Traditions
Convocation at the University of Alberta includes a rich history of traditions, including the format of ceremonies, academic dress, conferring of degrees, and other key university hallmarks such as the mace (pictured above) and ceremonial chairs.
Ceremony and procession
Convocation ceremonies stem from the medieval tradition. The procession of the guild of teachers, whose solemn assembly, or convocation, is the modern equivalent of the medieval magna congregation of all faculties. It is led by the Chancellor and the Chief Marshal carrying the mace, the symbol of the university's corporate authority.
The academic gowns, hoods, and caps declare, in their various designs and colours, the academic qualifications of the faculty. The citations and presentations by the faculty to the Chancellor attest to him and to society the degree of proficiency attained by the students of the university.
There follows a visible and public act whereby the universitas magistrorum, acting through its Chancellor, confers upon the students the appropriate degree. It is the act, not a certificate, which constitutes the validity of the degree bestowed. The words "I admit you" and the placing of the students' hands within the hands of the Chancellor and his associates, bind the students in the appropriate degree to the universitas magistrorum.
The students thereafter bear for all time the mark of their association with this university. They have received what the university has been and presently is. Because they bear in themselves the promise of the future, they are what the university hopes to be. Despite its solemnity, convocation is a joyous occasion.
Academic dress
Gowns for undergraduate and Master's degrees are the customary Cambridge shape: a gown of black material falling below the knee, with full sleeves cut to the elbow and terminating in a point.
Hoods are made in the Oxford pattern, of spruce green material. The Bachelor's hood has a border three inches wide of the colour distinctive to the faculty. The Master's hood has a full lining of the colour distinctive to the faculty.
Mortarboards are the standard black trencher shape with black tassels, which are worn forward and to the left.
Hood colours
- Doctorate degrees
Doctors' gowns (PhD, DMus, and EdD) conform to the Intercollegiate Code in design. They are made of black material and the velvet trim on the sleeves is Philosophy Blue for the PhD and DMus, and Light Blue for the EdD. Doctors' hoods conform to the Intercollegiate Code in shape, size, and colour. They are made of black material to match the gown, and have a full lining of gold satin with a six-inch green satin chevron. The velvet trim distinguishes the two degrees and matches the velvet trim on the gown's sleeves. There is narrow green piping where the gold lining joins the black material. Mortarboards are the standard black trencher shape with black tassels, which are worn forward and to the left.
- Honorary degrees
Honorary Doctors of Laws (LLD), Letters (DLitt), and Science (DSc) wear a scarlet robe faced with white silk. Hoods are made in the Cambridge form of scarlet silk with a full lining of white velvet. Caps are black velvet with a gold tassel.
- Masters' degrees
Agriculture
Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences Grass Green Clothing and Textiles Grass Green Human Ecology Grass Green Renewable Resources Grass Green Rural Economy Grass Green Arts Anthropology White Art and Design White Classics White Clothing and Textiles Grass Green Comparative Literature White Communications and Technology White Drama White Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (Geography) Gold East Asian Studies White Economics White English White Film and Media Studies White Geography White Germanic Languages White Hispanic Literatures White History White Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Royal Blue/Gold Linguistics
White Modern Languages and Cultural Studies White Music White Philosophy White Political Science White Psychology White Recreation and Leisure Studies Royal Blue/Gold Religion White Romance Languages White Slavic and East European Studies White Sociology White Maîtrise en arts (Faculté Saint-Jean) White/Lavender Business Administration Silver Grey Design White Education Educational Policy Studies Royal Blue Educational Psychology Royal Blue Elementary Education Royal Blue Secondary Education Royal Blue Maîtrise en sciences de l'éducation (Faculté Saint-Jean) Blue/Lavender Engineering Light Green Fine Arts White Forestry Grass Green Health Services Administration Crimson Laws Scarlet Library and Information Studies Lemon Yellow Music White Nursing Crimson/White Pharmacy Cinnamon Public Health Pink/Crimson Public Management Silver Grey Science Agricultural Engineering Grass Green Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences Grass Green Anatomy and Cell Biology Crimson Animal Science Grass Green Applied Sciences in Medicine Crimson Biochemistry Gold Biological Sciences Gold Biology Gold Biomedical Engineering Crimson Botany Gold Cell Biology Crimson Chemical Engineering Light Green Chemistry Gold Civil Engineering Light Green Clothing and Textiles Grass Green Computer Engineering Light Green Computing Science Gold Dentistry Maroon Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Gold Electrical Engineering Light Green Entomology Gold Environmental Engineering Light Green Family Ecology and Practice Grass Green Family Studies Grass Green Food Science Grass Green Foods and Nutrition Grass Green Forest Science Grass Green Genetics Gold Geography Gold Geology Gold Geophysics Gold Health Promotion Crimson Human Ecology Grass Green Immunology Crimson Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Royal Blue/Gold Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Crimson Linguistics White Materials Engineering Light Green Mathematical Sciences Gold Mathematics Gold Mechanical Engineering Light Green Medical Genetics Crimson Medical Microbiology and Immunology Crimson Medical Sciences Crimson Medicine Crimson Meteorology Gold Microbiology Gold Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineering Light Green Occupational Therapy Salmon Pink Oncology Crimson Opthalmology Crimson Oral Health Sciences Maroon Paediatrics Crimson Pathology Crimson Pharmacology Crimson Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Cinnamon Physical Therapy Salmon Pink Physics Gold Physiology Crimson Plant Science Grass Green Psychiatry Crimson Psychology Gold Public Health Sciences Crimson Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging Crimson Renewable Resources Grass Green Rural Economy Grass Green Soil Science Grass Green Speech Pathology and Audiology Salmon Pink Statistics and Applied Probability Gold Surgery Crimson Textiles and Clothing Grass Green Zoology Gold Speech-Language Pathology Salmon Pink Visual Arts White - Undergraduate degrees
Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences Grass Green Bilingual BSc Environmental and Conservation Sciences Grass Green / Lavender Arts White Augustana White/Black/Red Business Silver Grey Bilingual BCom/Baccalauréat bilingue en Administration des affaires Silver Grey/Lavender Education Royal Blue Engineering Light Green Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Royal Blue/Gold Law Scarlet Medicine and Dentistry Dentistry and Dental Hygiene Maroon Medicine Crimson Native Studies White/band of Red, White, Green, Gold, and Blue Nursing Crimson/White Bilingual BScN Crimson/White/Lavender Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Cinnamon Faculté Saint-Jean Lavender BA Lavender/White BEd Lavender/Blue BSc Lavender/Gold Science Gold
University Hallmarks and Traditions
The University of Alberta takes pride in its traditions and hallmarks. The University Senate website provides information about these special aspects of the university, including:
- University Ceremonial Chairs
- University Coat of Arms
- University Colours
- University Flag
- University Grace
- University Mace
- University Motto
Faculty Establishment Dates
This document lists the establishment dates of each of the Faculties at the University of Alberta. Celebrations are normally held when a Faculty reaches 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 etc. years from their establishment date. These dates were formally approved by the Deans of the Faculties in 2018.
Questions about Convocation?
Stage layout
Hood colours by faculty
