Hood of the Month

University of Aston: MPhil

The University of Aston has a history stretching back to 1895 and the Birmingham Municipal Technical School. In 1956 it was re-designated as the first College of Advanced Technology before, in 1966, being granted degree awarding powers and University status alongside the ‘plate-glass’ universities such as York and Warwick. Aston developed their own hood shape, often referred to as the ‘Aston shape’, or s10, to which the MPhil hood conforms. The hood is bordered with 3 inches of Aston silk, with the arms of the University spaced at 5-inch intervals, including on the neckband. Aston was the first British university to use armorial bearings on its academic hoods, though there are now seven other universities which do so. The blue body of the hood represented a change from black, as used in all Bachelor and other Masters degrees. The arms were granted on 18 March 1955, when the University was still a designated College of Technology and reference the arms of the City of Birmingham, plus symbols representing learning, such as an open book. The University account is now held by Graduation Attire.

Timothy Hallett FBS

Photo courtesy of Timothy Hallett

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