Academic dress of the University of Kent
Encyclopedia
The Academic dress of the University of Kent is normally only worn at graduation
ceremonies. In common with most British universities a graduand begins the ceremony wearing the dress of the degree to which they are being admitted. This is in contrast to the practice at some universities such as Oxford
where a graduand only dons the dress of a degree after it has been conferred.
Graduation ceremonies were originally held on campus, first in Eliot and, then in Rutherford Dining Halls; but as numbers grew were transferred to Canterbury Cathedral
. Since 2003, graduates of the University of Kent's Medway campus have had separate graduation ceremonies at Rochester Cathedral
in Medway.
The academical costume was designed by the Queen's dressmaker Sir Edwin Hardy Amies
and is as follows:
The hoods are a rare shape and represent a rare attempt by a 1960s university to break with the traditional design for academic dress.The other university with such notable variation is the University of East Anglia
. Groves, Nicholas The Academical Dress of the University of East Anglia (North Walsham
; The Burgon Society
, 2005), page 4. ISBN 0-9544110-4-8 They are two-dimensional in a heart-shape and contain two colours, with the colour of the bulk of the hood indicating the rank of degree whilst a central panel denotes the faculty. Because of the rareness of the hood design it has its own code [a3] in the Groves Classification of Academic Dress used by the Burgon Society
. The actual title of the award does not make any difference and thus a holder of a Bachelor of Laws
will have an identical hood to anyone holding a Bachelor of Arts
or Bachelor of Science
in a social science.
) made up of one or two colours:
. Doctors wear a plain black cloth Tudor bonnet with a coloured cord and tassel - gold for Doctors of Civil Law and maroon
for all others. The Chancellor wears a bonnet
of forest green silk satin damask. The Vice-Chancellor wears a mortarboard with a gold netted button and black silk tassel.
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies. In common with most British universities a graduand begins the ceremony wearing the dress of the degree to which they are being admitted. This is in contrast to the practice at some universities such as Oxford
Academic dress of the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford has a long tradition of academic dress, and a visitor to Oxford during term will see academic dress worn on a regular basis.- When academic dress is worn :...
where a graduand only dons the dress of a degree after it has been conferred.
Graduation ceremonies were originally held on campus, first in Eliot and, then in Rutherford Dining Halls; but as numbers grew were transferred to Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
. Since 2003, graduates of the University of Kent's Medway campus have had separate graduation ceremonies at Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
in Medway.
The academical costume was designed by the Queen's dressmaker Sir Edwin Hardy Amies
Hardy Amies
Hardy Amies, Ltd. is a British-based fashion house specialising in modern luxury menswear.-Sir Edwin Hardy Amies:Sir Edwin Hardy Amies, KCVO , was a British fashion designer, best known for his official title as dressmaker for Queen Elizabeth II, from her accession to the throne until his...
and is as follows:
Gowns
For Bachelors, Masters, and MPhil graduates a plain black gown is worn. For PhD graduates the gowns have facings of scarlet velvet. For Higher Doctorates the gown is scarlet with scarlet velvet facings and two bands of scarlet velvet on the sleeves. The Doctor of Civil Law (an honorary degree) has facings of purple velvet. The Chancellor's gown is elaborately trimmed with gold lace, whilst the Vice-Chancellor's gown is black, adorned with gold lace in an oak leaf pattern.Hoods
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
. Groves, Nicholas The Academical Dress of the University of East Anglia (North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
; The Burgon Society
Burgon Society
The Burgon Society was founded in 2000 for the study and promotion of academical dress, to preserve its history, and to advise film and television companies and interested others in its correct usage. The President of the society is James P.S. Thomson, MS , DM , FRCS, FBS, Master of London...
, 2005), page 4. ISBN 0-9544110-4-8 They are two-dimensional in a heart-shape and contain two colours, with the colour of the bulk of the hood indicating the rank of degree whilst a central panel denotes the faculty. Because of the rareness of the hood design it has its own code [a3] in the Groves Classification of Academic Dress used by the Burgon Society
Burgon Society
The Burgon Society was founded in 2000 for the study and promotion of academical dress, to preserve its history, and to advise film and television companies and interested others in its correct usage. The President of the society is James P.S. Thomson, MS , DM , FRCS, FBS, Master of London...
. The actual title of the award does not make any difference and thus a holder of a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
will have an identical hood to anyone holding a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
or Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in a social science.
Rank
- Foundation Degree - BronzeBronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
- Bachelor's - SilverSilver (color)Silver is the metallic shade resembling gray, closest to that of polished silver.The visual sensation usually associated with the metal silver is its metallic shine. This cannot be reproduced by a simple solid color, because the shiny effect is due to the material's brightness varying with the...
- Undergraduate Master's - SilverSilver (color)Silver is the metallic shade resembling gray, closest to that of polished silver.The visual sensation usually associated with the metal silver is its metallic shine. This cannot be reproduced by a simple solid color, because the shiny effect is due to the material's brightness varying with the...
- Postgraduate Master's - GoldGold (color)Gold, also called golden, is one of a variety of orange-yellow color blends used to give the impression of the color of the element gold....
- PhD - Cardinal redCardinal (color)Cardinal is a vivid red, which gets its name from the cassocks worn by Catholic cardinals...
- Higher Doctorates - ScarletScarlet (color)Scarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is redder than vermilion. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel one-fourth of the way between red and orange. Scarlet is sometimes used as the color of flame...
Faculties
- Humanities - GreenGreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
- Social Sciences - GreyGreyGrey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
- Science, Technology & Medical Sciences - Royal blueRoyal blueRoyal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue. It is said to have been invented by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for the British queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz....
- Affiliated & Associate institutions - Pale blueBlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
- Doctor of Civil Law - BlackBlackBlack is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
Non-degree awards
Non-degree awards use a different shaped hood of the Aberdeen style ([a1] in the Groves ClassificationGroves classification system
The Groves classification system is a system intended to enable the shape of any academic gown or hood of the United Kingdom to be easily classified and identified. It was devised by Dr Nicholas Groves and adopted as standard by the community of scholars that study academic dress...
) made up of one or two colours:
- Certificates - Navy blueNavy blueNavy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
- Diplomas - BurgundyBurgundy (color)Burgundy is a shade of purplish red associated with the Burgundy wine of the same name, which in turn is named after the Burgundy region of France. The color burgundy is similar to other shades of dark red such as maroon...
- Postgraduate awards - Navy blueNavy blueNavy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
and BurgundyBurgundy (color)Burgundy is a shade of purplish red associated with the Burgundy wine of the same name, which in turn is named after the Burgundy region of France. The color burgundy is similar to other shades of dark red such as maroon... - Edexcel Higher National Diplomas & Higher National Certificates - Bright blueBlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
and redRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
Headdress
All Foundation degree holders, Bachelors and Masters wear a plain black mortarboardSquare academic cap
The square academic cap, graduate cap, or mortarboard or Oxford cap, is an item of academic head dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upon a skull-cap, with a tassel attached to the center...
. Doctors wear a plain black cloth Tudor bonnet with a coloured cord and tassel - gold for Doctors of Civil Law and maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
for all others. The Chancellor wears a bonnet
Tudor bonnet
A Tudor bonnet is a traditional soft round cap, with a tassel hanging from a cord encircling the puggaree of the hat...
of forest green silk satin damask. The Vice-Chancellor wears a mortarboard with a gold netted button and black silk tassel.