Pratt Institute is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

with its main campus in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. It has an additional campus in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and an extension campus in

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

at the

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute Munson (Formally Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute) is a regional fine arts center founded in 1919 and located in Utica, New York. The institute has three program divisions, museum of art, performing arts and school of art. Museum of art The ...

. The institute was founded in 1887 with programs primarily in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, and fine arts. Comprising six schools, the institute is primarily known for its programs in

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...

, and

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

History

Inception

Pratt Institute was founded in 1887 by American

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

Charles Pratt Charles Pratt (October 2, 1830 – May 4, 1891) was an American businessman. Pratt was a pioneer of the U.S. petroleum industry, and he established his kerosene refinery Astral Oil Works in Brooklyn, New York. He then lived with his growing fam ...

, who was a successful businessman and oil tycoon and was one of the wealthiest men in the history of Brooklyn. Pratt was an early pioneer of the

oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest volume products ...

in the United States and was the founder of

Astral Oil Works Astral Oil Works was an American oil company specializing in illuminating oil, and based in Brooklyn, New York. Astral Oil was a high-quality kerosene used in lamps and noted for being relatively safe. It was founded by Charles Pratt. Charles ...

based in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn which was a leader in replacing

whale oil Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train-oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tear drop"). Sperm oil, a special kind of oil used in the cavities of sperm whales, ...

with petroleum or natural oil. In 1867, Pratt established

Charles Pratt and Company Charles Pratt and Company was an oil company that was formed in 1867 by Charles Pratt and Henry H. Rogers in Brooklyn, New York. It became part of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil organization in 1874. History Pratt, born in Watertown, Massach ...

. In 1874, Pratt's companies amalgamated with

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...

's companies. They became part of the

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...

trust where Pratt continued his active involvement on the board and the running of it. Pratt, an advocate of education, wanted to provide working men and women the opportunity to better their lives through education. Even though Pratt never had the chance to go to

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

himself, he wanted to create an affordable college accessible to the working class. Beginning with the 1884 purchases of large plots of land near his home in Clinton Hill to open a school. The school would end up being built only two blocks from Charles Pratt's residence on Clinton Avenue. From his fortunes with Astral Oil and

, in 1886 he endowed and founded Pratt Institute. In May 1887, the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

granted Charles Pratt a charter to open the school; on October 17, 1887, the institute opened to 12 students in the Main Hall. Tuition was $4 per class per term (approximately ). The college was one of the first in the country open to all people, regardless of class, color, and gender. In the early years, the institute's mission was to offer education to those who never had it offered to them before. Pratt believed that teaching technical skills-drawing, building, designing-promoted intellectual thought and creativity. And in a reciprocal manner, exposure to the ideals and aesthetics of fine art. Specifically, many programs were tailored to the growing need to train industrial workers in the changing economy with training in design and engineering. Early programs sought to teach students a variety of subjects such as architectural engineering, mechanics, dressmaking, and furniture making. Graduates of the school were taught to become engineers, mechanics, and technicians. Drawing, whether freehand, mechanical, or architectural, thought of as being a universal language, united such diverse programs and thus all programs in the school had a strong foundation in drawing. In addition, the curriculum at the institute was to be complemented by a large Liberal Arts curriculum. Students studied subjects such as history, mathematics, physics, and literature to better understand the world in which they would be working, which is still used in Pratt's curriculum.

Early years

NIE Kindergarten Pratt Institute Brooklyn

Enrollment grew steadily from its inception. Six months after opening, the school had an enrollment of nearly 600 students. By the first anniversary of the school, there were 1,000 students in attendance. In five years the school had nearly 4,000 students. In 1888, ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'' said of the school that "it is undoubtedly the most important enterprise of its kind in this country, if not in the world".

