next »

[Mendel]

Hi folks-

I have a doctoral gown protocol question.  I didn't go to my PhD graduation (I was married that weekend instead...), and I didn't pay attention the previous year when my boyfriend (now husband) was hooded.  That was over a decade ago anyway, so memory fails.

As a result I didn't really notice the regalia beyond the rather distinctive hood of my grad school.

Anyway, here's my question- The lining of the hood (I think, or is it another part of the gown) is supposed to reflect your discipline.  

However, I read somewhere that all PhD's should have blue for philosphy on their lining, because that is our degree, Doctor of Philosophy.

Other people have told me that it should be in the subject area of your degree (e.g. biology for me).  Last year I rented the biology hood, but I wondered if I was being technically incorrect.

Anyone with more experience than I know what is technically correct?

[anon]

The term "philosophy" in doctor of philosophy means the superset of arts and sciences; philosophy is also a specific academic discipline in the humanities.  

Your lining should reflect your discipline, which is biology.

FWIW, my school just uses the same light blue (I recall) for everyone, explaining it is for arts and sciences.  So some practices do differ.

[Mendel]

anon wrote:

>
> The term "philosophy" in doctor of philosophy means the
> superset of arts and sciences; philosophy is also a specific
> academic discipline in the humanities.  
>
> Your lining should reflect your discipline, which is biology.
>
> FWIW, my school just uses the same light blue (I recall) for
> everyone, explaining it is for arts and sciences.  So some
> practices do differ.

I'm not sure that that's right- this is what I got off a Regalia web site regarding picking the discipline color:

"*IMPORTANT NOTE: All PhD degrees (as opposed to Doctorate degrees) use "PhD Blue", which is dark blue. For example, a Doctorate in Psychology would use Gold, however a PhD in Psychology would use dark blue. If you are unsure if your degree is a Doctorate or PhD, please contact your administrative advisor to determine your precise degree title."

Am I confusing something?

[sidey]

Actually...

The colour, material, etc, of gown, hood, lining depend entirely upon the customs and traditions of the granting institution.  There is no such thing as 'standard' PhD regalia.

[postdocblue]

Having marshalled a few graduations, the lining for a Ph.D. is blue for philosophy, not the specific curricular area.  The other colors are indicative of your institution.

[Mendel]

postdocblue wrote:

> Having marshalled a few graduations, the lining for a Ph.D. is
> blue for philosophy, not the specific curricular area.  The
> other colors are indicative of your institution.


OK- that makes sense.

So, I just need to get my hood with my granting insitution's color and dark blue for philosophy.

Thanks for clarifying!!!

[Mendel]

sidey wrote:

> Actually...
>
> The colour, material, etc, of gown, hood, lining depend
> entirely upon the customs and traditions of the granting
> institution.  There is no such thing as 'standard' PhD regalia.


I'm not talking about the granting institution's color's- you are right that is determined by where you went.  However, there is the other part of teh hood that reflects the discipline of the degree. For BA/BS, MA/MS and Doctorates it reflects your discipline.  For PhD's (so I have had it confirmed) it is philosophy.

[sidey]

Mendel wrote:

> I'm not talking about the granting institution's color's- you
> are right that is determined by where you went.  However, there
> is the other part of teh hood that reflects the discipline of
> the degree. For BA/BS, MA/MS and Doctorates it reflects your
> discipline.  For PhD's (so I have had it confirmed) it is
> philosophy.

No - again this depends upon the rules and customs of the granting institution.  eg: not all doctoral regailia even have a hood.

[Mendel]

sidey wrote:

> Mendel wrote:
>
> > I'm not talking about the granting institution's color's- you
> > are right that is determined by where you went.  However,
> there
> > is the other part of teh hood that reflects the discipline of
> > the degree. For BA/BS, MA/MS and Doctorates it reflects your
> > discipline.  For PhD's (so I have had it confirmed) it is
> > philosophy.
>
> No - again this depends upon the rules and customs of the
> granting institution.  eg: not all doctoral regailia even have
> a hood.

