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DRESS AT GRADUATION

Extracted from Statutes and Ordinances 2001-2 p. 189

  1. Any person presenting a candidate for a doctorate other than the Ph.D., or for the degree of B.D., wears a cope.
  2. All persons presenting for degrees wear dark clothes with their academical dress.
  3. A person being admitted to the title of a degree honoris causa wears the gown of the degree without a hood.
  4. A person being admitted to a degree by incorporation or to the degree of M.A. under Statute B, III, 6 wears the gown and hood of the degree that he or she is to receive.
  5. A graduate of the University being admitted to a degree wears the gown and hood of the highest degree that he or she has received from the University.
  6. A possessor of the status of B.A. or M.A. who is not a graduate of the University and who is being admitted to a degree other than the degree of M.A. under Statute B, III, 6 or a degree by incorporation shall wear the gown appropriate to his or her status, and the hood of the degree, or of the higher of the two degrees, that he or she is to receive.
  7. An undergraduate being admitted to a degree wears an undergraduate gown, and the hood of the degree, or of the higher of the two degrees, that he or she is to receive.
  8. All persons being admitted to degrees wear dark clothes with their academical dress. Men wear white ties and bands.

BLACK GOWNS

Extracted from Statutes and Ordinances 2001-2 p. 187

D.D. a full-sleeved gown, or alternatively the M.A. gown, either of which should have a looped cord and a button at the back and should be worn with a black silk scarf;
LL.D. a gown with square-ended sleeves slit vertically above the arm-slits and sewn across below them, wings on the shoulders, and a flap-collar at the back;
M.D. a gown with square-ended sleeves sewn across below the arm-slits and a flap-collar at the back, trimmed with a single row of Doctors’ lace down each front and round the collar, across each sleeve at the bottom and above the arm-slit, and with two vertical rows from the centre of the arm-slit to the shoulder;
Sc.D. the M.A. gown but with a single row of Doctors’ lace placed horizontally above each arm-slit;
Litt.D. the M.A. gown but with a single row of Doctors’ lace placed vertically above each arm-slit;
Mus.D. the M.D. gown but with a double row of Doctors’ lace on the lower part of the collar;
B.D. the M.A. gown but with a looped cord and a button on the back as on the D.D. gown;
Vet.M.D. the Ph.D. gown;
Ph.D. the M.A. gown but with Doctors’ lace, four inches in length, placed horizontally above each arm-slit, the bottom edge of the lace being three inches from the edge of the opening;
M.Chir. the M.A. gown but with three rows of single black silk cord across the sleeve above each arm-slit, showing a space of half an inch between row and row, the first row being three-eighths of an inch above the opening;
M.A. a silk or stuff gown with glove sleeves, having horizontal slits to free the arm, and with strings;
LL.M. the M.Chir. gown but with two rows of single cord across the sleeve;
Mus.M. the M.A. gown but with three buttons joined by cords forming a triangle, two buttons on the upper edge of each arm-slit, five inches apart, the third in the middle five inches above the slit;
M.Sc. the M.A. gown but with three buttons placed horizontally, two-and-a-half inches apart and joined by a cord, along each arm-slit;
M.Litt. the M.Sc. gown but with the buttons and cord placed vertically;
M.Phil. the M.A. gown but with a vertical cord from the centre of the arm-slit to the shoulder and with one button at the top of the cord and one button at the bottom of the cord on each sleeve;
M.Eng. the M.A. gown but with a circle of cord on the sleeve with a button in the centre;
M.B.A. the M.A. gown but with four buttons joined by cords forming a square on the upper edge of each arm-slit;
M.Ed. the M.A. gown but with five buttons joined by cords forming a cross on the upper edge of each arm-slit;
M.Sci. the M.A. gown but with a circle of cord on the sleeve with a button in the centre;
M.St. the M.A. gown but with five buttons joined by cords forming a cross on the upper edge of each arm-slit;
M.B. a gown of black silk or stuff, shorter than the M.A. gown, with open sleeves, not slit but turned back to form a triangle bisected by one black cord about five inches long with a button at the top of the cord, and with strings;
B.Chir. the M.B. gown but having on each sleeve three parallel cords half an inch apart, with a button at the top of each cord;
B.A. a stuff gown like the M.B. gown, with open sleeves not turned up with a cord but slit vertically from the shoulders and caught together at the bottom of the slit;
LL.B. the M.B. gown but having on each sleeve two parallel cords, with a button at the top of each cord;
Mus.B. the M.B. gown but on each sleeve one cord and button, with another button on each side of the sleeve at the corner of the triangle formed by the turned-back piece of sleeve;
Vet.M.B. the M.B. gown but with two buttons placed vertically one at the top and one at the bottom of the cord on each sleeve;
B.Ed. the B.A. gown but having on each sleeve four parallel cords about one inch apart and five inches long with a button at the top of each cord;
B.Th. the B.A. gown but with a looped cord and a button on the back as on the B.D. gown;

