The academic dress of McGill University describes the caps, gowns and hoods which are prescribed by the university for its degree candidates/holders. Until the mid-20th century, McGill also prescribed academic dress for its matriculating or enrolled students as well as its faculty. Founded in 1821, McGill University is consistently ranked as one of Canada's pre-eminent universities, [1] and among the top 20 universities in the world. [2] [3] [4]
Academic regalia has been part of university life at McGill since it started offering classes in the 1820s at its historic Montreal campus on the flank of Mount Royal. [5] It predates the codification of academic regalia in the United States through the Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume that most American colleges and universities adopted in the late 1890s. Until the 1930s, McGill observed the British tradition of requiring its faculty and students to be attired in academic robes for classes and lectures, "except in those cases in which a dispensation shall have been granted by the faculty." [6] McGill's renowned political economy professor, Stephen Leacock, is often remembered for his black, tattered robe that "had grown greenish with age," but which he wore to the classroom without fail each day, raising concerns among his fellow professors and students that it could one day cause him injury. [7]
Academic regalia at McGill was traditionally differentiated in accordance with the wearer's status and degree. [8] Matriculating undergraduates had to attend classes in "plain, black stuff gown, not falling below the knee, with round sleeve cut above the elbow". [6] Graduating students for the bachelor's degree, on the other hand, wore robes falling below their knees with full sleeves cut to the elbow, and black hoods lined in silk which were edged with white rabbit fur. Master's degree candidates/holders wore the same black gown as the bachelor's, with the masters' sleeves appearing in semi-circular cut toward the bottom. Doctors of Philosophy (Ph.D.s), Science, Literature, and Civil Law wore the university's scarlet full dress. The doctoral full dress was the equivalent of the academic dress of the University of Cambridge for its higher doctorates, rather than for its Ph.D.s. [9] It was originally made of scarlet cloth, "faced with silk of the same colour as the lining of their respective hoods." [10] The turned-back, full sleeves of the McGill doctoral dress were also lined up with silk in the same colour that denoted the wearer's field of study. Doctorate and master's hoods were identical in form. They were distinguished from the bachelor hoods by the former's scarlet colour, greater length and absence of rabbit fur. [11] McGill University's official colour is scarlet. [12]
Faculty and matriculating students at McGill in the 19th and early 20th centuries did not have to wear caps and hoods to classes and lectures. The bachelor's and master's caps for commencement and other formal ceremonies were of the mortarboard-style or the square academic cap described in university bulletins or "calendars" as "the ordinary black trencher with black tassel." [10] In contrast, doctoral degree holders wore the black, velvet Tudor bonnet or tam associated with the University of Cambridge's full doctoral dress. [13] Ribboned together around the McGill bonnet's crown were two gold strand tassels.
Academic dress at McGill has not changed much since written regulations were first issued in the 1840s. Only three notable changes have evolved since that time. The first was the removal of the academic dress requirements for faculty and students during classes and lectures starting in the mid-1930s. Academic dress is currently worn only at commencement and special convocations, such as the installations of the university's principal and chancellor and the inauguration of endowed chairs. [8] [14] A second development was the identification and codification of the colours of silk linings to denote the wearer's field of study. [15] This became necessary as McGill offered more and newer fields in its curriculum, such as nutrition, physical therapy, occupational therapy and urban planning, particularly since the 1960s. A third innovation was the option, introduced in 2001, of wearing the scarlet Ph.D. regalia partly closed-front and hooked, which departs from the totally open-gown style of the University of Cambridge full dress for its Ph.D.s and higher doctorates. [16]
Current regulations for donning academic regalia at McGill ceremonies are summarized below: [17]
In addition, designated university convocation marshals wear grey ceremonial gowns and hoods lined in scarlet and Tudor bonnets at convocations and other formal ceremonies.
