Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Introduction

The founder of Cooper Union, Peter Cooper, had a vision to offer an education that was “as free as water and air.” Established in 1859, Cooper Union is the “only private, full-scholarship college of higher learning in the United States dedicated exclusively to preparing students for the professions of architecture, art, and engineering.”

Cooper Union sits in the heart of the East Village of Manhattan and offers more than an exceptional classroom education to its students of art, architecture, and engineering. The institution’s campus isNew York City, a city alive with the sounds, smells, and events of the culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse population. It is not uncommon for a professor’s assignments to extend outside of the classroom and incorporate different aspects of the city. During my freshman year, the assignment for my engineering design class was to design an effective system to allow for subway transfers on one subway line in lower Manhattan. Architecture students are often given assignments of photographing buildings and bridges for class. Art students frequently take class trips to view different installations in the plethora of great museums, studios, and galleries of Manhattan.

From helping in local soup kitchens, to the sorority’s annual scavenger hunt, to dinners in Chinatown, the various student organizations also offer students the chance to experience New York City. Cooper students become a part of New York City by giving back to their community; it’s not uncommon for a student organization to sponsor a volunteer outing or a food/toy drive to benefit New York City residents. After September 11, students organized a “penny drive,” which raised over five hundred dollars for the local fire company. Aside from having its students explore the city, Cooper brings the city’s culture to the school with various lectures in its historic Great Hall and Wollman Auditorium, and art and architecture exhibits in its galleries.

The education in each of the three schools—Engineering, Architecture, and Art—is stellar. The professors succeed in bringing out each student’s creative problem-solving abilities in different ways. At Cooper, it wasn’t only what I learned, but how I learned, and how I learned to think and analyze. The professors and administration actively reach out to their students. It’s not uncommon for a professor to help a student in the evening or for faculty to attend a basketball game or a student performance. After my four years, I realize that the professors and administration really care; they are an integral part of the Cooper community.

As a high school senior, I was told by my guidance counselor to contact the deans and department chairpersonsof schools that I would like to attend. I contacted quite a few schools, and I must admit that the attention I received from the chair at Cooper was exceptional. Since I had swimming practice after school, the chair set aside time at night to speak with me. I had mentioned that I wanted to visit the grounds over the weekend and the chair called me back a few days later to give me instructions on obtaining access to the buildings and gave me his home number in case I had any trouble entering the buildings. Early the following week, he called to ask me what I thought and to seeif I had any questions. Consistently throughout our conversations, I could tell that the chair really cared about the students and the institution.

The Cooper community is quite diverse; the students represent different ethnic, religious, racial, socioeconomic, and geographical backgrounds. This diversity is represented in the multitude of clubs and organizations that represent the student body’s various interests and range from ethnic and religious clubs, to professional societies, to sports, to special interest groups.

Peter Cooper’s legacy lives on as Cooper Union continues to provide students with the unique opportunity of attending a distinguished full-scholarship small institution with all the benefits of the wonderful big city!

Cooper Union in the heart of Manhattan’s East Village is a small school with a community atmosphere. Its excellent teachers and wonderful opportunities provide its students with an unrivaled education. Its classrooms, labs, and studios are filled with top students who come to develop into top scholars in their fields, without compromising their social science and humanities education. In addition to the education, students are exposed to new and exciting people, cultures, events, activities, and experiences, which enable them to grow and learn socially. After graduation, the Cooper connection continues to help its alumni grow and develop in their major; the strong Cooper Union network of alumni helps students find job placement in the engineering, art, and architecture circles. As you can see, the name Cooper Union is the key to success in the art, architecture, and engineering worlds.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Academics

Cooper Union is comprised of these schools— Engineering (The Albert Nerken School of Engineering), Architecture (The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture), and Art, each offering an unparalleled undergraduate education. Cooper Union grants the following bachelors degrees: B.S., B. Arch., B.E., and B.F.A. The engineering school also offers a masters program in some areas of study. The engineering school has B.E. degrees in chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, and interdisciplinary engineering. The art school offers a B.F.A. , which provides both a general visual arts education and a focused preparation for future artists and designers. The architecture school offers a five-year program leading to the Bachelor of Architecture, the first professional accredited degree. Cooper Union’s engineering school is ABET-accredited, the architecture school is NAAB-accredited, the art school is NASAD-accredited. It is quite a challenge, although not impossible to switch between schools so you should choose wisely, and know that whichever school you study in, you are getting a first-rate education.

