DPhil, University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is currently celebrating the centenary of its awarding the Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree. In terms of the academic dress, Oxford regards the DPhil as a full doctorate (unlike Cambridge, for example, which treats its PhD academic dress as an advanced masters’ degree). The DPhil hood is in the Oxford Full shape [f5] and is scarlet cloth lined dark blue silk. The Congregation of the University approved the design of the new DPhil robes in 1917 with 30 placet to 11 non placet. Some objected that this degree should not be treated as a full doctor. The choice of dark blue for the DPhil remains unknown to this day. For further information about the creation of the DPhil academic dress please read: Togas gradui et facultati competentes: The Creation of New Doctoral Robes at Oxford, 1895–1920 by Alan Ross in Transactions of the Burgon Society, Vol. 10.
1st November 2019
BA , University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield began as an amalgamation of three earlier colleges, and was granted its Royal Charter as an independent institution in 1905. As with the University of Leeds, founded the previous year, green was chosen as the basic colour for its bachelors’ and masters’ hoods, and it features in the institution’s doctoral robes too. However, Sheffield’s green is much darker than that of Leeds, while the hoods themselves are also much more flamboyant, employing a series of colours partly based on the faculties and partly on the degree itself.
The Sheffield bachelors’ hood is the Cambridge shape [f1], with a cowl part-lined with six inches of white fur, although this does not extend to the cape, which is bound with two inches of the faculty silk instead. Except for qualifications in Music (where cream brocade is used), all BA degrees at Sheffield are awarded the hood shown here, featuring a light cerise known as crushed strawberry, which is also the colour of the neckband.
Andrew Plant, FBS
Photograph by Chris Williams FBS courtesy of Burgon Society Archive.
1st January 1970