Current regulations prescribe that the colour(s) of silk linings for McGill hoods shall represent the field/faculty of the wearer. The same colour(s) shall apply to the silk facings and reversed-sleeve linings of the McGill Ph.D. robes. [17]
| FIELD OF STUDY/FACULTY | COLOUR(S) |
|---|---|
| Architecture | White |
| Arts | Pale Blue |
| Commerce and Business Administration | Purple |
| Dental Surgery | Pink |
| Education | Peacock Blue |
| Engineering | Scarlet |
| Law | French Grey |
| Library Science and Information Studies | Orange |
| Management | Gold |
| Medicine | Dark Blue |
| Music | Mauve |
| Philosophy (Ph.D.) | Pale Green |
| Science | Yellow |
| Science (Agriculture) | Dark Green |
| Science (Agriculture Engineering) | Half dark green/half scarlet |
| Science (Applied) | Half yellow/half pale green |
| Science (Architecture) | Half yellow/half white |
| Science (Food Science) | Jade Green |
| Science (Kinesiology) | Coral |
| Science (Nursing) | Half dark blue/half scarlet |
| Science (Nutritional Sciences) | Half beige/half dark blue |
| Science (Occupational Therapy) | Half beige/half bright green |
| Science (Physical Therapy) | Half dark blue/half yellow |
| Social Work | Fuchsia |
| Theology | Blue purple |
| Urban Planning | Half bright green/half dark blue |
McGill academic gowns were traditionally made of woolen stuff, Russell cord or (in the case of some of its faculty and officials) silk. [11] [12] Among the oldest existing McGill regalia is a complete set from 1864 consisting of a black mortarboard, black woolen gown and a hood "of scarlet wool lined with silk." Originally worn by a graduating student from McGill's Faculty of Medicine, it remains on permanent display at the McCord Museum in Montreal. [18]
Today's McGill robes are made from synthetic fiber like most other university robes, which has reduced the cost of purchasing them. Pilgrim fabric is used for the university's formal scarlet gown for its Ph.D.s. McGill hood linings for all degrees and degree levels, which were originally cut out of silk, are presently made of synthetic art silk. [19] Rabbit fur has been discontinued for the bachelors' hoods. Instead, artificial fur (or faux-fur) has been used since the late 1990s. [20] [21]
The mortarboards worn for bachelor's and master's degrees are also presently made from black synthetic fiber. The Tudor bonnets or tams of the Ph.D.s are in black velvet with their oblong-shaped brim appropriately hard-backed. [22]
The distinctive robes worn by McGill University's chancellor, principal, and chair of the board of directors (who could also be the chancellor) [23] are variants of the university's master's gown, with its square slit below the shoulders.
The chancellor's robe features gold trims and facings. The principal's trims and facings are in silvery-white. As the university's chief executive, the sleeves of the principal's robe are also embroidered with the university's coat of arms. [24]
University officials' robes are worn open and without hoods. Their black caps are either velvet mortarboards or Tudor bonnets, both of which are adorned with thicker-strand tassels – in gold for the chancellor and in silvery-white for the principal.
Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree, or hold a status that entitles them to assume them. It is also known as academical dress, academicals, and, in the United States, as academic regalia.
The University of Oxford has a long tradition of academic dress, which continues to the present day.
The academic dress of Durham University has many similarities with that of other older British universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Most colleges of Durham University insist on gowns being worn on formal occasions, including matriculation and formal halls (dinners); exceptions are Van Mildert, St Cuthbert's Society, Collingwood, Stephenson, St Aidans, and The College of St Hild and St Bede. Some colleges also insist on their being worn to Junior Common Room meetings, and they are often seen in college chapels. At formal halls, only gowns are worn and doctors normally wear their undress gowns; for more ceremonial occasions full-dress gowns and hoods are worn by graduates. Until 1990, the General Regulations of university 'recommended' the wearing of gowns by members of the university when attending divine service at the Cathedral – but this is now left to individual choice apart from at certain services. Gowns are also customarily worn to meetings of the university Senate by members of that body.
The academic dress of the former University of Wales was designed for the first graduations in 1893, and has as its main identifying feature a faculty colour scheme involving 'shot silks'.
The University of Cambridge has a long tradition of academic dress, which it traditionally refers to as academical dress. Almost every degree which is awarded by the University has its own distinct gown in addition to having its own hood. Undergraduates wear college gowns, which are all subtly different; these differences enable the wearer's college to be determined. Academic dress is worn quite often in Cambridge on formal, and sometimes informal, occasions, and there are a number of rules and customs governing when and how it is worn. Black gowns (undress) are worn at less formal events, while on special occasions full academical dress is worn, consisting of gown, hood and headdress with Doctors in festal dress. The University's officials also have ancient forms of academic dress, unique to the University.
The academic dress prescribed by the University of Bristol is a mixture of that prescribed by Cambridge and Oxford. Bristol has chosen, for graduates, to mainly specify Oxford-style gowns and Cambridge-style hoods. Unlike many British universities, the hood itself is to be "University red", lined with a specified colour. University red is defined to be Pantone 187. Bristol also specifies that undergraduates are to wear gowns "of the approved pattern" in certain circumstances, although the pattern itself is not specified. This is not too important since, in practice, undergraduates are only required to be gowned when graduating or at dinner as a member of Wills Hall.