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

visited Pratt for inspiration and used the school as a model in developing Carnegie Technical Schools, now

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

. At the first Founder's Day celebration in 1888, Charles Pratt addressed what would become the school's motto: "be true to your work and your work will be true to you"—meaning that students should educate and develop themselves diligently and go out into the world working hard, giving all of themselves. As public interest grew in the school and demand increased, the school began adding new programs including the Pratt High School, Library School, Music Department, and Department of Commerce. Because of the overwhelming popularity of the Department of Commerce, the department broke off from the main institute and formed its own school, under the guidance of Norman P. Heffley, personal secretary to Charles Pratt. The Heffley School of Commerce, the former Pratt Department of Commerce, originally having shared facilities with Pratt, evolved into

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

. In 1891, the institute's founder and first president, Charles Pratt, died and his eldest son,

Charles Millard Pratt Charles Millard Pratt (November 2, 1855 – November 27, 1935) was an American oil industrialist, educator, and philanthropist. As the eldest son of industrialist Charles Pratt, in 1875 he began working at Charles Pratt and Company, soon b ...

, became president of the school. In 1893, Charles Pratt's other son, Frederic B. Pratt, was elected President of Pratt Institute taking over from his elder brother. Because Charles Pratt Snr. died so soon after the college was founded, Frederic Pratt is ascribed with guiding the college through its early decades. Under the direction of Pratt's sons, the institute thrived both financially and critically with many new construction projects and courses. By 1892, the number of students enrolled was 3,900. In 1897 the most popular major was domestic arts. In 1896, the school opened its monumental Victorian-Renaissance Revival

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

with interiors designed by the Tiffany Decorating and Glass Company and sprawling gardens outside the library. The library was open to students and the general public as well. The Pratt Institute Library was the first and only public library in Brooklyn for nearly 15 years. It served as a working classroom for the training of librarians and was one of the first schools of

library science Library and information science (LIS)Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the Dewey Decimal Classification for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003). are two interconnected disciplines that deal with info ...

. The Pratt Institute Library also made available the first reading room for children in New York City. By the turn of the century, The School of Science and Technology had become Pratt's most prestigious and well-known school and constituted most of the school's enrollment. Across from East Building on Grand Avenue, the institute constructed a new quad for the engineering school over a quarter of a century. The Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering buildings were constructed in the same architectural style, unifying all disciplines offered by the School. Pratt also had a variety of courses dedicated specifically to women. Some of the 25 courses women could partake in included

nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

, and

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

. By 1910, all of the departments of the institute were organized as individual schools including the Library School, School of Domestic Science, School of Fine and Applied Arts, and the School of Science and Technology.

Degree-granting status and increase in enrollment

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

faced the nation in 1914, Pratt partnered with the

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

to aid the war effort. The School of Science and Technology had its own Student Army Training Corps which taught enlistees engineering skills needed for the war. Students designed aircraft used in the war and trained pilots. In 1927,

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

alumnus Donald A. Hall designed the '' Spirit of Saint Louis'', used by

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

in the first transatlantic flight. By 1938, most programs at the school had begun offering four-year

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degrees Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

and Pratt transformed itself from a

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

to a college.Undergraduate Bulletin
pratt.edu By granting bachelor's degrees, Pratt had to revise its curriculum from two years to four years. The changes also reflected New York State requirements for granting degrees and stricter government and professional licensing regulations for graduates. During this decade, the basic program for all Art School students was founded. In 1940 Pratt began granting graduate degrees. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Pratt also helped in the war effort as it did during World War I with the engineering school training servicemen before they were deployed. Students helped to design

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

for soldiers, buildings, and weapons. Following the war, the school saw a large influx of

veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

enrolling as part of the

GI Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the te ...

. In the 1940s, the School of Science and Technology changed its name to the School of Engineering and in 1946 established its own

honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...

with

becoming the most popular major at Pratt. In 1953, Francis H. Horn became the first president of Pratt who was not a member of the Pratt family. Enrollment continued to climb throughout the decade and in 1948 the institute reached an all-time high in attendance with 6,000 students. By 1950, Pratt had become

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

. In 1954, the architecture department split from the Engineering School to become its own school.