OK, well mine does, so I'll focus on what I need and try not to over generalize.

[it all depends]

At my doctoral institution, if your area of study had a particular color, such as orange for engineering, light blue for education, purple for law, green for medicine etc. then the velvet part of the hood was that color and the satin lining was the school colors. But, if your area did not have an official color or was interdisciplinary, you used the Ph.D. blue on the velvet part. For instance, my husband had Ph.D. blue on his hood because his degree was interdisciplinary from a School of Computer Science and a School of Technology which did not have an official color and mine was orange because I graduated from a School of Engineering.  

At my current institution we are required to attend graduation and I see a huge variety in the types of gowns with different colors, different shapes of tams, and some of the gowns/robes don’t even zip up the front (which I see as a real negative especially for the spring graduation because as a female I can get away with wearing shorts and a t-shirt under the gown if I’m wearing dress shoes – our graduation is outside in the South and it gets hot and humid). If I see something particularly different I will usually ask the wearer where they graduated from and what the colors mean.

[%sig%]

[Common Sense]

What is preventing you from e-mailing the Provost's office or the secretary to the dean of the graduate school at your doctoral institution and asking this question, instead of depending on everyone's varied experience? (Indeed, some universities even have a "protocol officer" -- I happen to know someone who held that position at Columbia early in his career.)

[Mendel]

Common Sense wrote:

>
> What is preventing you from e-mailing the Provost's office or
> the secretary to the dean of the graduate school at your
> doctoral institution and asking this question, instead of
> depending on everyone's varied experience? (Indeed, some
> universities even have a "protocol officer" -- I happen to know
> someone who held that position at Columbia early in his
> career.)


Because I'm at a CC which has limited experience in PhD regalia.  Our percentage of professors with PhDs is increasing, but still small.  We are a small campus to begin with.

The individuals in charge of these things are clueless.  It is not one of teh things our school does well. I was hoping for generalized info, and if it's not possible to get that here, I won't.

[slac vap]

Your best bet is probably to contact your Ph.D-granting institution's bookstore or graduation services department.  It might be easier (though perhaps not cheaper) to order it through them.

[%sig%]

[Common Sense]

I didn't mean to ask your *current* school -- faculty from anywhere wear the regalia of the school where their highest degree (whatever it is) was earned -- not some sort of uniform outfit for the school at which they teach. "Institution from which your degree was earned" was, I think, in my post. Slac vap's point about the bookstore is excellent -- probably easier than getting it from the offices I mentioned. The bookstore *that has to supply correct regalia for everyone who goes to graduation when they EARN the doctorate*.

[Mendel]

Common Sense wrote:

>
> I didn't mean to ask your *current* school -- faculty from
> anywhere wear the regalia of the school where their highest
> degree (whatever it is) was earned -- not some sort of uniform
> outfit for the school at which they teach. "Institution from
> which your degree was earned" was, I think, in my post. Slac
> vap's point about the bookstore is excellent -- probably easier
> than getting it from the offices I mentioned. The bookstore
> *that has to supply correct regalia for everyone who goes to
> graduation when they EARN the doctorate*.


Sorry if I misread.  

For clarification, let me say that I do understand how to use my granting institution's colors, a charming Tartan Plaid, as part of the hood. It is not that aspect of hood protocol taht I am seeking clarification.

Previously I have received mixed information from various cources (including our bookstore) as to what color *discipline* lining I should use- blue for Philosophy (PhD) or green for Biology.  Contacting my grad school bookstore is a good piece of advice.

What I had hoped for, when I posted, was that there was some one with experience in protocol who had a definitive answer about whether PhD's use a specific discipline color or the blue for Philosophy.  I didn't think that would be institutionally based, although I may be wrong.

In the bit of the research I had done, and with confirmation from one graduation marshall here, it seems that PhD blue is the technically correct color *for the lining*, but that discipline colors can be used.  Again, I don't think that aspect of the hood is governed by your home institution, but by general protocol (US).  But, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.