Purchase College is a leading public institution of higher education founded in 1967 with a distinct mission within the multi-campus State University of New York system: to establish a superior undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences along with professional, conservatory training in the visual and performing arts.

The Princeton Review ranks Purchase among the nation's Best 357 Colleges and it is included in America's Best 100 College Buys, the Unofficial Biased Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges, and the Princeton Review's Best Northeastern Regional Colleges.

Purchase has a School of the Arts that includes the Conservatory of Music, Conservatory of Dance, Conservatory of Theater Arts and Film, and the School of Art & Design. The School of the Arts and the Schools of Humanities and Natural and Social Sciences and the School of Liberal Studies and Continuing Education are all increasingly focused on integrating the arts and the liberal arts as distinctive features of the campus. New interdisciplinary programs have been launched, including Journalism, Creative Writing, New Media, Cinema Studies and Dramatic Writing, to name a few.

Purchase combines the educational goals and traditions of a liberal arts college with those of an arts school on one campus. It is motivated by the conviction that artists and scholars are indispensable to each other and to an enlightened society. Purchase attracts a diverse multicultural population including international, residential and commuter students of all ages who are encouraged to acquire the skills and knowledge that build the foundation of a productive career and a meaningful life.

The faculty, students and alumni of Purchase are major contributors to academia, science, business, the arts and entertainment—and include Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award winners, CEO's of international corporations, prominent journalists and Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Genius award recipients. Among the current faculty are Guggenheim, Fulbright and other national award winners. Donald Margulies is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright; actress Edie Falco stars in The Sopranos, on Broadway and in films; baritone Dwayne Croft performs with the Metropolitan Opera; artist Fred Wilson won a MacArthur Foundation Award and was the US representative to the Venice Biennale in 2003; Doug Varone is a choreographer for the Metropolitan Opera and other dance companies, and the founder of Doug Varone & Dancers; environmental scientist Carl Safina is an author, a MacArthur Foundation Award winner, and VP of Marine Conservation at the National Audubon Society; filmmaker Chris Wedge won an Academy Award; actor Stanley Tucci appears in films and on Broadway; Hal Hartley is an award winning filmmaker; actress Sherry Stringfeld stars on the ER television show; actor Steve Weber stars on television and Broadway; actress Parker Posey stars on Broadway and is considered the queen of independent films; actor Wesley Snipes stars in films; and Gregory Crewdson is an acclaimed photographer.

Over 853 employees work at Purchase College which offers a comprehensive benefits package, on-campus daycare, free health club facilities, on-campus housing, and cultural activities. The College is located in suburban Westchester County, NY, 40 minutes north of New York City and on the border of southeastern Connecticut.

The approximately 4,000 students come from 44 states and 27 countries to this 25 — building campus located on 500 acres. Approximately 65% of the students major in liberal arts and 35% major in the visual and performing arts programs.

Purchase received its re-accreditation in 2002 from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

To complement and enrich the academic programs, Purchase provides an equally distinctive living, cultural and recreational environment. New dormitories and apartment complexes are being provided for a growing campus population. There are now seven Residential Learning Communities for freshmen led by faculty-in-residence. A new Student Services building and an enlarged plaza for campus activities is under construction.

The College also offers three sites—in Spain, France and Italy—for study abroad. The Freshman Semester Abroad in Burgos, Spain offers liberal arts programs taught by Purchase faculty members and intensive language training. Summer programs in Pisciotta, Italy; Hyeres, France; and Burgos, Spain also offer study in liberal arts and fine arts, along with immersion in the language and culture of the respective country.

Purchase College offers graduate programs in five areas: an MFA in dance, theater/design technology, and visual arts, an MA in art history, and an MM in music. A post-baccalaureate performers certificate and post-master's artist diploma are also offered in music. Within the performing and visual arts graduate programs, students choose from a range of concentrations. They also have the option of a three-year program leading to an MA in art history and an MFA in visual arts.

In addition to graduate and undergraduate programs, Purchase is committed to promoting lifelong learning for students of all ages, backgrounds and incomes. Through the School of Liberal Studies and Continuing Education program, students can complete degrees on a flexible schedule, further their professional studies or enrich their lives with a plethora of personal enrichment classes.

The faculty are in the forefront of their fields. They publish books, conduct research in the humanities and the natural and social sciences, are represented in museum collections on the world's stages, and bring their research and professional expertise into the curriculum. Students benefit from the mentoring and one-on-one interaction with faculty members who bring their deep commitment to their work into the classroom.

Purchase's influence as an intellectual and artistic center is the result of innovative programs that reflect the cutting edge of technology and intellectual pursuits.

