Shawnee State University requires all graduating students to wear appropriate academic regalia — a graduation gown and graduation cap — purchased from the University Bookstore in the Morris University Center.
The base ceremony attire includes a standard cap, gown and tassel set. For students earning honors or belonging to recognized academic honor societies, SSU also permits special adornments such as honor cords and graduation stoles to denote achievement or membership.
For honor-status graduates: those receiving Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) wear colored honor cords during commencement. According to the 2020 SSU commencement program, most “summa cum laude” graduates wore gold honor cords, “magna cum laude” wore silver cords, and “cum laude” wore bronze cords. Additional cords represent membership in honor societies such as national societies for biology (Tri-Beta), psychology (Psi Chi), English (Sigma Tau Delta), or general honor society affiliations. Veterans and active military graduates may have special cords or stoles as recognized by the university.
For graduates receiving associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees, the academic regalia differs: undergraduates (associate or bachelor) wear the standard gown and cap with tassel; master’s and doctoral degree holders wear gowns with additional features — for example, doctoral gowns include velvet panels and sleeve bars, and graduate degrees also include hoods lined with the institution’s colors and velvet trim indicating the wearer’s academic discipline.
While SSU’s publicly available materials do not specify a universal “graduation gown color” across all disciplines, they note that the hood’s velvet border (for graduate degrees) and tassel/cord colors correspond to the field of study — reflecting the institution’s adherence to traditional academic regalia standards.
In summary, Shawnee State University’s commencement ceremonies rely on classic academic regalia — cap, gown and tassel — augmented with honor cords, stoles, and hoods based on degree level, honors status, honor-society membership, and academic discipline. This system ensures that graduates’ academic achievements and affiliations are visibly recognized during the ceremony.
Shawnee State University requires graduates to wear official academic regalia — a graduation cap (mortarboard), graduation gown and tassel — available for purchase from the University Bookstore. The university permits approved adornments such as honor cords and graduation stoles to recognize honors, academic society membership or program participation.
Shawnee follows standard U.S. academic-regalia practice: bachelor’s candidates wear basic caps and gowns with tassels; master’s and doctoral graduates wear enhanced gowns, hoods and tassels that reflect degree level and discipline; the doctoral tassel is typically gold and hoods include lining and velvet trim that identify the awarding institution and academic field. Where Shawnee does not publish a full color-chart, the Intercollegiate Academic Costume Code (commonly used) assigns trimming and tassel colors by discipline.
Shawnee State University Compatible Graduation Cap & Gown Set — Bachelor / Master / Doctoral Options — Tassel, Honor Cord & Stole Ready
Description (short): Official-style regalia compatible with Shawnee State commencement ceremonies. Order the correct degree option (Bachelor / Master / Doctoral). Add approved honor cords or stoles to display academic honors and affiliations during the ceremony.
Note: To confirm the exact colors of the graduation gown, cap, tassel, honor cords, and stoles for your specific program at Shawnee State University , 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.