Campus reorganization

As part of

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

in the 1950s and 1960s which affected the majority of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

the neighborhood of Clinton Hill began to see a transformation from an upper-class, affluent, white community to one chiefly populated by poor and working-class people of color. Pratt considered moving its campus to more affluent

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

to increase its attractiveness but decided to stay at its original Brooklyn campus due to the history and Charles Pratt's mission. As a consequence of Robert Moses' plan for

urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

in New York City, Pratt's physical campus saw the greatest amount of change in its history. Before the 1950s, the school was located in separate buildings located on several public streets. However, after Moses' clearance of many structures located between Pratt's buildings, including homes, the land was given over to the school, and a true campus was established. Ryerson Street, Grand Avenue, Steuben Street, and Emerson Place were closed to automobile traffic, and the campus was enclosed, forming the Grand Mall to connect the institute's buildings. The elevated train running along Grand Avenue between the East Building/Student Union and the Engineering Quad was dismantled. In the new real estate, the school was able to build several new structures, Dekalb Hall, Information Science Center and North Hall, all designed by the firm of

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

, including the Information Science Center and Dekalb Hall as well as a new student union. Moses' construction projects around the school helped to build the School of Architecture. Research funds were granted to the school to help discover new building techniques. By 1963, the urban planning department formed the Pratt Center for Community Development in an attempt to revitalize Pratt's surrounding neighborhood and Brooklyn.

Enrollment decline and financial issues

In the 1970s and continuing well into the 1980s New York City and Brooklyn still faced large amounts of crime and poverty. Enrollment fell and the school faced a

budget deficit Within the budgetary process, deficit spending is the amount by which spending exceeds revenue over a particular period of time, also called simply deficit, or budget deficit, the opposite of budget surplus. The term may be applied to the budg ...

. Prospective students and faculty felt uneasy about the safety of the campus and community. In 1974, the men's basketball team came to the attention of national media outlets when Cyndi Meserve joined the team becoming the first woman to play men's

NCAA basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athletic bodies, including the National Collegiate Athletic ...

. More students earned architecture degrees than mechanical engineering degrees in 1975. Architecture degrees became the most popular degree at Pratt, and remain so. In anticipation of the institute's centennial in 1987, several capital improvements were made to the campus, in an attempt to restore many dilapidated buildings. The Grand Mall was re-landscaped with new plantings, brick pathways, and lighting and the Newman Amphitheater was built in 1988 in celebration of the hundredth anniversary. President

Richardson Pratt Jr Richardson Pratt Jr. (March 25, 1923 – May 1, 2001) was an American businessman and educational administrator. He was the president of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1972 to 1990, and chairman of Charles Pratt & Company. Early life Richar ...

retired in 1990 after nearly twenty years as president. He was the last president descended from founder Charles Pratt. By 1993,

Thomas F. Schutte Thomas Frederick Schutte (December 19, 1935 – March 26, 2025) was an American Academic administration, academic administrator. He served as the 11th president of Pratt Institute in New York City from 1993 to 2017, as the 14th president of t ...

was appointed as president and became the longest-serving president not from the Pratt family. In the same year, Pratt controversially closed its School of Engineering as announced in 1991. The School of Engineering had been an integral part of founder Charles Pratt's long-term vision. Historically, the school was Pratt's most successful, and many associated the school with its engineering program. In response to the institute-wide decrease in enrollment and school-wide budget issues, closing the School of Engineering was thought of as being the only feasible option to keep the school's other programs afloat and to address the budget. Students in the Engineering program were transferred to

Polytechnic Institute of New York University The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...

while tenured professors were relocated to the School of Architecture and the science and math departments in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Revitalization and growth

By closing the costly School of Engineering, the school was able to clear its debt and get on the track to financial success. Funds were allocated for campus-wide beautification projects and restoration and modernization of historic buildings, starting with Memorial Hall. Part of the beautification projects included adding the Pratt Institute Sculpture Park in 1999 where contemporary art sculptures are placed throughout the campus lawns and gardens, making it the largest contemporary sculpture park in New York City. Pratt began a partnership with Pratt Munson College of Art and Design and

