Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art School Images
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 is New 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.
As a high school senior, I was told by my guidance counselor to contact
the deans and department chairpersons of 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 see if I had any questions.
Consistently throughout our conversations, I could tell that the chair really
cared about the students and the institution.
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.
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 op portunities 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. Architecture and the engineering schools also offer
graduate programs. The engineering school has B.E. degrees in chemical, civil, electrical,
mechanical, and interdisciplinary engineering, and a B.S. in general 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.
Faculty
Professors at Cooper are scholars in their field who have graduated from excellent institutions
worldwide—some 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.
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 em phasis
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.
Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
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.
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 $33,000 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 of -fered in the form of scholarships and needbased
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 2007
graduate was about $10,000.
Student Financial Aid Details
How many students use Financial Aid, and how much do they use?
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art 3909th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best New York scholarships and financial aid
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 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.
300 o Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
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.
Student Enrollment Demographics
How many students are enrolled at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art?
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.”
Last year, three of Cooper Union’s sports teams won Hudson Valley Atlantic championships.
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
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.
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 internships and school-year
internships; these internships will be valuable assets
in preparing students for work upon graduation.
During the 2007–2008 academic year, over 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-nine since 2000. 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
Engineers:
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
Demographics – Main Campus and Surrounding Areas
Reported area around or near New York, NY 10003-7120
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