Joint Program

In addition to the majors offered at Cooper, Cooper has a joint program with Cardozo Law School. This program offers students the opportunity to apply to law school in their junior year. If accepted, students can complete their first year of law school during the summer between their junior and senior years of undergraduate studies. This summer program is offered to accepted students at no charge provided the student continues to study at Cardozo.

Fellow Students

Student relationships with one another also drive motivation. Due to small class sizes, students become very fond of their classmates; they are usually their study partners, as well as their best friends. As a freshman, I was told, the only way to survive at Cooper is to work with others—and that was true. So, I give that same advice to freshmen. Students at Cooper want to help each other. It’s rare to find a student who will not share notes or help. After being sick, I returned to school to find that a classmate had already photocopied the class notes and put them in my mailbox. That’s camaraderie! I fondly remember my study sessions with my peers as we worked hard trying to solve problem sets. Today they are my closest friends.

Throughout the three schools class sizes are extremely small, which helps foster the unique teacher-student relationship. Additionally, classes rarely have TAs, and if a class has a TA, the TA is only there to complement the professor and help. In my years at Cooper, I had only one TA!

Core Classes

Each school sets its own core classes for each major; the humanities department also has a set of core liberal arts classes required for each student, regardless of the major. These classes include literature classes and history classes. Additionally, students are required to take a certain number of elective humanities and social science courses. For some majors, humanities elective credit may be fulfilled with a language course. Cooper Union offers a wide range of language courses from the traditional French and Spanish to the more unusual Japanese or Hindu. Students may also participate in courses at the New School University. Although Cooper is not a liberal arts institution, it places great emphasis on the humanities and social science courses, and hires professors from prestigious liberal arts institutions to teach classes.

In the engineering school certain core classes are required for every engineering student, including: physics, chemistry, physical chemistry, calculus, probability, differential equations, computer programming, and design principles. Students are given the opportunity to perform research in such areas as chemistry, environmental engineering, and biomedical engineering. Art students must be proficient in such courses as drawing, color, two-dimensional design, and three-dimensional design. Architecture students are required to take such courses as design structures, mathematics, and physics. For some majors, electives within the major are required. Study abroad programs for summer and semester study are available for more majors and provide a unique and interesting way to continue studying your own discipline while exploring a new culture.

Graduation Requirements

The requirements for graduation in each school vary. Art students must complete 128 credits, including 38 liberal arts credits. The five-year architecture program requires 160 credits, with 30 in liberal arts and electives. The engineering requirements include 135 credits, with 24 credits in liberal arts and social sciences.

Since Cooper prides itself on a fair education for all, there is no grade inflation. If you graduate above 3.0, you are definitely in the minority. After a few tests, where the class average is only forty or fifty percent, you quickly learn that it’s not the grade on your exam that matters, but what you will be able to accomplish with what you’ve learned when you are faced with challenges outside of the classroom setting.

Senior Project

Each school requires a senior project. Engineering senior projects range from designing an ethylene plant to designing a car, and anything and everything in between. Some of these projects are entered in competitions, and many receive recognition. Each art student is given the chance to display his or her work in a senior show. Students present work ranging from paintings, to drawings, to movies. In their fifth year, architecture students enroll in their senior thesis class, which prepares them for work after graduation.

With small classes, friendly helpful professors, plenty of research opportunities, and bright and helpful peers, the opportunities for academic growth are endless.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Admissions

Admission to Cooper Union is highly selective. Most students, albeit bright, intelligent, and talented, when asked why they think they were accepted, will most likely say they fell through the cracks! However, deep down, we Cooper students know that each one of us was hand-picked for our special talents in our chosen field. The key to being accepted to Cooper Union is showing that you posses the skills and qualities necessary to excel in this first-rate academic institution, skills and qualities that range from talent, to intelligence, to motivation, to dedication.

