Cooper Union

Pedagogy Research

Cooper Union faculty are actively engaged in the design and innovation of mathematics, applied sciences, and engineering pedagogy; inclusive ways to teach and communicate the knowledge and practice of engineering; and in increasing the positive social impact of engineering and education. Cooper is committed to educational innovation and leading-edge pedagogies, integration of ethical design and leadership, and experimentation in the curriculum. Cooper Union faculty respond to current needs, most recently in designing a course focused on sustainability and alternative energy.

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.