Thesis cover colours by faculty: the complete guide

When students walk into the print shop to produce their thesis, the first question is almost never about paper or binding: it's about the cover colour. The colour tradition is real and has precise roots, but it now overlaps with each university's visual identity. When the two diverge, a practical rule holds: Engineering and Architecture keep black and Medicine keeps burgundy at any university, while for other faculties many universities — Sapienza above all — let their own institutional colour prevail; when in doubt, the faculty colour is always a safe choice.

Traditional colours by faculty, at a glance:

Faculty	Traditional colour
Humanities and Philosophy	Ivory or dark blue (#f0e6d0)
Economics	Yellow or green (#d4a72c)
Law	Blue or red (#0d2a4a)
Engineering	Black (#1a1a1a)
Medicine and Surgery	Burgundy or dark red (#722f37)
Architecture	Grey or black (#525252)
Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences	Green (#1a4d3a)
Political Science	Purple (#5a2d6e)
Psychology	Orange (#c2410c)

In Rome many students instead choose their university's colour: Sapienza burgundy, LUISS midnight blue, Tor Vergata green. No rule is binding. Need it printed? Thesis printing in Rome in 2 hours.

The colours of Italian university faculties were not conceived as a spec for the thesis cover. They come from the academic gowns worn by professors during official ceremonies (the opening of the academic year, formal graduation sessions, academic processions). In Italy the gowns are black and trimmed with the colours proper to each faculty: blue for Humanities, green for Sciences, red for Medicine, and so on.

The tradition goes back to the 12th century, when Europe's first universities were founded (Bologna, Padua, Paris, Oxford). Each faculty developed its own colour iconography, inherited in part from the ecclesiastical and political symbolism of the time: the red of the Roman togas of high office, the blue of rationality, the green of growth, the white of philosophical purity.

When, centuries later, students began printing their theses with a hardcover, it felt natural to reuse those colours: the thesis is the graduate's official document, and it deserves the same colour code as the committee's gowns. That is where the custom came from — unwritten, not mandatory, but widespread — of matching the cover to the faculty.

This is the most common map across Italian universities. There are some variations (covered below, university by university), but the historical core is stable.

Humanities and Philosophy — Ivory or dark blue (#f0e6d0). The humanities are historically associated with ivory white (purity, inspiration, classical tradition). At many universities the cover is instead a dark or midnight blue, chosen for the restraint that evokes philosophical study.

Economics — Yellow or green (#d4a72c). Yellow is the traditional colour of the Economics gown (a nod to gold, wealth, resource management). Some universities and students prefer green, a symbol of growth and prosperity. In Turin and Genoa yellow is often replaced by grey.

Law — Blue or red (#0d2a4a). At many Italian universities the Law gown is trimmed in blue, a colour tied to rationality and the authority of the law. Red remains a common choice for the cover: it recalls the tradition of the Roman togas of high public office.

Engineering — Black (#1a1a1a). Black is the almost universal colour for Engineering theses. Restraint, precision, authority: three attributes consistent with the technical nature of the course. Often paired with gold or silver lettering to add value to the volume.

Medicine and Surgery — Burgundy or dark red (#722f37). Burgundy and dark red are the traditional colours for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine. They represent vitality, health and the importance of caring for life. It is among the most requested colours of all for those printing theses in Rome.

Architecture — Grey or black (#525252). Dark grey or black prevail: neutral colours that let the volume's graphic and design content stand out. At Sapienza, historically, Architecture also uses black, sometimes with small gold symbols on the spine.

Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences — Green (#1a4d3a). Green is the gown colour for the MPN sciences: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, natural sciences. It represents research, exploration and the bond with nature. Environmental sciences and biotechnology follow this tradition too.

Political Science — Purple (#5a2d6e). Purple identifies the Political Science gowns: the colour of wisdom, dignity and authority in academic tradition. Some students, however, choose blue, overlapping with Law by disciplinary affinity.

Psychology — Orange (#c2410c). Orange is the colour of the Psychology gown (alongside related humanistic disciplines). Liveliness, warmth, a balance between reason and emotion. A bold choice, less common than burgundy or blue but visually striking.

Other faculties and minor programmes

• Pharmacy — Garnet red. Close to Medicine, but darker and more orange-toned.
• Veterinary Medicine — Crimson red. Akin to human Medicine, with warmer hues.
• Foreign Languages and Literatures — Amaranth or white. Often amaranth at Sapienza, white at Macerata, pure amaranth at Bologna.
• Sociology — Wine red. Warm dark-red tones, close to burgundy but more purple.
• Communication Sciences — Wine red or orange. Often follows the Sociology or Humanities tradition.
• Sport Sciences — White with a red detail. A recent tradition, often left to the student's choice.
• Cultural Heritage — White or blue. Varies by university: at Verona often white, with the Cultures and Civilisations department.
• Statistics — Bluette. A variant of the Sciences blue, lighter and brighter.

