Career Counseling

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The Center for Career Development offers individualized, 45-minute career counseling sessions designed to help students clarify their goals and take actionable steps toward their future. Whether a student needs feedback on résumés and cover letters, advice on internships and job searches, or guidance for graduate school applications, our counselors provide expert, one-on-one support tailored to students' needs.

To ensure the best experience—and to secure a preferred time—we strongly encourage students to schedule appointments in advance. Students can book through  12twenty, Cooper Union’s job and career platform, or by emailing career@cooper.edu.

While we welcome walk-ins, scheduled appointments receive priority. Walk-in visitors may experience wait times or be asked to return when a counselor becomes available.

We provide guidance on the following:  

Strategies for Effective Career Exploration

We offer self-assessment tests and results, tips on how to conduct career research, and how to network as a tool to self-educate and focus individual goals. We discuss effective strategies that assist with narrowing a student's focus throughout their time at Cooper Union.

Create and Refine Appllication Materials

We can help customize resumes, cover letters, portfolios, artist statements, short answer responses, and essay responses for grants and master's education. 

Navigate the Hiring Process

Discussions on professional communication, interviewing skills, post-interviewing etiquette, salary negotiations, and more.

Utilizing Resources

We provide resources for all students, including industry knowledge and external opportunities before and after graduation. More importantly, we offer guidance on how to make the most of what is offered.

Building and Develop Soft Skills

We encourage confidence and self-awareness.   We want students to be able to communicate their professional needs and wants in the most effective way.. We help students understand their strengths and weaknesses to gain a sense of agency and move forward in their personal and professional development.

Graduate School

Each year, many Cooper Union students choose to continue their academic journey by pursuing graduate study after completing their undergraduate degrees. While it is common for students to enroll in Master of Fine Arts (MFA) or Master of Engineering (MEng) programs, Cooper students from all three schools also frequently apply to graduate programs outside their original fields of study. These have included law school, medical school, business school, and a range of interdisciplinary and research-focused programs. The Center for Career Development supports both seniors and alumni throughout every stage of the graduate school application process. In addition to personalized advising, the Center hosts graduate school information sessions and panel discussions featuring alumni, faculty, and admissions representatives.  Whether you're planning to apply this year or just beginning to explore your options, we encourage you to connect with us—we’re here to help you make informed and confident decisions about your future.
 


 

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Career Counseling

 

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Beyond Cooper

 

  • 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.