Delaware College of Art and Design Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD) was a private art school in Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded in 1997 through a partnership between the Pratt Institute and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. It was accredited by the Middle State ...

for art students to study for two years at either campus and finish their degrees at Pratt's School of Art and Design in Brooklyn. During the 1990s the school was able to increase enrollment by twenty-five percent, from approximately 3,000 students in 1990 to 4,000 students in 2000. Vincent A. Stabile, a 1940 graduate of the School of Engineering, donated about $13 million to Pratt, the largest donation made by any alumnus in the college's history, with the request to President Schutte that the donation be used to reopen the School of Engineering. President Schutte rejected Stabile's request and allocated his funds to construct a new residence hall named in his honor. From the mid-1980s to the 2000s Pratt experienced the transition from being mainly a commuter school to becoming a residential school through the construction of new residence halls Cannoneer Court, Pantas Hall, and Stabile Hall.

Presidents

(1830–1891), president from 1887 to 1891 #

(1855–1935), president from 1891–1893 # Frederic B. Pratt (1865–1945), president from 1893–1937 # Charles Pratt (1892–?), president from 1937–1953 # Francis H. Horn, president from 1953–1957 # Robert Fisher Oxnam (1915–1974), president from 1957–1960 # Richard H. Heindel (c.1913–1979), president from 1961–1967, #

James B. Donovan James Britt Donovan (February 29, 1916 – January 19, 1970) was an American lawyer and United States Navy officer in the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, predecessor of the Central Intell ...

(1916–1970), president from 1968–1970 # Henry Saltzman, acting president from 1970–1972 # Richardson Pratt Jr. (1923–2001) (grandson of Charles Millard Pratt; great-grandson of Charles Pratt), president from 1972–1990 # Warren F. Ilchman (1933–), president from 1990–1993 #

(1936–2025), president from 1993–2017 # Frances Bronet, 2018–present

Academics

Rankings

In its 2025 rankings, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked several Pratt Institute's graduate programs highly: #15 in Best Fine Arts Programs, #11 in Painting/Drawing, #29 in Best Library and Information Studies Program, #10 in Archives and Preservation.Pratt Institute – Overall Rankings – US News
/ref> The Bachelor of Architecture program has been ranked as being in the top fifteen programs in the United States consistently since 2000 according to ''Architectural Record''. While ''

Kiplinger's Personal Finance ''Kiplinger Personal Finance'' ( ) is an American personal finance magazine published by Kiplinger since 1947. It claims to be the first American personal finance magazine and to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language". It off ...

'' previously named Pratt as one of the country's best values in private colleges and universities, it was no longer listed in their rankings as of 2019. It was previously included as one of the top values for academic quality and affordability out of more than 600 private institutions. In 2023 and 2024, Pratt Institute was ranked sixth globally according to the QS World University Rankings by the subject Art and Design.

Schools and academic divisions

Pratt institute school of architecture facade

Pratt Institute is divided into 6 schools and more than 28 departments and divisions offering over 22 undergraduate majors and 25 graduate majors. The schools include: *

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is a professional school or institution specializing in architectura ...

* School of Art * School of Design * School of Liberal Arts and Sciences * School of Information (Pratt has the oldest continuously accredited library-science program in the United States.) * School of Continuing and Professional Studies Former schools include: * School of Domestic Arts and Sciences * School of Engineering

Joint degree programs

Pratt Institute offers the following joint degree programs: * J.D./Master in City and Regional Planning:

and Pratt Institute jointly sponsor a program leading to the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.) and

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

(M.S.) in City and Regional Planning.

Accreditation

Pratt Institute is

by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

and is authorized to award academic degrees by the

State of New York New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, following guidelines established by the

New York State Department of Education The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the supervision for all public schools in New York and all standardized testing, as well as the production and administration o ...