Admissions requirements for each school vary; however, all applicants must take the SAT or ACT, complete sixteen to eighteen high school academic credits, and graduate from an accredited secondary school. In addition, engineering applicants must take SAT Subject Tests in mathematics I or II and physics or chemistry. Applicants must also complete an application with essays that enable them to describe themselves to the admissions committee. Art and Architecture applicants must complete a home test that shows their unique abilities to the admissions committee.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Financial Aid

Cooper Union is a private institution; however, thanks to Peter Cooper who believed education should be as “free as water and air,” Cooper is tuition free. All U.S. resident students are admitted under a full scholarship, which covers the $27,500 tuition. However, there is an additional student fee that must be paid each semester. Students must also pay for housing (dorms or off-campus apartments), food, books, and expenses.

The financial aid counselors really help to ensure that students receive the most aid possible so that they can attend Cooper without having to worry about how they will finance their education. In fact, almost half of the incoming freshmen receive financial aid, and a substantial number of upperclassman receive aid. The average financial package is approximately $3,712. (Remember, each student also receives a full-tuition scholarship.) Aid is offered in the form of scholarships and need-based grants, loans, and work-study programs. Approximately one-quarter of the students work part time on campus, and some also work off campus. The average financial indebtedness of the 2006 graduate was $10,743.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Students

It’s true that the workload at Cooper is challenging, but Cooper students do know how to have a good time. I can honestly say I was never bored at Cooper—between academics, campus organizations, and exploring Manhattan, every minute was occupied.

Housing

The Cooper residence hall, home mostly to freshmen, with a few upperclassmen, gives students their first opportunity to build a community at Cooper. Friendships start in the dorm and last a lifetime. Housing is apartment-style with three-, four-, and five-person apartments. The dormitory has a recreation room where many organizations hold meetings, a study lounge with the Hall and Resident Assistant offices, and a laundry room. Ethernet access is available in all the apartments. Resident Assistants with extensive training are available in an emergency, or simply to talk. During the first few weeks of the semester, RAs help bring out the community within the dorm, and try to foster that throughout the year with various activities and meetings.

Like a rite of passage, after the first year, most students move out of the dorm into apartments in the surrounding areas. Some students venture into Brooklyn or Queens. Living off campus affords students freedom, but not without many new added responsibilities. Having your own apartment, paying rent, electricity, and phone bills can be quite an adventure, and a lot of responsibility too! But, it is a growing experience, preparing oneself for the “real world.”

Activities and Organizations

Campus events and activities range from lectures, to plays, to gallery openings, to Greek parties sponsored by the various student organizations. Student organizations and clubs range from student government, to literary and artistic groups, to religious and cultural organizations, to Greek societies, to professional societies.

Every year, the South Asia Society, along with other ethnic and cultural clubs, organizes the Annual Culture Show, where student groups perform pieces representing world cultures, and there is also an international food fair, where students can sample food from different parts of the world. Donations collected during this event are given to UNICEF. South Asia Society also holds a Diwali Celebration for the Indian New Year with traditional Indian food and music. Hispanic Heritage night is a popular event sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Enclave Café Night, a relaxing night of varied performances from Cooperean and city residents, is sponsored by the Black Student Union. Also popular is the Soulsa Dance sponsored by Enclave and the Black Student Union, with Caribbean and Latin food on the menu. Kesher-Hillel, the Jewish Student Union, also draws a large crowd as it holds its semiannual Shabbaton to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath.

From the beginning of the year, many students look forward to Dean Baker’s annual ski trip at Mount Sutton in Canada. Over a hundred students and their friends cross over the American-Canadian border for a week of skiing and fun. This trip was so popular that the dean started an alumni trip during President’s Day weekend.

The February Celebration is also a favorite among Cooper Students. It’s the annual semiformal where students get the chance to dress up and dance the night away with their friends.

The Cooper Dramatic Society works hard to put on a performance each semester. Greek societies usually provide a social outlet for students. There are two national fraternities—Zeta Psi and Tau Delta Phi—and one local sorority—Delta Eta on campus. Usually, there is one Greek-sponsored party on campus per semester. But the Greeks tend to throw off-campus parties too. Greeks sponsor events such as TechnoBowling, Chilli Night, and Lipsync.

