phd graduation hat germany

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The lovely german tradition of crafting graduation hats.

Who does not know those American graduation hats?  They are traditionally worn at the ceremony after successfully completing a degree or doctorate. Black and consisting of a flat, square board of stiff material to which a tassel is attached in the centre, these graduation hats are also known as mortarboards. Worn festively together with a black graduation gown, the young, proud, and happy students go forward one by one to receive their certificate. This could be a scene from a typical American movie, couldn’t it? This is how many people imagine the completion of a doctoral thesis. And to be honest, I also believed this at the beginning of my studies. However, anyone who has ever been to a doctoral thesis defence in Germany will have been quite astonished.

After passing the defence, the doctoral candidates are greeted joyfully by their fellow doctoral students, friends, and colleagues and, of course, receive a graduation hat as a sign of their new doctoral dignity. But not a usual one – a lovingly, colourful, self-made hat! Besides the classic basic body, these hats are often very expressive, with lots of little decorations, photos and details that are related with the doctoral student’s work, interests, or character. They reflect the many events, efforts, and special moments one goes through during a doctoral thesis.

Personally, I find the fact that these graduation hats are self-made very moving. The often-fancy decorations and design take a lot of time and effort, as I can report from my own experience. But it is precisely this that reflects the appreciation and deep connection and makes these graduation hats a unique, very meaningful memory. Quite a few graduates are reluctant to take off their hats, even though it is not uncommon for the many attachments to make the hat heavy and uncomfortable.

Who needs a classic graduation hat when you can get a personalised piece of art? I hope, therefore, that this German tradition will continue. Perhaps then I too will have the honour of receiving such a hat at the end of my doctorate. Until then, I will happily continue to craft graduate hats for my fellow doctoral students!

Do you know other traditions around the doctoral graduation, such as getting a sword in Finland or a doctoral ring in Sweden? I would be happy to learn about them.

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How to Wear Your Doctoral Regalia Set

Part of The PhD Guide Series

It’s time for graduation, and we want to make sure that you wear your beautiful regalia correctly. During my own graduation, I remember searching on Google for videos to try to figure out how to properly wear my gown. And since we often get this question here at PhinisheD Gown, we decided to share the instructions with you.

Under the gown

Most men wear a nice crisp dress shirt with a tie on top. A nice pair of slacks or khakis plus dress shoes complete the look. Ladies usually wear a summer dress and heels or flats. If your ceremony is on a grass field and you want to wear heels, make sure the heel points are wide enough that they don’t sink into the ground.

Graduation gown

Most doctoral graduation gowns are worn closed with a front zipper, except Stanford which has an open style. Your sleeve should sit around your wrists, and the bottom of the gown should be about 8-12" above the floor.

Doctoral Hood

To keep the hood secured in place, loop the string attached to the hood onto the button inside the gown near the top of the front zipper. Alternatively, you can loop the string onto your shirt’s button underneath the gown.

Once you have the hood on, have someone flip the part of the hood on your back inside out starting from the top. This reveals the hood lining color and shows off your school colors. To keep the hood in place, use the string to loosely tie the 2 buttons on the hood that should be sitting on your upper back.

If you are receiving your PhD degree, don’t wear your hood until after the hooding ceremony. During the hooding ceremony, you will be granted the degree and hooded by your department.

Wear the tam horizontally so that it is parallel to the ground and sits about an inch above the ears. Place the tassel on the left side of the tam (flipping the tassel is only for undergraduate degrees).

Have fun and celebrate your big day in style with PhinisheD Gown!

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We take pride in offering the highest quality regalia and great customer service. All the materials we use have been specifically chosen to closely match university designs and crafted into beautiful PhD regalia. We strive to make our doctoral regalia affordable to all PhD graduates so that you can celebrate your graduation day in style.

Farmington HS graduate forced to switch out beaded cap for plain one

FARMINGTON, N.M. — Farmington High School graduate Genesis White Bull had to take off her beaded and feathered cap and wear a plain one for her graduation ceremony. Video of the incident is going viral on social media.

Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren, first lady of the Navajo Nation, says she’s not OK with what happened or how it happened.

“I was pretty disappointed that it was handled in such a public way in front of a huge crowd, in front of her fellow peers, in front of our Native community, who, let’s be honest, made up a big portion of that crowd,” Blackwater-Nygren said.

Blackwater-Nygren says she stands by Genesis and in their culture, beading a cap isn’t decorating.

“There’s a lot of thought and prayer and good intentions that go into the process of beading a cap,” Blackwater-Nygren said.

In the 2023-2024 FHS Student and Parent Handbook, it says: “The cap and gown must be worn, and their appearances may not be altered.”