. The Bachelor of Architecture degree and the

Master of Architecture The Master of Architecture (M.Arch. or MArch) is a graduate professional degree in architecture qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that result in receiving a license. Ove ...

degree at the School of Architecture are accredited by the

National Architectural Accrediting Board The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), established in 1940, is the oldest accrediting agency for architectural education in the United States. The NAAB accredits professional degrees in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. ...

. The undergraduate

program is accredited by the

Council for Interior Design Accreditation A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nation ...

. Graduate programs in

library and information science Library and information science (LIS)Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the Dewey Decimal Classification for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003). are two interconnected disciplines that deal with inf ...

art therapy Art therapy is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art therapy, as a creative arts therapy profession, originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and may vary in definition. Art ...

, and

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practi ...

are all accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association, Education Approval Board of the American Art Therapy Association, and RATE respectively. The School of Art and Design is part of the

Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) is a non-profit consortium of art and design schools in the United States and Canada. All AICAD member institutions have a curriculum with full liberal arts and sciences requiremen ...

Demographics

Pratt Institute students, numbering 3,435 undergraduates and 1,381 graduate students in Fall 2019, come from 86 countries and 48 states. Women represent 71% of undergraduates and 74% of graduate students.

Brooklyn campus

Pratt Institute's main campus is located on a historic, esteemed, enclosed campus located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn, 2 miles from

Downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City (after Midtown Manhattan, Midtown and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighb ...

and 3 miles from

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

is just 5 miles from the campus. The campus is accessible by two public entrances, both of which close in the evening hours and are guarded by security 24 hours a day. The main gate located at Willoughby Avenue on the north side of campus is accessible for pedestrians and vehicles while the secondary pedestrian-only gate located at the corner of Hall Street and DeKalb Avenue at the southwest part of campus is convenient for commuters and for students to get to Higgins Hall. In addition, there are three other swipe card access gates available only for student use. The campus is very park-like and fully landscaped and provides a stark contrast to the urban neighborhood that surrounds the school. The four main areas of the campus include the Library Rose Garden, Cannon Court, Newman Mall and Amphitheater, and the Engineering Quad: * The historically significant Rose Garden is located directly north of the library and was built as a part of the library acting as a public park. At the center of the garden is a 1926

memorial to commemorate the men and women of Pratt Institute in the World War. * The Cannon Court is located directly south of the library and serves as the main entrance from the Hall Street gate. A central feature of the court is a large bronze

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

cannon from 1720 originally from

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, Spain, and brought to Pratt from

Morro Castle Morro Castle may refer to: Fortress * Morro Castle (Havana), a fortress guarding Havana Bay, Cuba * Castillo San Felipe del Morro Castillo San Felipe del Morro (English language , English: Promontory Castle of Saint Philip), most commonly known ...

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. Trees and meandering pathways lead to the library and Newman Mall. * The Newman Mall takes up the center of the campus with many of the academic buildings alongside the mall. The mall is characterized by brick pathways with mature trees lining a central lawn. To the north of the mall is a small amphitheater, designed by

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by enginee ...

. * The Engineering Quadrangle, which is recognized as a historic landmark, is located north of the Newman Mall toward the eastern side of campus with the Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering buildings enclosing the quad which has terraced landscaping and gardens with many mature trees. The entire campus is open to the public as park space during the daytime. Throughout the campus, many contemporary sculptures fill the gardens and landscape, making the campus home to the largest sculpture park in New York City. The Pratt Sculpture Park, founded in 1999, is the largest contemporary sculpture park in New York City and includes more than 40 pieces at any given time installed across the 25-acre campus in Brooklyn. Some of the artists who have loaned their work to the park include Shin Sang Ho, Mark di Suvero, Donald Lipski, Tom Otterness, Richard Serra, Takashi Soga, Gunnar Theel, and Allan Wexler.

