The 2008 Hooding Ceremony will be held at 7:30 Friday evening, May 16 in the Save Mart Center.
Ceremony Information | Instructions for Graduates | Live streaming video

History of Hooding Ceremony and Academic Regalia

California State University, Fresno is one of only a few institutions in the country to recognize its graduates with a Hooding Ceremony. The colorful hood of each university is reserved for those who attain the highest academic degree beyond the bachelor's degree. It is a special part of academic regalia and denotes scholarly and professional achievements.

The pageantry of commencement has its roots in medieval times, dating to the early tradition of Europe's first universities. Origins of academic attire are obscured in history, but it is likely that the scholar's distinctive dress was based on modifications of ecclesiastical costumes of the times. In 1895, the United States set for its universities a uniform academic costume code, which is reflected in most of the regalia worn today. Meanwhile, European universities maintained their right to variety. The vivid diversity of regalia for European degree holders brings to the American commencement such visual pleasures as sable berets, cardinal robes and other distinctive garb.

The cap, the hood and the robe are the visual components of the academic costume. The mortarboard, as we see it now, comes from joining the elements of a square bonnet and a skull cap. As early as 1600, scholars at Oxford University began using lightweight boards to hold out the corners of the bonnet.

Gown designs represent the levels of academic degrees. The master's gown has sleeves with a slit to allow the arm to emerge at the elbow. The tassel color for our master's degree students is black. Color is allowed to break through in the hood. The outer binding of the master's and doctoral hoods represents the field of study in which the degree was received.

	Agricultural Sciences and Technology Maize Arts and Humanities White Business Drab Education and Human Development Light Blue Engineering Orange Health and Human Services Salmon Pink Science and Mathematics Golden Yellow Social Science Copper Graduate Studies Black     Master's degree candidate at the Ceremony
Doctoral candidates at the 2004 Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony	The doctor's gown worn by most of the faculty, and doctoral degree candidates, is silk and faced with velvet panels from the neck to ankle, fitted with bell-shaped sleeves crossed by three velvet bars. The color of the velvet on the sleeves often indicates the academic degree. Although the color of the doctor's gown in the United States is generally black, several universities have their own distinctive colors. The tassel of the doctor's cap is of gold thread. The colors of the inner lining of the hood denote the institution awarding the degree. The inner hood lining for California State University, Fresno graduates is red and blue.
Hooding Ceremony Photos: 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 Hooding Ceremony Videos: 2006 | 2007 Medalists and Awardees: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007
Directions to the Save Mart Center at Fresno State