To the school district, beading a cap is considered an alteration.

Blackwater-Nygren says Arizona has a “carve out” law for Native students, and she believes they are in a unique situation.

“There’s like a religious and spiritual tie that we have to eagle feathers and beaded regalia and so that’s how I would push back in saying there should be certain exceptions to our Native students,” Blackwater-Nygren said. “I don’t know if there’s a parallel to that, right, in other cultures.”

Four other Native students put feathers in their caps, but the feathers didn’t go against the school’s policy.

KOB 4 asked the school district about what happened. A spokesperson for Farmington Municipal Schools shared the following statement:

“We would like to address some of the community concerns we have received regarding the graduation ceremony on Monday night at Farmington High School. During the event, a student’s beaded cap was exchanged for a plain one. The feather was returned intact to the family during the ceremony. The beaded cap was returned after graduation concluded.

District protocol states that the cap and gown must be worn, and their appearance may not be altered, which can be found in the 2023-2024 Student and Parent Handbook. Students were informed throughout the school year and immediately before graduation of the protocol, including that beaded caps were not allowed. This standard process helps us set student attire during graduations. However, students are welcome to wear clothes of their choice, including traditional attire, under the graduation cap and gown, and regalia, stoles, and feathers in their tassels.

While the staff involved were following district guidelines, we acknowledge this could have been handled differently and better. Moving forward, we will work to refine our processes at the school level. The district is also committed to exploring the addition of a district policy that allows for additional appropriate cultural elements in student attire, including graduation caps and gowns.

We are proud of all of our graduates and deeply value their different cultural backgrounds which enhance the educational experience for all of our students. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to work to honor both culture and individual expression in all our schools.”

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement Friday:

“In New Mexico, we are proud of and committed to our diversity, and what happened at the Farmington High School graduation ceremony does not reflect that commitment. It is unacceptable that a student was reprimanded for representing their culture during a time of celebration. 

I appreciate that the Farmington schools acknowledge that they could have handled this situation better and that their policy may be too restrictive. However, it shouldn’t have required the student raising this issue for a school to recognize its lack of inclusivity.”

Farmington Municipal Schools shared another statement on the incident Friday, on behalf of Cody Diehl, superintendent of FMS, and Rocky Torres, principal of Farmington HS:

“Farmington Municipal Schools and Farmington High School would like to apologize to the community, the student, and her family, for the events at graduation involving the Native American regalia. The intent, always, is to create a ceremony that is inclusive of all graduates and honors all of our students. It is clear that what occurred detracted from that and had the opposite effect. We are confident that our staff intended no disrespect or to violate anyone’s cultural beliefs or practices. In a community like ours, we need to have a new conversation about meaningful ways to best celebrate all of our graduates.

To learn from this experience and to improve our school community, we will continue to collaborate with groups within the Navajo Nation and other community stakeholders to begin the healing process and figure out the best ways to move forward. We are committed to learning from this experience and improving our school communities now and in the future.”

Navajo leaders outraged after Lakota student's tribal regalia removed at graduation

Navajo leaders are calling out a high school in Farmington, New Mexico after a Lakota student’s traditional feather plume was cut off her cap during her graduation ceremony.

A video posted to social media shows school staff approaching Genesis White Bull, who is Hunkpapa Lakota of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, during the May 13 commencement and confiscating her cap. It was decorated with beadwork and a feather plume, which is a traditional symbol of achievement and cultural identity marking a transition into new phases of life.

District officials maintain they followed the district’s protocols that say graduation caps and gowns cannot be altered.

Navajo Nation First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren was in attendance at the commencement. She wrote on Facebook that she was disappointed and called on school officials to allow Native American students the choice to proudly wear traditional regalia at graduation.

Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley also spoke out, calling the actions “belittling, humiliating, and demeaning.”

On Friday, President Buu Nygren signed an executive order directing all schools with Navajo students to allow graduates to wear traditional regalia regardless of whether they’re on the Navajo Nation.

Farmington High School graduate told to remove Native American beaded graduation cap

FARMINGTON, N.M.  (KRQE) –  Outrage is brewing on social media after a Farmington High School graduate was told to remove her cap adorned with Native American beading and a feather. Video surfaced online showing a school staffer telling the teen to take off her cap, remove the tassel, and put on a plain cap. It happened at the school’s commencement ceremony on Monday.

“They don’t have that right to tell me or my daughter how to dress, how to adorn ourselves,” said Brenda White Bull, the mother of the student whose cap was taken away. “All that was put into that beadwork. Everything that symbolizes, all of that was done with prayer by my family to give to her.”

She said a plume was also partially cut when being removed. “That plume has a spirit and they wounded our young warrior,” said White Bull.

