Academic dress prescribed at the Trinity College Dublin follows a relatively complex protocol which, nonetheless, shares some particular characteristics with other universities in Ireland and with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Occasions when worn The 1966 consolidated statutes of the university and the college stated, "The Provost, and every Fellow, professor, other Academic Officer, scholar, and other Student shall have a cap and gown, and shall wear them while performing their Academic duties"; the precise significance of "Academic duties" was not made explicit. As late as the 1960s, gowns were still commonly worn for some lectures and examinations, but in practice the wearing of academic dress is now confined to graduation ceremonies and other formal occasions. Some student societies, such as the College Historical Society and the University Philosophical Society, officially require academic dress at their meetings, but this postulation is no longer observed.
Components After the names of the components, the Groves Classification Number is given in square brackets.
For full academic dress at special occasions, the prescribed clothing for men with degrees is a dinner jacket, worn with dark trousers, a white shirt, white or black bow tie, black socks and black shoes - in other words, following the black tie dress code. (The option to wear a white bow tie is a vestige of previous decades where full white tie formal dress was required for all men at degree ceremonies). Men with diplomas or certificates wear a dark suit instead of a dinner jacket. Women are required to wear formal clothing in black, white, or a combination of both. Members of the military are exempted from these requirements and may wear service dress uniform; similarly, members of the clergy may wear black or white clerical clothing with a shirt in black or grey.
Gowns Gowns are open-fronted, like those generally used throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom, but not the United States, and they are largely similar in shape to those of the University of Oxford. The main types seen are the bachelors' and masters' gowns. In addition, for certain formal occasions, Doctors wear special dress gowns, distinguished by the use of scarlet; the sleeves and facings of these are adorned in some cases with various patterns that indicate the exact degree or degrees that they possess, allowing this to be determined even when hoods are not being worn.
Undergraduates Commoners (i.e. those not otherwise classified, including Pensioners (those who pay fees)) wear a gown that is now very rarely seen. It consists of a short, sleeveless gown [u8] made of black shtuff stuff with a flap collar. It is similar in shape to the Oxford Advanced Students' gown [u5], but it reaches down as far as the knees, and the "streamers" over the arm are wider and reach only as far as the elbow. It has distinctive decoration: three rows of tassels are found on the flap above each armhole, with another three rows below, and a nine-inch slit upwards from the back midline hem. The streamers may be considered the remnants of closed sleeves, as can still be seen on the laced gowns of the higher faculties.
Scholars (both those on the Foundation and non-Foundation) wear the same gown as bachelors.
Fellow Commoners / Nobles; these were historically enrolled in a special, shorter, intensive course (three years as opposed to four, as they did not want to neglect their estates for too long) and had a particular gown. This was embellished with gold tassels, etc.
Sizars/ Exhibitioners: A Sizar was a poor student, the son of poor parents, often of clergy. From the writings of William Howitt about Goldsmith, 1847 – "The sizer wears a black gown of coarse stuff without sleeves, a plain black cloth cap without a tassel, and dines at the fellows' table after they have retired. It was at that period far worse; they wore red caps to distinguish them, and were compelled to perform derogatory offices; to sweep the courts in the morning, carry up the dishes from the kitchen to the fellows' table, and wait in the hall till they had dined." A distinct gown for Sizars/ Exhibitioners is no longer worn, and they currently wear the Commoners gown, when required or desired.
In addition to undergraduate use, the undergraduate gown is worn as the prescribed academic dress for the conferral of undergraduate diplomas, with an epitoge.
Bachelors These wear a clerical-type gown [b10] of black Irish Russell cord, in the Oxford BA shape [b1] but with shorter sleeves. It has no collar, but instead has the voluminous material of its back and the open bell-shaped sleeves gathered into a yoke.
Masters
Masters wear a gown [m3] in black cloth, silk or poplin, similar to the Oxford MA shape [m1] but with a very high crescentic cut in the sleeves giving a deep blunt point to the bases, and with a cord and button on the yoke.
Doctors Holders of University of Dublin doctoral degrees have two sets of costume: undress, and full dress (or scarlet). Full dress is worn on formal college and university occasions.
Full dress Most gowns are scarlet, with the exceptions of the Mus.D. robe, which is white; the D.Mus.Perf robe, which is white rose; the D.Clin.Psych robe, which is red; and the D.Ed. robe, which is blue. They are in the Oxford doctors' shape [d2]. There is a cord and button on the yoke, and the sleeves, facings and edgings vary in colour according to the degree.
Degree GownDivinity: DDScarlet cloth, faced with black velvetLaws: LL.D. Scarlet cloth, faced with pink silkMedicine: MD Scarlet cloth, faced with crimson silkLetters: Litt.D. Scarlet cloth, faced with blue silkScience: Sc.D. Scarlet cloth, faced with myrtle green silkMusic: Mus.D. Cream brocade (flowered silk), faced with rose satinPhilosophy: PhD Scarlet cloth, faced with yellow silkClinical psychology: D.Clin.Psych. Red, faced with light green silkEducation: D.Ed. Blue cloth, faced with rose silkDental surgery: D.Ch.Dent. Scarlet cloth, faced with pale blue silkCounselling psychology: D.Couns.Psych Scarlet cloth, faced with white silk and edged with light greenMusic performance: D.Mus.Perf. White rose, edged with pale blue
Undress Doctoral undress is as for masters' gowns.
Hoods
Hoods made of silk are worn on the back as an indicator of academic status. The design of hoods as set by University and College Statutes Chapter XXII is below. Their design is distinctive [f2], having a full shape with an inch-wide edging to the cape and cowl, and in some cases they have poplin or fur decoration.
