor of the University’s 25th anniversary—1994” on the other side.
President Eighmy’s hood represents his Ph.D. in environmental engineering. He also wears the UTSA Presidential Medallion.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy purchased her regalia when she was a faculty member at Southern Illinois University and needed it to participate in the hooding of her first doctoral student. The hood is red and white, representing her doctoral alma mater, University of Houston, and the piping on the sleeve chevrons is gold, representing her science degree. Her favorite features of the gown are the buttons that anchor the hood in place: one hidden inside the zipper and another on the back. Another distinguishing feature of her regalia is what it lacks—like a number of faculty, Espy eschews tradition by wearing neither a tam nor mortarboard at ceremonies.
Tassel and Hood Colors for Graduate Degrees
Blue Violet: Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning
Brown: Art, Interior Design
Citron: American Studies, Anthropology, Bicultural and Bilingual Studies, Geography, Mexican American Studies, Social Work
Copper: Economics
Crimson: Communication
Dark Blue: Justice Policy, Philosophy, Political Science
Drab: Business, Data Analytics
Gold: Criminal Justice, Psychology
Golden Yellow: Sciences, Mathematics
Light Blue: Education
Pink: Music
Orange: Engineering
Peacock Blue: Public Administration
Sage: Health, Kinesiology, Public Health
White: Classical Studies, History, Humanities, Multidisciplinary Studies, Sociology, Languages, Women's Studies
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Archaeology 201 will briefly go over the foundations of archaeology and related skills, followed by a different topic over the course of this week (like skeletal analysis, global cultures, and more).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusCraft a comic to create your own narrative and find your voice through storytelling. Participants will learn to create characters that are self-reflective and through a community lens.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusJoin the Student Involvement Center and the Whataburger Resource Room (Food-Pantry) for a service project! Help us prepare for the Roadrunner Days Move-In Market on Thursday, July 25 from 11 AM - 2 PM by assisting us with the following volunteer needs. We are preparing for UTSA's largest garage sale, but everything is free for our students!
BK Lot 5 Building (Next to Campus Garden), Main CampusCome enjoy a discussion on art as a self expression in the age of moving technology and telling your story with a community.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusThe UTSA Veteran and Military Office will be holding a social event for our new military-affiliated students to come out and meet our office, staff, and other students.
MB 0.100, Ground Floor Lobby, Main BuildingThe Student Union invites you to join us for Kickback at the Union, a fun event designed to get you acquainted with all of the services available in the Student Union!
Student UnionInterested in learning more about the different fraternities and sororities in the Multicultural Greek Council? Come meet our organizations and enjoy free food and music.
Retama Galleria (SU 2.02,) Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.