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4+ Degree FAQ

4+ Degree FAQ

What is the 4+ Master's Program: The 4+ Master's Program is when a CU undergraduate completes the undergraduate degree, receives their undergraduate diploma and then begins the graduate degree program.

How and when do I apply for the 4+ Master's Program: You apply for this program through admissions during the spring semester of your senior year. Information about the process can be found here: http://cooper.edu/admissions/applying-to-cu/masters-engineering 

If I took classes beyond what was needed for my undergraduate degree, can those credits be used towards my graduate degree? Yes - but with some restrictions. First, only 400-level classes can be applied towards your graduate degree. Second, credits that have been applied to your undergraduate degree (including any minor) cannot be applied towards your graduate degree. (No double-dipping.) Please note that thesis credits must be taken as part of the master’s program.

Is there financial support available for admitted students?  Yes! All Cooper alumni, except students in the CE and EE non-thesis tracks, will receive a 25% scholarship. (Please note that the level of scholarship we are able to offer to all Cooper alumni is determined by the FEC mandate.) Any additional scholarship will be awarded at the discretion of the individual Departments. Financial Aid and external scholarships (here and here) are also available to those who qualify. Tuition and fee rates can be found here: http://cooper.edu/admissions/tuition-fees.

How long do I have to finish my degree? Students receiving at least a 50% scholarship (for instance, students working under a faculty member with a grant or receiving departmental funds) are expected to enroll in a full-time status where they take at least 9 credits per semester and complete in no more than four (4) semesters after declaring whether they will do the thesis or non-thesis track. As a reminder, all ChE students must do the thesis track, and have four semesters to complete their degree. If it takes longer than that, there is a maintenance of matriculation fee added to your tuition and fees.

Students with less than half scholarship are able to enroll in a part-time status and will have up to five years to complete their degree.  If it takes longer than five years to complete the degree, there is a maintenance of matriculation fee added to your tuition and fees. For students in the ME department, you must declare either the thesis or non-thesis track by the end of your third year or the semester in which you will complete 24 credits, whichever is sooner. Students in the EE and CE department must declare thesis or non-thesis upon entry into the program. EE and CE students who pursue a non-thesis track are not eligible for the Cooper alumni scholarship.

  • 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.