Students appreciate the larger community and do give back to the community with penny drives, fund-raising activities, and various volunteer opportunities.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Athletics

Cooper students play as hard on the field as they work in the labs and studios. As Dean Baker puts it, Cooper students have: “No gym. No courts. No fields. No pool. No time. No money. No EXCUSES!!” Yet, year after year, Cooper receives many accolades for its athletic programs; Cooper teams and players have been featured in the New York Times, ESPN Magazine’s The List, Glamour Magazine, and on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

There are both intercollegiate and intramural sports. There are five intercollegiate men’s teams and two women’s teams. There are twelve intramural coed teams. The basketball team makes its annual trip to California to play Caltech. Some home basketball games honor a graduating senior, and these games are followed by food and festivities. The soccer and tennis teams also draw small crowds of cheering fans.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Traditions

The Great Hall, “opened in 1858… quickly became a Mecca for all interested in serious discussion and debate of the vital issues of the day.” Since opening its doors many notable people have spoken from its podium, including:

• President Abraham Lincoln
• President Ulysses S. Grant
• President Grover Cleveland
• President William Howard Taft
• President Theodore Roosevelt
• President Woodrow Wilson
• President Bill Clinton
• P. T. Barnum
• Mark Twain
• Henry Ward Beecher
• Sidney Hook
• Mortimer Adler
• Jacques Barzun
• Norman Cousins
• H. V. Kaltenborn
• Orson Welles
• Malcolm Cowley
• Lionel Trilling
• W. H. Auden
• William Carlos Williams
• Dylan Thomas
• William Jennings Bryan
• Samuel Gompers
• Booker T. Washington
• Andrew Carnegie
• W.E.B. DuBois
• Victoria Woodhull
• Frederick Douglass
• Salman Rushdie
• Bill Cosby

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Local Community

Cooper Union is located in the best city—a city that never sleeps. Off-campus adventures can be exciting. The opportunities to explore New York are endless; trips to Chinatown or Little Italy can be culturally stimulating. Additionally, students frequent coffee shops, restaurants, museums, galleries, bookstores, movies, theaters, and concerts. There are farmers markets in Union Square, and street performers in Washington Square Park. Street fairs line the streets throughout Manhattan during the spring, fall, and summer. And, with New York’s public transportation, you can be anywhere in just a few minutes.

I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I’ve done at another place. — Diana Santos, Civil Engineering Student

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Alumni

Students graduating from each school pursue different paths, but what’s true for graduates from any major at Cooper is that upon graduation, they have attained the necessary skills in their field to conquer anything the future may bring. Cooper provides the basis for which all future possibilities are endless. Some students continue their education at Cooper and pursue a master’s degree. Others enroll in other prestigious universities to pursue higher-level graduate education in the arts or engineering fields. Others enter medical school or law school. Many return to school for M.B.A.s after working for a few years. Some students begin applying their newly acquired skills and find jobs in the “real world.”

Cooper has a career counseling department actively helping students find jobs upon graduation. Also, the Career Services department helps underclassmen find summer intern ships and school-year internships; these internships will be valuable assets in preparing students for work upon graduation. During the 2005–2006 academic year, 100 companies recruited on campus and others recruited through the school’s on-line recruiting system. Alumni are also active in the recruiting process. Many students find jobs through a network of alumni who return and recruit graduates. Alumni return each year to help in the annual Networking Dinner and Mock Interview nights sponsored by various professional societies and Career Services. Career Services sponsors the ever-popular Etiquette Lunch, where graduating seniors learn the art of interviewing while eating.

Those who do not find jobs right away may travel and explore new and exciting areas, others apply and receive Fulbright scholarships, twenty in the last six years alone. Some join various organizations helping others. One engineering student in my graduating class went to teach English in Japan.

As I said, for Cooper graduates the possibilities are endless.

