Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering comprises the physical systems, devices and processes that form the backbone for the Information Age, including: electronic devices and materials, integrated circuits, signal analysis and processing for communication and multimedia applications, computer architectures and processes, embedded and distributed systems and networks, machine learning, and biomedical engineering.

The Cooper Union offers both a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Engineering degree with a concentration in Electrical Engineering.

Electrical engineering alumni from The Cooper Union have been very successful as professionals and leaders for the new economy emerging in the Information Age. Many pursue careers in other areas such as business and finance, law, medicine, applied mathematics and science.

The dedicated faculty and high faculty to student ratio ensure that students aren’t just  names on a list, but get to know the faculty as soon as they step into Cooper Union.

Mission Statement

To develop a highly trained, consummate engineer:  able to lead, to practice in a professional manner, to grow with technological advances, to express himself or herself in written and in oral form, to function as a project engineer immediately upon graduation and to pursue graduate studies in a variety of professional fields.

Program Educational Objectives

  • Our graduates will have positions where they function as first-class project engineers.
  • Our graduates will have positions that require exceptional technical knowledge and professional design skills.
  • Our graduates will engage in activities that involve professional-level written and oral expression.
  • Our graduates will engage in activities that require demonstrating leadership skills.
  • Our graduates will engage in activities that demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning, research, independent thinking and innovation.

Student Outcomes

  • An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  • An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  • An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  • An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  • An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  • An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  • An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

2023-24 Enrollment and Graduation

  • Freshman: 37 

  • Sophomore: 34 

  • Junior: 32 

  • Senior: 33 

  • Total: 136 

In May 2023, the Department of Electrical Engineering graduated 26 students with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering degree. 

Annual Student Enrollment and Graduation Data

Class Year Initial Enrollment Graduated
2027 32 N/A
2026 31 N/A
2025 35 N/A
2024 28 N/A
2023 30 26
2022 27 31
2021 29 28
2020 32 36
2019 41 40
2018 38 30
     

The Electrical Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Criteria.

  • 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.