In a statement, the school said in part that district protocol states the gowns and caps cannot be altered and that students were told about the dress code throughout the year. It also noted students are welcome to wear traditional attire under the gown and cap. Still, the district acknowledges it could’ve been handled better.

But White Bull said the law supersedes the intent was really to protect and make sure something like this didn’t happen school policy and that in taking the cap away, the staffers violated New Mexico law which is similar to the federal CROWN Act but also includes headdresses. Senator Harold Pope sponsored that legislation and called this incident disappointing.

“The intent was really to protect and make sure something like this didn’t happen,” said Sen. Pope. “I understand there’s rules, there’s things that happen at schools but we also have New Mexico law and we want to protect folks from being discriminated, from being harmed on their cultural and religious beliefs.”

White Bull questions why other students who had decorated caps, a choice she also supports and could have their own cultural significance, didn’t have their caps taken away too. “I just don’t understand why they chose my daughter to discriminate against. It made it rightfully so because she was Native American because she had beadwork that was cultural,” said White Bull.

The Farmington Municipal School sent a statement on Thursday:

We would like to address some of the community concerns we have received regarding the graduation ceremony on Monday night at Farmington High School. During the event, a student’s beaded cap was exchanged for a plain one. The feather was returned intact to the family during the ceremony. The beaded cap was returned after graduation concluded. District protocol states that the cap and gown must be worn, and their appearance may not be altered, which can be found in the 2023-2024 Student and Parent Handbook. Students were informed throughout the school year and immediately before graduation of the protocol, including that beaded caps were not allowed. This standard process helps us set student attire during graduations. However, students are welcome to wear clothes of their choice, including traditional attire, under the graduation cap and gown, and regalia, stoles, and feathers in their tassels. While the staff involved were following district guidelines, we acknowledge this could have been handled differently and better. Moving forward, we will work to refine our processes at the school level. The district is also committed to exploring the addition of a district policy that allows for additional appropriate cultural elements in student attire, including graduation caps and gowns. We are proud of all of our graduates and deeply value their different cultural backgrounds which enhance the educational experience for all of our students. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to work to honor both culture and individual expression in all our schools. Roberto Taboada, Public Information Officer, Farmington Municipal Schools

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.

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A Lakota student’s feather plume was cut off her cap during commencement at a New Mexico high school

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FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A Lakota student’s traditional feather plume was cut off her graduation cap during her high school commencement ceremony this week in northwestern New Mexico.

It was during the national anthem Monday night when Farmington High School faculty members approached the student, Genesis White Bull, and confiscated her cap, the Tri-City Record reported . The top of it had been decorated with traditional beadwork and an aópazan — Lakota for plume.

White Bull is Hunkpapa Lakota of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota.

Farmington’s school district said in a statement Wednesday that it prohibits any modifications to graduation caps and gowns, but students can wear traditional regalia beneath their graduation attire.

“While the staff involved were following district guidelines, we acknowledge this could have been handled differently and better,” the statement said.

About 34% of the school district’s roughly 11,200 students are Native American or Alaska Natives. The community of Farmington sits on the border of the vast Navajo Nation.

Brenda White Bull, the student’s mother, approached the faculty members after they removed her daughter’s cap, asking if she could remove the plume herself. The faculty members used scissors to cut it off, she said.

Navajo Nation First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren, who attended the commencement Monday night, said on Facebook that she was disappointed and called on school officials to allow Native American students the choice to wear traditional regalia at graduation.

“Deciding what to wear goes far beyond a simple decision of what color dress or shoes to wear,” Blackwater-Nygren said. “For Native students, this is a day to proudly wear our traditional regalia. Our regalia reminds us of how far we’ve come as a people, it shows our pride in our culture, and how we chose to identify ourselves as Native people.”

Robert Taboada, a school district spokesperson, told The Associated Press on Friday that district officials were working with the Navajo Nation’s Department of Diné Education to review and update its policies on graduation attire. Taboada declined to comment further.

Brenda White Bull told the Farmington newspaper that the family had prayed together before placing the plume on the cap.

“That’s part of our culture,” she said. “When we reach a milestone in our life, we as Lakotas decorate, do our beadwork and place our plume on them.”

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says the school owes Genesis White Bull an apology.

“To be humiliated during one of her young life’s most celebrated moments is unacceptable,” Chairwoman Janet Alkire said.

Brenda White Bull said Wednesday that school officials haven’t reached out. Efforts to reach her Friday for comment weren’t immediately successful.

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How to apply for your PhD

Applying for your individual doctorate.

