Modern Academic Dress
The gown, hood and mortarboard of the Cambridge or Oxford Arts degree is typical of most academic dress. The group pictured left wears various Cambridge robes with the Master of the Arts, on the right, wearing a black gown with a gathered yoke at the back, and the typical cut-away pattern of the hanging sleeves. This 19th century print shows that while the Cambridge Master of Arts hood is longer than today’s, the overall academic dress has barely changed in the last hundred and fifty years.
Most universities keep their gowns the same colour but vary the style depending on the level of award. Traditionally, there are three levels of degrees: Bachelors, Masters and Doctors, each with their own different dress style. However, today’s university typically includes new styles for other awards such as Certificates, post-graduate Diplomas and the new two-year Foundation Degrees.