The Visual Arts Building has 160,000 square feet of studios, exhibition spaces, workshops and labs. The Dance Building was the first in America created specifically for the training of dancers. The Music Building has two recital halls, 75 practice rooms, 80 Steinway pianos, and professional recording studios. Purchase offers state-of-the-art athletic and fitness facilities. The Library offers an excellent collection and access to a full line of internet services, plus 75 computers for student use.

The Neuberger Museum of Art and The Performing Arts Center are integral to the campus. The Museum is the eighth largest campus art museum in the country with an emphasis on modern contemporary art. It presents 10 temporary exhibitions each year in addition to displays from the permanent collection. Liberal arts and conservatory students engage in inter-disciplinary programs and participate in internships offered by the Museum.

The Performing Arts Center is a five-theater complex considered one of the finest of its kind on the East Coast. It presents more than 100 professional and numerous student performances annually and is host to some of the world's greatest performers. Purchase students also grace its stages as performers in the Purchase Repertory Theater, the Purchase Dance Corps, the Purchase Symphony Orchestra, the Purchase Opera and the Purchase Jazz Orchestra. They also benefit from internships offered in all areas of production at the Center.

Internships are offered to students in nearly every discipline of the College through the Office of Career Development. These faculty-supervised experiences give students opportunities to test and refine theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom and gain hands-on experience and connections with future employers. An Advising Center also guides students in designing their academic programs.

FAST FACTS

Purchase College attracts exceptionally talented faculty and students and is recognized for its educational excellence.

The campus is located 40 minutes north of New York City. The 500-acre campus with 25 buildings includes open spaces, beautifully designed buildings, old stone walls, untouched woodlands, and well-groomed athletic fields.

Founded 37 years ago, Purchase College combines world-class professional conservatory programs in the visual and performing arts with distinguished programs in the liberal arts.

The Princeton Review ranks Purchase among the nation's Best 357 Colleges. Purchase is also included in America's Best 100 College Buys, the Unofficial Biased Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges, and the Princeton Review's Best Northeastern Regional Colleges.

Purchase College attracts students of all ages and economic backgrounds from every part of the country and all over the world.

Internationally renowned artists and scholars are deeply committed to teaching at Purchase. They bring their insight and professional and scholarly expertise into the classrooms.

Purchase offers small seminars in all disciplines.

Purchase College offers graduate programs in five areas: an MFA in dance, theater/design technology, and visual arts, an MA in art history, and an MM in music. A post-baccalaureate performer's certificate and post-master's artist diploma are also offered in music. Within the performing and visual arts graduate programs, students choose from a range of concentrations. They also have the option of a three-year program leading to an MA in art history and an MFA in visual arts.

Purchase has 853 employees.

Purchase offers a generous and comprehensive New York State employee benefits program.

The Visual Arts Building has 160,000 square feet of studios, exhibition spaces, workshops and labs.

The Dance Building was the first in America created specifically for the training of dancers.

The Music Building has two recital halls, 75 practice rooms, 80 Steinway pianos, and professional recording studios.

Purchase offers state-of-the-art athletic and fitness facilities.

The Library offers an excellent collection and access to a full line of internet services, plus 75 computers for student use.

The Neuberger Museum of Art, the eighth largest university museum in the nation, houses a permanent collection of 6,000 works of art and features a full schedule of exhibitions, lectures, films and intermedia events.

The Performing Arts Center, a five-theater complex considered the finest of its kind on the East Coast, presents more than 100 professional and student performances each year.

Undergraduate programs in the Liberal Arts and Sciences emphasize interdisciplinary learning and critical thinking. Courses cover a wide spectrum that introduce students to different ways of examining the world. Interdisciplinary programs can be customized. Academic training is rigorous, and class sizes are small. Every student receives personal attention from full-time, highly-qualified faculty.

The Conservatories and the School of Art & Design offer professional training for motivated and talented students pursuing careers in the arts. Acceptance into these programs is based on talent and potential as determined by an audition or portfolio/personal review.

HISTORY

Purchase was founded in 1967 by then Governor Nelson Rockefeller. The site chosen for the campus was a 500-acre estate, Strathglass Farm, in the middle of Westchester County, 40 minutes from Manhattan. It was originally the property of Thomas Thomas, a Revolutionary war hero, whose family cemetery still remains on the campus. In order to transform the former cattle farm into a college for thousands of students, SUNY engaged some of the most prominent American architects to design the campus. Edward Larrabee Barnes created the master plan, and nine distinguished architectural firms designed specific buildings.

Construction began on the campus in 1967. The first students were admitted in 1968 under the Continuing Education program, 170 juniors were admitted in 1971, and the College's first commencement was held in 1973.