List of sculptures on campus

Sources:

Buildings

Pratt is home to a diverse collection of buildings composed of several architectural styles. Most of the buildings at the school were built before

in the style of

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

, and Neoclassical styles and were designed by prominent nineteenth and twentieth-century architects. After the war, Pratt began building more

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

styled buildings. In 2011, ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

'' named Pratt as being one of the top ten most architecturally significant college campuses in the country, for its seamless collection of buildings ranging from since the 1800s. The Main Building, East Hall Building, and Student Union are all located adjacent to one another and make up a complex of the original buildings, all built specifically for the Institute in 1887: * Located in the north-central part of campus, the Main Building is a six-story

brick building designed by

Lamb and Rich Hugh Lamb (ca. 1850-1903) and Charles Alonzo Rich (ca. 1850-1943) were partners in the New York City architecture firm of Lamb & Rich, which operated from 1880 to 1899.The firm was preceded by the firm of Lamb & Wheeler (1877–1881) and succeeded ...

and was the first building to open at the school. The roof features an iconic clock tower, which overlooks the Rose Garden. The building houses administrative offices, classrooms, and art studios for the Arts Department of the School of Art and Design. In February 2013 a fire erupted throughout the top floors of the building, destroying much of the interior structure and students' work. * East Hall is located directly behind Main Hall and faces Grand Walk. Designed by William Windrim, a main feature of the brick building is the large smokestack which served the institute's power generation plant. Within the Hall are a variety of services for students including Career Services, Student Activities, International Student Affairs, and the Pratt Chapel. Located in the lower level of the building is Pratt's continuously operating, privately owned, steam-powered electrical generating plant built originally to serve the power needs of the school. In 1977 the facility was recognized by the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

and named a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark. As part of its goal of reducing emissions 40 percent by 2040, Pratt plans to transition its steam-powered electrical generating plant away from burning natural gas or heavy oil. In 2023 Pratt Institute removed two Combustion Engineering water tube boilers, And, replaced these boilers with two Cleaver Brooks fire tube boilers.https://www.jrmcm.com/project/pratt-institute/ * The Student Union, by architect

William Tubby William Bunker Tubby (21 August 1858 – 1944) was an American architect who was particularly notable for his work in New York City. Tubby was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1875.Christopher ...

, was originally built as the Trade School building but soon after completion was completely remodeled as the Student Union complete with a gymnasium and swimming pool. In 1982 the building was renovated again as the new Student Union. All three buildings wrap around an interior courtyard that connects out to the Newman Mall and Library Rose Garden. The centerpiece of the courtyard is a 17th-century

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

marble well-head fountain purchased by the Pratt family in 1900. Renovated once more in the summer of 2018, the Student Union is a place for the Pratt community to gather, study, relax, and innovate. Other structures include: * South Hall, located along Reyerson Walk to the direct south of Main Building, was finished in 1892 by

and was built as the Pratt High School. When the high school closed near the turn-of-the-century, the building was used for the School of Domestic Arts and Sciences. The building is now home to classrooms, studios, and offices for programs in the Department of Fine Arts, part of the School of Art and Design. * Pratt Institute Library, which was opened in 1888 to serve students and the general public as well, became the first free Public Library in Brooklyn. The architect of the building was

of Brooklyn. The interior in the building was done by the

Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

. * The Chemistry, Machinery, and Engineering Buildings are located across from Grand Walk and East Building, which are clustered around the Engineering Quad's lawn and gardens. They were built in phases between 1908 and 1928 and designed by architecture firm

Howells & Stokes Howells & Stokes was an American architectural firm founded in 1897 by John Mead Howells and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes. The firm dissolved in 1917. Howells & Stokes designed, among other structures, St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University; Wo ...