Over the past twenty years the faculty tradition has given way to another logic: the university's colour. Sapienza, LUISS, Tor Vergata and Rome's other major universities have built a strong visual identity, and many students choose to echo it on the cover — rather than the traditional colour of their degree course. Here's what we actually see at the counter. These are trends, not rules.

Sapienza University of Rome — Burgundy / dark red (#802433). Sapienza's institutional colours are red, gold, black and white (source: the official visual identity manual). For theses this almost always translates into a deep burgundy or dark red with gold lettering: the thesis echoes the university's identity before the faculty colour. Historical exception: Engineering and Architecture, which keep black.

LUISS Guido Carli — Institutional midnight blue (#0d2a4a). At LUISS there is only one rule: institutional midnight blue. It's the university's colour, applied across all courses (Economics, Law, Political Science, Business and Management). The most requested cover is midnight-blue leatherette with high-definition gold or silver lettering.

University of Rome Tor Vergata — Green (#1a4d3a). Tor Vergata has an official visual identity system (DR 1449/2023) and its institutional colours lean towards green. Theses follow suit: dark green for most courses, with a few exceptions for Medicine (burgundy) and Engineering (black), which keep the faculty tradition.

Roma Tre University — Blue (#1e4574). At Roma Tre blue prevails in various shades, with the student free to choose by course. The Architecture faculty keeps black. Humanities and Education Sciences often opt for blue or a light ivory.

LUMSA — Dark green (with gold details) (#1a4d3a). At LUMSA (Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta) the distinctive choice is dark green, often paired with gold details. The university's Catholic character steers towards a sober, distinctive colour, different from the blues or burgundies more common at other Rome universities.

Academy of Fine Arts of Rome — Expressive freedom (#7a4490). At the Academy the rule is... that there is no rule. Students choose the colour to suit their thesis project: purple, dusty rose, cyclamen, sage green, alongside the colour traditions of other faculties. It's the one context where the cover truly becomes an extension of the work.

Other universities and academies in Rome

For these institutions the colour tradition is less codified and the choice stays tied to the degree course or personal preference. The most reliable reference remains each university's thesis regulations or your supervisor.

• NABA (New Academy of Fine Arts)
• IED (European Institute of Design)
• RUFA (Rome University of Fine Arts)
• Quasar Institute
• Pegaso Online University
• Unimarconi Online University
• Unicusano Online University
• Foro Italico (IUSM Sport Sciences)
• Koefia Academy

Stripped to the essentials, the choice comes down to three steps.

1. Ask your supervisor or the registrar. Some courses have specific guidance, written or spoken. It's rare, but it happens: better to find out before printing.
2. Consider the university before the faculty. If you graduate from LUISS in Law, LUISS midnight blue is a more recognisable choice than Law blue. Same logic for Sapienza (burgundy) and Tor Vergata (green).
3. See the colours in person. The shades on online swatches rarely match those on leatherette. In the shop you can compare burgundy, midnight blue, black and green and decide with the cover in hand. It's the difference between an ordinary thesis and one you'll remember.

At GUUG, in Rome's Prati district, we've been printing theses for over twenty years: the hardcover is ready in 2 hours, thermal binding in 5 minutes. You can configure your thesis online with a colour preview, or drop by to see them in person.

The faculty tables tell the tradition. But what do graduates actually choose? We counted the hardcovers that came out of our workshop in Rome's Prati district: 2,693 copies bound between November 2020 and June 2026, across 1,500 real orders.

The most chosen thesis cover colour is blue (33%), followed by green (19%), burgundy (16%) and red (14%). For the title lettering, 62% choose gold foil, 27% silver.

Colour	Share	Hex
Blue	33%	#0d2a4a
Green	19%	#1a4d3a
Burgundy	16%	#722f37
Red	14%	#a52830
Pearl white	8.5%	#cfc8bd
Black	4%	#1a1a1a
Beige	3%	#b8a585
Others (lilac, fuchsia, powder blue)	2.5%	#9b7fae

Title lettering: gold 62%, silver 27%, bronze 6%, other foils 5%. Source: paid GUUG orders, hardcover thesis covers, November 2020 – June 2026 (n=2,693 copies). Percentages rounded. Data citable with a link to this page.