For several years around the turn of the 21st century, the BA hood was erroneously cut in a modified (with a curved liripipe) Belfast simple-shape [s3] and lined with fur differently. Before 1909, the shape was the same as the Belfast shape but was then changed to the full-shape. However, in recent years, the hood had been made in the modified Belfast shape, for unknown reasons, by the university's authorised robemakers.Trinity News, (17 November 2009) Subsequently, the MB hood had also been cut in the simple shape, apparently without any official authorisation from the university.Dublin Commencement of Medical graduates 19/06/2009 Since the 2012–13 academic year, both the BA and MB hoods have once again supplied in the Dublin full shape.
Bachelors Degree HoodArts: B.A. History (dual degree): B.A. (Hist.) conjunctimDual degree awarded with Columbia University English studies (dual degree): B.A. (St. Angl) conjunctim Middle Eastern and European languages and cultures (dual degree): B.A. (Eur. et Med. Or.) conjunctimBlack, half lined and edged with white fur, with a white silk neckband edged with blackDivinity: BD Black, lined and edged with fine black silkLaws: LL.B. Laws and German: LL.B. (Ling. Germ.) Laws and French: LL.B. (Ling. Franc.) Laws and business: LL.B. (B.S.) Laws and political science: LL.B. (Pol. Sc.)Black, lined and bound with whiteMedicine: MB Black, lined and edged to 1 inch with crimsonSurgery: B.Ch. Black, lined with white, edged to 1 inch with dark blueObstetrics: BAO Black, lined and edged with olive greenEngineering: BAI Black, lined and edged with greenElectrical engineering: B.A.I. (Elect.) Mechanical engineering: B.A.I. (Mech.)Black, lined with green, edged to 1 inch with orangeMusic: Mus.B. Theatre studies: BTS Acting studies: BAS Stage management and technical theatre: BT (Proc. et Techn.)Pale blue, half lined and edged with white furDental science: B.Dent.Sc. Myrtle green, lined with black watered silk, edged to 1 inch with crimsonAgriculture: Agr.B. Black, lined and edged with brownForestry: Agr. (Forest.) B. Black, lined with brown, edged to 1 inch with greenCommerce: BComm Business studies: Bachelor of Business Studies Global business: Bachelor of Business Studies Business studies and a language: Bachelor of Business Studies Black, lined and edged with goldVeterinary medicine: MVB Black, lined with maroon, edged to 1 inch with olive greenSocial studies: BSS Black, lined with gold silk or poplin, edged with whiteHuman nutrition and dietetics: BSc (Hum. Nut.)Jointly awarded with the Technological University.Academic dress of TU Dublin usedComputer science: BSc (Comp.) Engineering: BSc (Eng.) Applied sciences: BSc (Applied Sciences) Pharmacy: BSc (Pharm.) Surveying: BSc (Surv.) Management: BSc (Mgmt) Public administration: BSc (Publ. Admin.) Environmental health: BSc (Env. Health) Clinical speech and language studies: BSc (Clin. Lang.) Physiotherapy: BSc (Physio.) Occupational therapy: BSc (Cur. Occ.) Media and communications: BSc (Commun.) Information systems: BSc (Syst. Inf.) Financial information systems: BSc (Syst. Inf. Pec.) Therapeutic radiography: BSc (Ther. Rad.) Diagnostic radiography: BSc (Diagn. Rad.)Jointly awarded with the Singapore Institute of Technology. Nursing studies: BNS Midwifery studies: BMS Nursing: BSc (Cur.) Radiation therapy: BSc (Ther. Rad.) Midwifery: BSc (A. Obs.) Human health and disease: BSc (Hom. Val.) Veterinary surgery: BVS Early childhood education: B.Sc. (Puer. Ed.) Education studies: B.Sc. (Ed. St.)Myrtle green, lined and edged with blackEducation: BEd Education (Home Economics): BEd (Home Econ.)Dark blue, lined and edged with dark blueArchitectural science: B.Arch.Sc. Dark green, half lined and edged with white furMusic education: B.Mus.Ed.Pale blue, lined and edged with roseTheology: B.Th. Black, lined and edged to 1 inch with black, with the cowl bordered inside with 1 inch of purple set 1 inch in from the edgeMusic composition: B.Mus. (Comp.) Rose pink, lined and edged with white furMusic performance: B.Mus. (Perf.)Rose pink, lined and edged with pale blueBusiness and information technology: BSc (Bus. and Inf. Tech.) Dark green, lined and edged with goldEngineering with management: BSc (Ing.) Manufacturing engineering with management science: BSc (Ing.)Black, lined with white, edged to 1 inch with greenDental technology: B.Dent.Tech. Myrtle green, lined with gold, edged to 1 inch with crimsonLetters: B.Litt. Black, lined with dark blue, edged to 1 inch with whiteDeaf studies: B.St.Su. Black, lined and edged with yellowActing: B.Histr. Pale blue, lined and edged with white furScience in technology: Sc.BTechGreen, lined with black, bound to 1 inch with orange
Masters Degree HoodArts: MA Black, lined and edged with dark blueSurgery: M.Ch. Crimson, lined with white, edged to 1 inch with dark blueObstetrics: MAO Black, lined and edged with purpleEngineering: MAI Engineering (Research): M.A.I. (Ind.) Engineering (Studies): M.A.I. (St.) White silk, lined and edged with dark greenDental science: M.Dent.Sc. Dental surgery: M.Dent.Ch.Myrtle green, lined with pale blue, edged to 1 inch with crimsonAgriculture: Agr.M. White, lined and edged with brownForestry: Agr. (Forest.) M. White, lined with brown, edged to 1 inch with greenScience: MSc Science (Research): MSc (Ind.) Science (Studies): MSc (St.)