Academic Regalia

Commencement is a formal academic occassion. You must be in proper academic regalia (cap, gown, hood and academic tassel) to participate in the exercises. Be sure to bring these items with you. The tassel is worn on the right side of the mortarboard (cap) prior to the degree being conferred and on the left side after the degree is conferred.

Under the robe, men traditionally wear a dress shirt, dress slacks, tie, and black shoes. Women traditionally wear a dress or skirt and blouse and dress shoes.

Purchasing

Graduates should purchase their regalia at the Graduation Fair.

Honors Regalia

Latin honors are not recognized at the commencement ceremony. There are no "honor cords" to wear that are comparable to a high school commencement. This is because final grades are not confirmed until after the ceremony has taken place.

If you are a member of an honor organization (ODK, Golden Key, etc), you must contact that organization directly for their regalia. The University Village Bookstore does not sell or supply these items. If you are a member of multiple honors organizations, the choice of how many and which pieces of their regalia you choose to wear is up to you. You should exercise good taste in making these decisions.

Hood Binding Colors

The color of the hood binding is usually that of the last-designated discipline that is incorporated in the official title of the degree (e.g., Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science in Education.)

Colors associated with the subject vary somewhat at American colleges and universities. The following, a partial list taken from American Colleges and Universities, 14th edition, published by the American Council on Education, has been adopted by Old Dominion University.

College of Arts & Letters

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Bachelors of Arts and Letters White	African American and Afrian Studies	Art History	Asian Studies
	Communication	Criminal Justice	English
	Foreign Languages	Geography	History
	Interdisciplinary Studies	Music	Philosophy
	Political Science	Sociology	Studio Art
	Theatre and Dance	Women's Studies
Bachelors of Science Yellow	African American and African Studies	Communication	Criminal Justice
	Geography	Interdisciplinary Studies	Political Science
	Sociology	Women's Studies
Bachelor of Fine Arts Brown	Acting	Fine Arts
Bachelor of Music Pink	Composition	Performance	Music Education
Master of Arts White	Applied Linguistics	Applied Sociology	English
	History	Humanities	International Studies
	Visual Studies
Master of Fine Arts Brown	Creative Writing	Visual Studies
Master of Music Education Pink
Doctor of Philosophy Dark Blue	International Studies

Batten College of Engineering & Technology

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology Orange	Civil Engineering Technology	Electrical Engineering Technology	Engineering Technology
	Mechanical Engineering Technology
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Orange
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Orange
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Orange
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering Orange
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Orange
Master of Engineering Orange	Aerospace Engineering	Civil Engineering	Computer Engineering
	Electrical Engineering	Environmental Engineering	Experimental Methods
	Mechanical Engineering	Motorsports Engineering	Modeling and Simulation
	Systems Engineering
Master of Engineering Management Orange
Master of Science Orange	Aerospace Engineering	Civil Engineering	Computer Engineering
	Electrical Engineering	Engineering Management	Environmental Engineering
	Mechanical Engineering	Modeling and Simulation
	Mechanical Engineering	Modeling and Simulation
Doctor of Philosophy Dark Blue	Aerospace Engineering	Civil Engineering	Electrical and Computer Engineering
	Engineering Management	Environmental Engineering	Mechanical Engineering
	Modeling and Simulation

College of Business and Public Administration

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Bachelors of Arts White	Economics
Bachelors of Science Yellow	E-Commerce Systems
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Drab	Accounting	Decision Sciences	Economics
	Financial Management	Information Systems and Technology	International Business
	Management	Maritime and Supply Chain Management	Marketing Management
Master of Arts White	Economics
Master of Business Administration Drab
Master of Public Administration Peacock Blue
Master of Science Yellow	Accounting	E-Commerce Systems
Master of Taxation Drab
Master of Urban Studies Peacock Blue
Doctor of Philosophy Dark Blue	Business Administration	Public Management and Urban Policy

Darden College of Education

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Bachelors of Science Yellow	Human Services	Occupational and Technical Studies	Physical Education
	Recreation and Tourism Studies	Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Master of Science Yellow	Occupational and Technical Studies
Master of Science in Education Light Blue	Biology	Chemistry	Counseling
	Early Childhood Education	Educational Leadership	Elementary Education
	English	Physical Education	Reading
	Secondary Education	Special Education	Speech-Language Pathology
Education Specialist Light Blue	Counseling	Educational Leadership
Doctor of Philosophy Dark Blue	Community College Leadership	Counseling	Curriculum and Instruction
	Early Childhood Education	Educational Leadership	Higher Education
	Human Movement Science	Instructional Design and Technology	Literacy Leadership
	Occupational and Technical Studies	Special Education

College of Health Sciences

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Lilac
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health Green
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Green
Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology Green
Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine Technology Green
Bachelor of Science in Nursing Apricot
Master of Public Health Salmon Pink
Master of Science Yellow	Community Health	Dental Hygiene
Master of Science in Nursing Apricot
Doctor of Nursing Practice Apricot
Doctor of Philosophy Dark Blue	Health Services Research
Doctor of Physical Therapy Teal

College of Sciences

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Bachelors of Science Yellow	Biochemistry	Biology	Chemistry
	Mathematics	Ocean and Earth Science	Physics
	Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Yellow
Master of Science Yellow	Biology	Chemistry	Computational and Applied Mathematics
	Computer Science	Ocean and Earth Sciences	Physics
	Psychology
Doctor of Philosophy Dark Blue	Applied Experimental Psychology	Biomedical Sciences	Chemistry
	Computational and Applied Mathematics	Computer Science	Ecological Sciences
	Human Factors Psychology	Industrial/ Organizational Psychology	Oceanography
	Physics
Doctor of Psychology Yellow-Gold / Royal Blue	Clinical Psychology

Multidisciplinary Doctorate

Degree & Hood Color	Majors
Doctor of Psychology Dark Blue	Urban Services Health Services	Urban Services Urban Education	Urban Services Urban Management