How to Choose the Velvet Color for Your Hood

Graduation Product Instructions

How to Choose the Velvet Color for Your Hood

As a college student, about to graduate, you are probably wondering how to choose the velvet color for your hood. The color of the velvet on a graduation hood represents your academic degree. How are you supposed to know what color that is? We are here to help! GraduationSource has done extensive research to find specific color assignments for a variety of subjects. What was your college major?

Check out the hood degree color chart below to see what velvet color you should choose:

Hood Degree Color Charts

Where is the velvet located on my academic hood?

The opening of each graduation hood has a high-quality velveteen trim that sits over the shoulders and drapes down the back of the graduate. Knowing which color hood velvet to choose for you degree type is key to completing your graduation ensemble.

Where did they come up with the colors?

There’s a story behind every color that they use for each degree type. We will go more in-depth about the history of each color and degree in another article. For this article, we will briefly review the history of a few of the most popular colors and degree types.

Image Source: Keble Geography

Arts/Literature: White – originates from the white fur used on Oxford and Cambridge hoods.

Image Source: National Catholic Reporter

Theology: Red – used by cardinals for centuries following the traditional color of the church which signifies dedicated love and enthusiasm for faith.

Image Source: The Telegraph

Law: Purple – comes from the royal purple color of the king’s courts.

Image Source: Mother Earth Living

Medicine: Green – comes from the stripe in the army surgeon’s uniform and color of medicinal herbs. They use the color olive for Pharmacy because it’s a medical field.

Image Source: in-Pharma Technologist

Science: Gold – Yellow-signifies the wealth contributed by scientific discoveries.

Image Source: Virtual Memories

Music: Pink – taken from the pink brocade prescribed for the Oxford doctors of music in the 1800s.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Forestry: Russet – taken from old English foresters who wore it in the fall as they drank their Brown October Ale.