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Academic Integrity

From its inception, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art has been dedicated to the highest ethical standards. The School of Architecture, founded on principles of independent and exploratory thought, maintains that individual creativity within a willing community is a profoundly social act. The School’s program fosters intellectual rigor and emphasizes a broad spectrum of cultural and ethical concerns to prepare students for their role in society as creative professionals who practice with intelligence and integrity.
 
Acts of academic dishonesty are extremely serious violations of both the spirit and the substance of this community. The Academic Standards Committee of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture will review acts of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarizing, or the submission of work that has not been prepared by the person claiming authorship. Such acts are punishable by probation, suspension, or dismissal. The action of the Academic Standards Committee in such cases will become part of the student’s permanent academic record.
 
Student Copyright
All incoming students are encouraged to sign a copyright release form granting The Cooper Union permission to use, copy, publish or distribute, perform or publicly display, create derivative works, and incorporate into compilations or collective works the works of authorship created during their enrollment at Cooper. The use of student work—whether recorded for the Student Work Collection, or published for general promotional purposes—is essential to documenting and disseminating the School’s pedagogy.
 
It is important to note that the form does not transfer ownership or copyright—all students retain ownership of and copyrights for their work.

  • 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.