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Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Architecture

The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture offers a five-year program leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree. The requirements are as follows:

*The elective component for bachelor of architecture candidates can be fulfilled by elective courses in areas such as humanities and social sciences, visual arts, mathematics and science and languages.

Approval for these elective courses must be granted by the appropriate academic faculty. A minimum of six elective credits must be taken in the humanities and social sciences. The School of Architecture curriculum includes 32 credits of required coursework in general studies (non-professional coursework outside the discipline of architecture). In addition, students are required to complete 13 more credits of elective coursework outside the discipline of architecture.

The complete Cooper Union catalog with course descriptions, academic standards, etc., is available online and maintained by the Registrar's office.

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  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.