2009 Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony
When & Where
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Ceremony for the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Engineering
6:00-7:00 pm: Ceremony @ Baldwin Auditorium; Satellite Viewing @ Brodie Gymnasium, Upper Level
7:30-9:00 pm: Reception @ Brodie Gymnasium, Lower Level
Ceremony for the Biological and Physical Sciences
6:00-7:30 pm: Reception @ Brodie Gymnasium, Lower Level
8:00-9:00 pm: Ceremony @ Baldwin Auditorium; Satellite Viewing @ Brodie Gymnasium, Upper Level
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Hooding Ceremony?
The Hooding Ceremony is a special recognition ceremony for doctoral degree candidates during which a faculty advisor and the Dean of the Graduate School place the doctoral hood over the head of the graduate, signifying his or her success in completing the graduate program. The ceremony is similar to a graduation in that faculty and students are dressed in academic attire. The Hooding Ceremony is in addition to and does not replace the Wallace Wade Graduation Exercises.
Who is invited to attend?
This ceremony is tailored as a special honor for graduating doctoral students, who may invite their friends and family. Tickets are required for the ceremony, reception, and satellite viewing. The Graduate School sends information about ticket distribution to graduates early in the Spring term.
Who performs the hooding?
Each doctoral candidate is asked to invite a Duke faculty member to assist the Dean of the Graduate School in the hooding. The faculty member may be the candidate's advisor or another faculty member of the candidate's choice. If a faculty member is not available, an Associate Dean will be available to assist the Dean.
What occurs during the ceremony?
During the ceremony, the Dean of the Graduate School will make brief remarks and then will call the names of each candidate and faculty member. They will go to the stage where the hooding will take place.
- Example of a one-person hooding
- Example of a two-person hooding
Academic Regalia
Today's academic dress has its origins in the clerical dress that medieval scholars used for warmth in unheated buildings. The tradition of special academic dress seems to have entered this country through King's College (now Columbia) in colonial New York. The custom grew so rapidly that in 1894, an American Intercollegiate Commission standardized the style and color of robes and hoods. The commission decided all robes would be black, which is not the standard for schools today. Bachelor's robes have open, pointed sleeves; master's gowns have sleeves that close at the wrist; and the doctoral gown has bell-shaped sleeves, velvet trim down the front, and three velvet strips across the sleeves.
The hood that forms part of today's academic dress was originally a head covering for bad weather. Later it was dropped to the shoulders in the form of a small cape. Eventually, the hood became a separate piece of apparel bearing even more symbolism than the gown. The hood's facing is colored velvet trimming denoting the wearer's discipline (e.g., Arts and Letters, white; Engineering, orange; Law, purple). The width of the velvet trimming designates the level of the degree. The lining of the hood identifies the institution that granted the degree, dark blue with a white chevron for Duke.
The cap or square has come to be symbolic of academia. It has evolved from a tufted, square cap called a pileus quadralus worn by medieval laity to a rigid, square academic cap, commonly called a "mortarboard." The velvet tam is commonly worn by doctorate-holders. A tassel is attached to the center of the cap. Tradition dictates that doctoral and master's graduates flick the tassel on the cap from left to right when the degree is conferred.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should we arrive?
Plan to arrive 30 minutes early. Please note that due to events in Baldwin before each ceremony, seating will not begin any earlier than 30 minutes before each ceremony.
2. Where do we park?
Parking reserved for students and their guests attending the Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony
- Asbury Church lot across from East Campus on Markham Avenue
- 705 Broad Street lot
- Gilbert-Addoms dorm lot off of Campus Drive
- After 5:00 p.m. you may be able to find additional parking in other East Campus lots off of Campus Drive, Buchanan Blvd., and Main Street
Parking for faculty and event staff
The East Campus lots off Markham Avenue will be reserved by parking attendants for participating faculty and Graduate School staff helping with the Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony events. If you turn onto Markham Avenue from Broad Street, take your first right. You will see a sign on the right hand side that says "Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony." Proceed until you see a parking attendant. There will be spaces in the first lot on the right as well as on both sides of the tennis courts.