Prominent Graduates

• Thomas Alva Edison, 1875–79, Inventor
• Joshua Lionel Cowen, 1875–79, Inventor (Lionel Toy Trains)
• Felix Frankfurter, 1898, Former Justice of U.S. Supreme Court
• Daisy Brown, ’04, Educator, First Black Female to Graduate from a School of Engineering in the United States
• Arthur C. Keller, ’23 Acoustical Engineer, Inventor of First Stereophonic Recording System
• Dr. Albert Carnesale, ’57, Chancellor, University of California, Los Angeles, past Academic Dean, Harvard University, Chief of the Defense Systems Division, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
• Richard Schwartz, ’57, President and CEO, Alliant Techsystems, Expertise in America’s Aerospace Program
• Stanley Lapidus, ’70, President, EXACT Laboratories, Inventor of Screening Techniques for Early Detection of Colon and Uterine Cancer
• Dr. Russell Hulse, ’70, Principal Research Physicist, Plasma Physics, Princeton University, Recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physics.
• Thomas Campbell, ’71, Founder and President, Coastal Planning and Engineering, Boca Raton, FL
• Genghmun Eng, ’72, Research Scientist, The Aerospsce Corporation
• Angelica Forndran, ’72, Chief of Engineering and Scientific Services, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
• Dr. Barbara Schwartz, ’74, Vice President, Future Development, Ethicon (a Johnson & Johnson Co.)
• Marisa Lago, ’75, Director, Office of Internal Affairs, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Thomas Driscoll, ’76, Director of Stock Research, Salomon Brothers, Inc.
• Gregory Ronan, ’79, President/Founder, Wave Optics, Inc.
• Philippe Wiener, Vice President, Strategy Development, General Dynamics Advanced Technology Systems.
• Joseph Tarallo, ’83, Technical Manager of Wireless Technology, Lucent Technologies Architects
• Irwin S. Chanin, ’15, Architect and Engineer
• John Q. Hejduk, ’50, Educator and Architect, Dean of Irwin Chanin School of Architecture
• Judd Hirsch, 62, Stage and Film Actor
• Daniel Libesking, ’70, Architect and Educator
• Elizabeth Diller, ’79, Partner, Diller and Scofidio, Associate Professor of Architecture, Princeton University
• Francois de Menil, Architect Artists
• Augustus St. Gaudens, 1864, Sculptor
• William Wallace Denslow, 1870, Illustrator, the First American to Create Picture Books Combining Color and Design
• Annie E. A. Walker, 1895, Pioneering Black Painter
• Max Fleischer, 1900, Animation Pioneer, creator of Popeye and Betty Boop
• Vera S. Neumann, ’28, CEO, The Vera Companies, International Designer
• Lee Krasner, ’29, Painter
• Louis Dorfsman, ’39, Graphic Designer, Past VP and Design Director of the Museum of Televison and Radio
• Evan Hunter, ’46, Best-selling author
• Alex Katz, ’49, Painter
• Milton Glaser, ’51, Graphic Designer
• Edward Sorel, ’51, Illustrator
• Jay Meisel, ’52, Photographer
• Tom Wesselman, ’59, Painter
• Mario Buatta, ’62, Interior Designer
• Thomas Fitzgerald, ’90, Filmmaker

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Faculty

Professors at Cooper are scholars in their field who have graduated from excellent institutions worldwide—many even graduated from Cooper themselves! Aside from their academic merit, professors care about their students. Their relationship with students motivates and drives the students. For the most part, professors are easily accessible and ready to help. It’s not uncommon to see professors in the halls on a weekend, or to e-mail a professor a question on a weekend and get a quick response. In fact, I was visiting my architecture roommate in the “studio” where all architecture students “live” during their Cooper years, and walking through this large room, with desk upon desk upon desk, was one of their professors ready to help if anyone needed it. One of my professors agreed to hold early morning study sessions so we could get a head start before the lecture, and hold study sessions in the evening too, so we could review and ask questions. Although this was not my best or favorite subject, his willingness to help motivated me to continue studying.

Carnegie Foundation Classification

Baccalaureate Colleges — Diverse Fields

General Characteristics

Highest offering	Master's degree
Calendar System	Semester
Years of college work required	N/A
Variable Tuition

Special Learning Opportunities

Distance Learning
ROTC — Army / Navy / Airforce	— / /
Study Abroad
Weekend College
Teacher Certification