Traditions
Regalia History and Colors
The graduation ceremony is a cultural tradition that is considered a rite of passage. The ceremony marks a transition from one stage in a student's life to another. Regalia traditions are believed to have originated in the 12th and 13th centuries. When the earliest universities were forming, the dress of a scholar, whether student or teacher, was that of a cleric. Typically, the medieval scholar would have taken ecclesiastical vows, and would have been tonsured. Long gowns were worn and may have been required for warmth in the unheated monasteries, where ancient texts were maintained. Hoods, and later skull caps, would have served to cover the shaved head.
The wearing of distinctive regalia for universities consisting of a cap, gown and hood began in England. There, in the second half of the 14th century, the statutes of certain colleges prescribed the wearing of a long gown by faculty and students. Although originally attached to the robe, the hood subsequently became separated. The earliest hoods for undergraduates were a somber black and had no lining.
Both bachelor's and master's gowns are untrimmed. Unlike the bachelor's gown, which is designed to be worn closed and has pointed sleeves, the master's gown can be worn open or closed, and has an oblong, open sleeve which hangs down in traditional manner. The colors you see in the hoods and gowns represent the various fields in which the degrees were earned.
The mortarboard or square cap, as we see it now, originated from the joining of the elements of a bonnet and a skull cap; as early as 1600, Oxford University scholars began using lightweight boards to hold out the corners of their bonnets. Tassels are typically black in color, and should be worn draped over the right front quarter of the cap and is passed to the left front quarter of the cap during the Ceremony for undergraduate scholars. Master's scholars wear the tassel draped over the left front quarter of the cap.
The hoods, which differ in length for the Bachelor's and Master's degrees, are lined with the official colors of the university or college conferring the degree, usually with one color forming a chevron pattern over the other. Hoods are edged and bound with velvet of the color appropriate for the degree. Colors and corresponding fields of study are:
| Degree | Hood Color (Velvet) |
|---|---|
| Master of Science in Nursing | Apricot |
| Master of Strategic Leadership | Drab (Brown) |
| Master of Physician Assistant | Green (Medical) |
| Master of Interdisciplinary Studies | White |
| Master of Criminal Justice Administration | Citron |
| Master of Health Sciences | Sage Green |
The hooding ceremony at Mountain State University signifies a scholarly and personal achievement. In a symbolic gesture of being tonsured, graduates remove their mortarboards just prior to being hooded. The dean of the academic school in which the student attains the degree places the hood on the student as a symbol of passage from student to "master."
STUDENTS WHO DO NOT BRING REGALIA WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO WALK IN THE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY.