Master’s and doctoral gowns are worn with academic hoods, and some institutions also use the bachelor’s hood. At UT, only students receiving the Bachelor of Architecture degree wear the bachelor’s hood. Hoods were probably (in medieval times) originally worn for warmth over tonsured heads but are now exclusively decorative and informative.
The length and shape of the hood denotes the degree. Bachelor’s hoods are very short, with a pointed end in the back, which mirrors the pointed sleeves of the bachelor’s gowns. Master’s hoods are longer and have a squared, oblong fish tail at their base, mirroring the sleeve design of the master’s gown. Doctoral hoods are longest and rise from a flat panel. All hoods have velvet at the front in the color of the discipline in which the degree was earned and are lined with the colors of the institution that granted the degree (at UT, orange and white). The discipline colors for the velvet bands UT uses are those set forth by the American Council of Education in its Academic Costume Code.