Penn State Wilkes-Barre Commencement — Cap, Gown, Tassel & Regalia Overview

Penn State Wilkes-Barre requires all graduates participating in commencement to wear official academic regalia. Caps, gowns and tassels must be ordered via the Penn State Bookstore or through an approved vendor.

The gown design reflects degree level: baccalaureate gowns have long pointed sleeves; master’s gowns have longer closed sleeves; doctoral gowns are more elaborate — faced with velvet panels and featuring three velvet bars on each sleeve. Doctoral caps carry a gold tassel. Undergraduate and master’s tassels are standard.

The hood is the defining part of academic regalia for master’s and doctoral candidates. The hood’s lining uses Penn State’s school colors (dark blue and white), while the velvet border indicates the graduate’s academic discipline. Fields such as Science (golden yellow), Engineering (orange), Business/Commerce (drab), Arts/Letters/Humanities (white), Education (blue), Fine Arts (brown), Nursing (apricot), Public Health (salmon pink), Accounting & Commerce (drab), Economics (copper), Library Science (lemon), Music (pink), Medicine/Health Professions (green) follow the standard color-border scheme.

For honor recognition, top graduating undergraduates are awarded honor cords: “Cum Laude” wears a white cord; “Magna Cum Laude” a blue cord; “Summa Cum Laude” a blue-and-white cord. Military veterans or active armed-forces members may receive a red-white-blue cord. Additional recognized distinctions — such as student-athlete or professional licensure (for example engineering licensure exam passers) — may also earn cords in designated colors (e.g. silver, red/black) depending on campus policy.

In short: Penn State Wilkes-Barre commencement uses the conventional academic regalia scheme — degree-level gowns, discipline-color hood trim, school-color hood lining, and cords or tassels for honors or special recognition. Caps, gowns, tassels, and hoods are mandatory; cords and stoles are only those officially awarded by the University.

• Bachelor’s gown: black with pointed sleeves; standard cap and tassel.
• Master’s gown: black with closed sleeves; hood indicating discipline; standard tassel.
• Doctoral gown: black with velvet front panels and three velvet sleeve bars; doctoral cap with gold tassel.
• Hood lining: Penn State dark-blue & white; hood velvet border: discipline-based color (e.g. golden yellow for Science, orange for Engineering, drab for Business, white for Arts).
• Honor cords: white (Cum Laude), blue (Magna), blue-and-white (Summa); red-white-blue for U.S. Armed Forces graduates / veterans.
• Additional cords for recognized achievements (e.g. athletics, professional licensure) per campus rules.
• Caps, gowns, tassels, and hoods ordered via Penn State Bookstore / approved vendor.
• Only official regalia or approved military uniform allowed at commencement.

Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at Pennsylvania State University Wilkes–Barre , you can reach out directly to the college's administration or the office responsible for commencement and student services. They can provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding academic regalia.