DAAD/Jan Zappner

Once you have decided on a potential supervisor, you have to  apply directly to the professor  in question. Here are some useful tips that may help you succeed in your application:

• Invest a lot of time and effort in your search for the right supervisor
• Demonstrate your interest: show that you know the potential supervisor’s research field and you know what to expect
• Give details of your own experience in this research field
• Give explicit reasons why you would like this professor to supervise your thesis
• Make your motives clear. It is important to show where your interest lies in your very first contact
• Choose the subject of your thesis in a way that fits in with the academic orientation of your supervisor
• Show that you are well-informed: you know the requirements for a doctorate in Germany
• In your covering letter you should be brief and precise

In your application, you should provide information regarding your prior academic achievement, the topic of your master’s thesis and the subject area in which you wish to specialise. Your application should also  include a well thought-out proposal  for your doctoral thesis.

What's next?

After you have found a professor willing to act as your supervisor, the responsible department or doctoral committee must then  confirm your eligibility as a doctoral candidate . At some universities, candidates have to apply for admission to the doctoral examination at this stage.

Although it is not always necessary, it can be advantageous for international students to  enrol as a doctoral student  even when they have opted for a traditional individual doctorate. The prerequisite for this is admission to the doctoral studies programme.

You may need to present proof that you have passed the relevant German language examination. The International Office at the respective university can provide more details. The doctoral regulations on departmental websites also provide information about requirements.

Applying for a structured PhD programme

When making your selection, you should focus on the following questions: Do the programme, the institution and the environment suit my doctoral proposal? What are the requirements? What is expected of doctoral students?

Once you have found a PhD programme, you should  invest sufficient time and care  in preparing your application. In some cases, there are application deadlines for admission to programmes. It is therefore advisable to begin looking for a suitable programme in good time before graduation.

Multistage application procedure

For your application to be successful,  your planned doctoral thesis must fit in  with the main emphases of the programme and you will need a good or very good degree that is recognised in Germany. Initial contacts are usually made over the Internet.

The application procedure itself often  involves a number of different stages , but differs from programme to programme.

• Generally, however, as a  first step  you will need to submit a curriculum vitae, a copy of your degree certificate, a brief description of your doctoral research proposal and a  letter outlining the reasons for your application .
• The  second step , usually on request, involves a detailed application with a  comprehensive exposé of the research project . This includes details of your time schedule, references from previous professors, copies of all certificates and your thesis and, possibly, proof of language proficiency.
• If these documents win over the admissions committee, the applicant is usually invited to a  personal interview , which can under certain circumstances also be held as a telephone conference.

Tips for your application

When you have found a suitable programme, submit an application to one of the professors in the PhD programme or to the appropriate selection committee – depending on the programme or call for proposals. Here are some useful tips that may help you succeed in your application:

• Invest a lot of time and effort in your search for the right programme
• Choose your thesis topic in a way that fits in with the programme. Graduate schools are more broadly based in terms of subject matter and work in an interdisciplinary way. Nevertheless, your thesis must fit in with their specific fields of research
• Demonstrate your interest: show that you know the doctoral programme and you know what to expect

In your application, you should provide information regarding your prior academic achievement, the topic of your master’s thesis and the subject area in which you wish to specialise. 

You should explain your reason for applying, describe your research project and possibly submit a position paper for your planned doctoral thesis. In some cases you will already be expected to know what you would like to do in your thesis and produce a research proposal on the subject.

How to write your research proposal

• Be precise: say exactly why you are writing and what your research project is
• Give precise details of what your research involves – and what it doesn’t involve
• Explain what you want to discover in your research, what problem you would like to solve
• Focus on your research topic and do not get lost in sideshows
• Develop a coherent and convincing argument in favour of your research project
• Don’t get tied up in minor details
• Don’t forget to mention the most important works in your research area
• Make sure your grammar and spelling are correct

Online course "How to apply for a PhD in Germany"

The completely online-based self-learning module offers information about how to write a good application, the characteristics of the German research landscape and many other useful topics. Register now!

Valerie Loiseleux

►►► Click here to register!

Anyone interested in the course is welcome to participate. You will need about six to nine hours to complete the course.

You will learn more about the following aspects of doing a PhD in Germany:

• where to find a PhD position,
• application requirements and how to write a good application,
• characteristics of the German research landscape,
• and how to convince a supervisor of your project.

© Concept and content PhD course:  proWiss Wissenschaftsberatung , PD Dr. Reinhard Klein-Arendt und Dr. Birte Kathage

Check out our brochure

Doing a phd in germany (2019, 40 pages).

This booklet for (prospective) international doctoral students presents the different options for doing a doctorate in Germany. It explains the formal requirements and gives some practical advice on finding the right supervisor or doctoral programme. It also outlines different sponsorship and funding options.