Possessor of the status of Master of Arts: the M.A. gown but without the strings;

Possessor of the status of Bachelor of Arts: the B.A. gown but without the strings.

Undergraduates’ gowns shall reach to the knees.

The buttons of black gowns are of 26-line flat black twill-mohair; the cords are of 1/8 black ‘silk’, andtwisted double except in the M.Chir. and LL.M. gowns.

HOODS

Extracted from Statutes and Ordinances 2001-2 p. 188

Doctor, other than Ph.D. of the same material as the festal gown, lined with the same material as the lining of the gown;
B.D. of black corded silk lined with black silk;
Vet.M.D. of mid-cherry silk, lined with scarlet cloth;
Ph.D. of black corded silk lined with scarlet cloth;
M.Chir. of black corded silk lined with mid-cherry silk;
M.A. of black corded silk lined with white silk;
LL.M. of black corded silk lined with light-cherry silk;
Mus.M. of black corded silk lined with dark-cherry satin;
M.Sc. of black cloth lined with pink silk shot with light blue;
M.Litt. of black cloth lined with scarlet silk;
M.Phil. of black cloth lined with blue silk;
M.Eng. of black cloth lined with bronze silk;
M.B.A. of black cloth lined with dark green silk;
M.Ed. of black corded silk lined with light blue silk;
M.Sci. of black corded silk lined with pink silk shot with light blue;
M.St. of black corded silk lined with yellow silk;
M.B. the hood and tippet of mid-cherry silk, the hood part-lined with white fur and the tippet edged with white fur;
B.Chir. the M.B. hood but with no fur edging to the tippet;
B.A. of black stuff, part-lined with white fur, the tippet edged with white fur; or, until further order, of black stuff, part-lined with white, the tippet edged with white;
LL.B. the M.B. hood and tippet but of light-cherry silk;
Mus.B. the M.B. hood and tippet, but of dark-cherry satin;
Vet.M.B. the M.B. hood but with an edging of white fur, two inches wide, to the tippet;
B.Ed. of black stuff, part-lined with blue silk and an edging of white fur, the tippet edged with white fur;
B.Th. of black stuff, lined with black silk, the tippet edged with white fur.

The neckband of a hood is of the outer colour, with no edging of the lining material. The corners of tippets are square.

FESTAL GOWNS

D.D. a gown of scarlet cloth lined with dove-coloured silk, that is silk of a turquoise-blue shot with rose-pink; at the back and on each sleeve a black button (22-line flat silk) and 1/8 black twisted cord; black strings: under this gown a black silk cassock should be worn;
LL.D. a gown of scarlet cloth lined with light-cherry silk; scarlet buttons and cords and strings;
M.D. a similar gown lined with mid-cherry silk;
Sc.D. a similar gown lined with pink silk shot with light blue;
Litt.D. a similar gown lined with scarlet silk to match the cloth;
Mus.D. a gown of cream damask, lined with dark-cherry satin, having short wide sleeves; the buttons, cords, and strings to match the satin;
Vet.M.D. the Ph.D. gown;
Ph.D. the silk M.A. gown but with a facing of scarlet cloth, four inches wide, the full length of the front.

HEADDRESSES

With a festal gown, for a Doctor of Divinity a black velvet cap, for a Doctor in another Faculty a wide-brimmed round velvet bonnet with gold string and tassels provided that a Doctor, when taking part in ceremonial in the Senate-House, may with the festal gown wear the square cap; with all other gowns, for residents the square cap provided that an undergraduate shall wear either the square cap or no headdress.

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Last updated: November 2001