Academic Costume
The caps and gowns worn by graduates and faculty are based on costumes used in universities of the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. This academic dress has been used in the United States from colonial times and was standardized by an 1895 Intercollegiate Code. Like the military of medieval times with its pages, squires, and knights, the academic world has long had three basic grades of dignity and achievement. These are undergraduates, bachelors, and masters (or doctors). The distinction between masters and doctors is comparatively recent; both imply the right to teach. Black is the most common color for academic gowns. There is no trimming on the gowns for the bachelor’s or master’s degrees. For the doctoral degree, the gown is faced down the front with black or colored velvet and with three bars of the same color across the sleeves. The color in the master’s costume is restricted to the hood worn around the neck and down the back. This is edged with velvet or a color which indicates the subject area of the degree received, and is lined with silk in the colors of the institution which granted the degree. Doctors have a larger and more open hood lined, like the master’s hood, with the colors of the degree-granting institution and trimmed with the color of the subject area of the degree received. Gowns have black or colored velvet on the sleeves and the front.
1 Adapted in part from American Universities and Colleges, 11th edition, Washington, American Council on Education, 1971.
 Academic apparel is a commencement tradition at the University of Minnesota . The UMC Bookstore is your official campus graduation source; visit. All candidates for graduation are responsible for securing the following items:
Candidates for associate degrees wear:
- the silver associate gown
- the traditional mortarboard cap
- the appropriate tassel color
Candidates for bachelor degrees wear:
- the black bachelor gown
- the traditional mortarboard cap
- the appropriate tassel color
In keeping with the guidelines outlined in the internationally accepted Academic Costume Code, nothing else should be worn on the academic gown.
Tassels . Undergraduate candidates wear the tassel on the right side of the cap.
Associate degree tassel colors:
| Agriculture |
Maize |
| Business |
Drab |
| Math, Science & Technology |
Yellow Gold |
Bachelor degree tassel colors:
| Agriculture |
Maize |
| Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences |
White |
| Business |
Drab |
| Math, Science & Technology |
Yellow Gold |
| Natural Resources |
Maize |
Honor Medals . Official University of Minnesota honor medals denoting graduation with Distinction and High Distinction , distributed through the Registrar's Office, are the only enhancements to the traditional regalia that have been approved by the University for commencement ceremonies.
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