Academic gowns were worn as early as the 12th century. Their primary purpose then was to protect the wearer against the elements. When accepted styles of dress began to change in the 16th century, those in the legal and medical professions as well as scholars in the universities retained the traditional dress of gowns and hoods. The origin of the cap is unclear.
Styles and colors had no meaning until 1895 when an “Intercollegiate Code” established design and color criteria. The bachelor’s gown has long, pointed sleeves and is designed to be worn closed. The master’s gown has an oblong sleeve open at the wrist; the rear part of its oblong shape is square cut; the front part has an arc cut away. The gown may be worn open or closed. The doctor’s gown has velvet down the front with three bars of the same velvet across the sleeves. It may be worn open or closed.
The academic hood is the visual representation of the academic degree. The level of the degree is indicated by the length of the hood and the width of its velvet edging, with the doctoral hood being the largest. The color of the lining of the hood denotes the school conferring the degree, the color of the velvet binding denotes the field of study.
The color denoting the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is gold, dark blue is the color denoting philosophy; therefore, all recipients of the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) at UWM wear hoods lined with gold and trimmed in dark blue velvet. Apricot is the color denoting nursing practice; therefore, all recipients of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at UWM wear hoods lined with gold and trimmed in apricot velvet. Citron is the color denoting social work; therefore, all recipients of the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) wear hoods lined with gold and trimmed in citron velvet. Gold is the color denoting occupational therapy and physical therapy; therefore, all recipients of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) wear hoods lined with gold and trimmed in gold velvet.
Other trim colors that you may observe among the master’s candidates and the faculty are:
- Blue Violet – Architecture
- White – Art
- Brown – Art/Dance/Drama
- Beige – Business Administration
- Light Blue – Education
- Orange – Engineering/Computer Science
- Peacock – Human Resources and Labor Relations
- Lemon – Library & Information Science
- Pink – Music
- Apricot – Nursing
- Salmon – Public Health
- Gold – Science
- Citron – Social Work/Criminal Justice
Cord and Stole Colors
The gold cord, worn by some of the bachelor’s and associate degree candidates, identifies those students who have been awarded commencement honors for high academic achievement throughout their career at UWM. An asterisk is directly after the names of bachelor’s and associate degree candidates awarded commencement honors in this program.
The pewter-colored stole recognizes undergraduate students receiving the Honors Degree. This special diploma is awarded in recognition of outstanding academic achievement to students who have completed the requirements of the university Honors College and achieved an overall grade point average of 3.5 or above.
The red, white and blue cords are worn by our veterans and military service members.
The fountain mist (teal) cord signifies student donors who support the UWM Foundation in honor of the senior class gift.
The black and gold stole worn by some undergraduate students identifies our McNair Scholars, our future leaders who come from the first generation and diverse backgrounds. These students have completed a selective and rigorous research program that prepares them to enter graduate school.