Academic dress of the University of London

Academic dress of the University of London describes the robes, gowns and hoods which are prescribed by the university for its graduates and undergraduates. The University of London received its royal charter in 1836 and by 1844 a rudimentary code for academic dress had been established. Since then the university has expanded enormously and so too its need for academic dress.

Gowns

Undergraduates

They wear a black gown gathered at the yoke with pointed sleeves, the point of the sleeve not reaching below the knee.

Bachelors

Three different gowns are utilised, depending upon the faculty of the degree.

i) The standard Bachelors Gown : BA, BD, BEd, BEng, BSc, BCom, BH, MSci, MEng.A black silk or stuff gown with pointed sleeves gathered at the forearm and held in place with a cord and button.BD: The gown as above with addition of a black cord and a Sarum red button on the yoke of the gown.

ii) The Medicine / Music Gown : MB BS, BVetMed, BDS, MPharm.A black silk or stuff gown with a flap collar and long closed sleeves. This shall be the same shape as the Cambridge Doctor of Law undress gown except that the sleeves shall be hollowed out at the bottom in a double ogee curve.The B. Mus gown is of light blue corded silk

iii) The Legal Gown : LLB, LLM and LLD (in undress).A black gown with a square flap collar and long closed sleeves squared off at the ends with a slit in the back of the gown. There is an 'inverted T' armhole. This is the same shape as the generic solicitor's gown.

Masters

MA, MSc, etc: A black gown with long closed sleeves as for the Cambridge MA. The sharp angle of the Cambridge MA ogee curve on the bottom of the sleeve is rounded off.

MS: a violet corded silk gown of the same pattern as the MB,BS gown

MDS: An olive green corded silk gown of the same pattern as the MB,BS gown.

MTh: A black cord and Sarum red button on the yoke in addition to the pattern described above for other master's gowns.

MPhil: The standard master's gown with a 1" claret ribbon on the outer edge of the facings of the gown.

Doctors

Until c.1997 holders of University of London doctoral degrees had two sets of costume: full dress and undress.

Full Dress

PhD: A claret coloured robe with long open winged sleeves. The sleeves and facings lined with a lighter claret silk. The outside edge of the facings are bound with 1" dark blue silk. (Under previous regulations this one inch binding of silk was the same colour as that of the faculty awarding the PhD).

Higher Doctorates: A robe of scarlet cloth in the Cambridge Doctors pattern. The robe is faced with five inches of silk of the faculty colour. The sleeves are fully lined with silk of the faculty colour.

Undress

Until c.1997 doctoral undress was officially the nearest black Masters gown; in practice the black MA/MSc style gown rather than the law, music or medicine gowns. The practice continues, although without any official sanction in the post-1997 regulations.

Hoods

These are of a full shape which is characteristic of the university. This consists of a full shape, like Cambridge, but with rounded corners to the cape.

Bachelors

A black stuff or silk hood fully lined with white silk. The cowl shall be faced inside for three inches and edged outside with three-eighths of an inch of silk if the faculty colour. The neckband shall be similarly edged.

BMus. A hood of the above pattern. A light blue corded silk hood faced inside for three inches and edged outside with three-eighths of an inch of white watered silk.

Faculty Colours

*Divinity - Sarum red
*Medicine - Violet
*Law - Blue
*Veterinary Medicine - Lilac
*Dental Surgery - Olive green
*Engineering - Turquoise
*Science - Gold
*Music - Light blue
*Arts - Russet brown
*Business Administration - Fawn
*Education - Eau-de-nil green
*Commerce - Deep orange (no longer awarded)
*Humanities - Pale pink (no longer awarded)

References

* cite book
last = Goff
first = Philip
title = University of London Academic Dress
publisher = University of London Press
date = 1999
url =http://www.phildress.co.uk
isbn = 0-7187-1608-6
* The University of London [http://www.london.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/about/governance/ordinances/Ordinance_012_annex_06.pdf Regulations on Academic Dress] . Annex to Ordinance Twelve.