Graduation Hoods: Doctoral, Academic, PhD Hoods

Graduation hoods have a long history in academic history. Traditionally, hoods were attached to graduation gowns to stave off the effects of the elements. Students in college and universities wore academic attire regularly to class and the hood would be a way to protect against the cold and rain.

As time wore on, graduation hoods became a symbol of higher learning or of distinct honors and they were used during a graduation ceremony. Graduation hoods are commonly used in college and university graduation ceremonies across the United States as well as most of Europe.

Graduation hoods can be black or of different colors. In many colleges and universities, the color of the graduation hood signifies the level of learning of an individual graduate. Graduates with special honors, such as the Valedictorian, may wear a certain color hood to give them a special honor in return for their hard work

In high school graduations, officials often wear graduation hoods. High school graduates in the United States do not wear graduation hoods but a motarboard cap with a tassel and a gown that closes in the front. The same is true for those graduating grammar school, a ceremony that is still popular in the United States, despite the fact that its significance is no longer as great as it once was.

In the case of college and university graduations, college officials seldom wear a graduation hood. College officials will wear graduation stoles to signify their relevance in the learning institution as well as their background.

During college graduations, there are different tiers of graduates. Some may be earning a Bachelor Degree while other earns a Masters or a Doctorate. The differences in the degrees are signified in most cases by the different style of graduation gown as well as the color of the graduation hood. Some elaborate graduation hoods are even lined with expensive fur. The graduation hood is seldom lifted on the head, but simply hangs on the back of the graduation gown. The value of the graduation hood is purely ceremonial and symbolic.

When the Church of England was instituted in the 16th century, much of the Catholic traditions, such as the robes and ceremonial garments, were adopted by the new church. Today, the Anglican Church priests wear similar garments in ceremony as Catholic priests.

The root of all graduation attire lies within the Catholic and Anglican Church and their influence over the English learning institutions. In the United States, our use of graduation hoods, gowns and caps is a direct result of our adoption of these English traditions.