During the 16th century a cape was abandoned but the hood part was kept and the design was modified to designate the university affiliation. Each university set out a code of colors to designate the various academic disciplines. In the United States the color coding has been formalized so that the color of the velvet panels and the sides of the hood can indicate the type of degree the wearer has received. Here are just a few of the academic hood colors: education = light blue, dentistry = lilac, divinity = scarlet, English = white, law = purple, medicine = Kelly green, political science = dark blue and veterinary science = gray.