The academic and official dress of the University of Warwick dates originally from the mid-1960s, shortly after the university's foundation. Despite persistent offers from Charles Franklyn the theatrical costume designer Anthony Powell was commissioned to design robes for officials and graduates of the university. Due to pressure of other work, and some apparent differences of opinion, Powell withdrew from the project, and the robes for graduates subsequently designed in consultation with J. Wippell and Company of Exeter, with Ede and Ravenscroft designing and making the robes for officials.
The academic dress of the University of Melbourne refers to the formal attire, including robes, gowns, and hoods, as prescribed by the Statutes and Regulations for undergraduates, graduates, officers, and honorands of the university. This follows the style of the University of Oxford for the gowns and hoods for Bachelors and Masters degrees. Melbourne adopts the style of the University of Cambridge for its doctorates. The hoods are all black, resembling the size and shape of the Oxford MA hoods, which are in the simple Burgon shape. These hoods are lined with the color specified for the corresponding faculty or degree and are bound with white on the lower edge for bachelors, while masters' hoods have no binding. The specific faculty or degree colors are outlined in the University Regulations. In the past, Pass degrees were bound in fur and Honours degrees in silk; however, this distinction no longer holds. Bachelors wear an Oxford Bachelors gown, while Masters wear an Oxford Masters gown. The gown for undergraduate students is the same as the bachelors', but its sleeves must not be split.
Academic dress of the University of London describes the robes, gowns and hoods which are prescribed by the university for its graduates and undergraduates.
As the oldest college in the United States, Harvard University has a long tradition of academic dress. Harvard gown facings bear crow's-feet emblems near the yoke, a symbol unique to Harvard, made from flat braid in colours distinctive of the wearer's qualification or degree. Crow's-feet are double for earned degrees, and triple for honorary degrees.
There are a number of universities in Queensland, Australia, all with distinct academic dress.
The academic dress of the University of Kent is normally only worn at graduation ceremonies. In common with most British universities a graduand begins the ceremony wearing the dress of the degree to which they are being admitted. This is in contrast to the practice at some universities such as Oxford where a graduand only dons the dress of a degree after it has been conferred.
This page describes the different types of academic dress allowed at the University of Exeter. Definitions of the academic dress for the award holders and officials of the university are set out in the university's regulations.
The University of Leeds, like other universities in the United Kingdom and many other countries throughout the world, has its own unique system of academic and ceremonial dress for undergraduates, graduates and senior officials. As at most other universities, graduands will wear the gown, hood and hat appropriate to the degree they are about to receive. All of the graduates' hoods incorporate one or more shades of green, and the Doctors of Philosophy, Education and Clinical Psychology are unique in the UK in having a green full-dress gown.
Academic dress of the University of Manchester describes the gowns, hoods and headwear which are prescribed by the university for its graduates and officers.
The academic dress of the United Kingdom and Ireland has a long history and has influenced the academic dress of America and beyond. The academic square cap was invented in the UK as well as the hood which developed from the lay dress of the medieval period.
Academic dress has a history in the United States going back to the colonial colleges era. It has been most influenced by the academic dress traditions of Europe. There is an Inter-Collegiate Code that sets out a detailed uniform scheme of academic regalia that is voluntarily followed by many, though not all institutions entirely adhere to it.
The academic dress of Liverpool John Moores University is the formal attire worn by academics and graduating students at the university on formal occasions. This includes graduation and inauguration ceremonies of senior academic officers where it is compulsory to be worn. The regalia has been used since the institute was granted university status in 1992 were Ede & Ravenscroft was appointed the official tailor for academic dress.
The academic dress of the Robert Gordon University is normally only worn at graduation ceremonies and occasionally at other very formal events. In common with most British universities, a graduand of the Robert Gordon University begins the ceremony wearing the dress of the degree to which they are being admitted except for the hood. This is in contrast to the practice at some universities such as Oxford where a graduand only dons the dress of a degree after it has been conferred. The current pattern of academic dress dates from 1992 when the institution became a university.
The current academic dress of the National University of Ireland was simplified following a review in 1999. The design of the gowns generally follows that of Oxford. The hoods are primarily green, representing Ireland, and generally follow the design of Dublin or Belfast.
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