. These buildings originally housed courses for Pratt's School of Engineering until it was dismantled in 1993. The machinery building houses, a Print lab, Metal Shop, Ceramics Studios and WoodShop. The second floor of the Engineering building now houses Pratt's largest computer lab on campus, with several classrooms of

Mac Mac or MAC may refer to: Common meanings * Mac (computer), a line of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * Mac, a prefix to surnames derived from Gaelic languages * McIntosh (apple), a Canadi ...

and PC workstations and a collection of scanners, printers, and

plotter A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like Polyvinyl chloride, vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes k ...

s. The basement houses Pratt's Material Lab and Center for Sustainable Design Strategies. * The school's auditorium, Memorial Hall, was built in 1927 with

John Mead Howells John Mead Howells ( ; August 14, 1868 – September 22, 1959) was an American architect. Early life and education Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of author William Dean Howells, he earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard Univ ...

serving as the architect. It is located across from the Rose Garden along Reyerson Walk, between the Main Building and North Hall. * Built as part of the

project led by

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influentia ...

, North Hall is located directly north of Memorial Hall and was designed by

McKim, Mead, and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

in 1958. The building houses Pratt's Main cafeteria and the school's bank. Classrooms for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences are located on the upper levels of the building. * DeKalb Hall and the Information Science Center were also designed by McKim, Mead, and White earlier in 1955. They originally served as men's and women's dormitories respectively until Pratt acquired Willoughby Hall. After the acquisition of Willoughby, the buildings were remodeled to serve classroom and administrative needs. DeKalb Hall, located to the far west of campus and south of the Library and Cannon Court, is home to administrative offices. The Information Science Center is also located to the far west of campus, but north of the Library and Rose Garden, which was home to the School of Information. * The Juliana Curran Terian Design Center is made up of two separate wings, Steuben Hall to the east and Pratt Studios west, which hold all of Pratt's design programs. Located at the southern edge of the campus between Pantas Hall and the Athletics and Recreation Center, this building is home to the Interior Design, Industrial Design, Communication Design, and Fashion Design Departments, as well as th
givetake art supply recycling initiative
At the center of the building, there is a small courtyard. Originally the center was two separate buildings that were acquired by Pratt in 1962 and 1970, respectively. The buildings were originally built around the turn-of-the-century and served as factories until Pratt acquired them. A new glass and metal entry pavilion, named in honor of architecture alumni and donor Juliana Curran Terian, was constructed in 2007 and was designed to the two original, separate, brick buildings. The lead architect for the project was the School of Architecture's Dean, Thomas Hanrahan. * Myrtle Hall is Pratt's newest building, having opened in 2010. The building, located one block north of campus, was designed by Pratt Institute School of Architecture alumnus Jack Esterson AIA of the New York City architecture and engineering firm WASA/Studio A, and has achieved LEED Gold Certification. The building houses Student Services ( registrar,

bursar A bursar (derived from ''wikt:bursa, bursa'', Latin for 'Coin purse, purse') is a professional Administrator of the government, administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usual ...

, and

financial aid Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in purs ...

), Admissions, the Pratt Center for Community Development, and the Digital Art Center. * The Caroline Ladd Pratt House is owned by the school. It is used as the college president's mansion and for gala events. It was completed in 1898 and designed by architects Babb, Cook, and Willard for Frederic B. Pratt, the institute's third president, the son of Charles Pratt (and family). It is located four blocks west of the school on Clinton Avenue, near the other Pratt family mansions. * Higgins Hall, located one block south of the main campus, houses the entire School of Architecture with the exception of Construction Management programs. The historic

landmark building with a contemporary center wing houses the school's Administrative Offices, computer labs, student classrooms, laboratories, a lecture hall, a small café, and the Hazel and Robert H. Siegel Gallery. The building was originally built for the prestigious

Adelphi Academy Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York, United States. Adelphi also has centers in Downtown Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County in addition to a virtual, online campus for remote students. As of 2019, it had ...

, now

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York, United States. Adelphi also has centers in Downtown Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County in addition to a virtual, online campus for remote students. As of 2019, it had ...

in phases from 1868 through 1890 by Mundell and Teckritz and Charles C. Haight. Charles Pratt also partially funded the construction of the building as part of his philanthropic efforts. The building was given to Pratt Institute in 1965 by the wife of John Higgins, architect and alumni of Adelphi Academy. The School of Architecture was relocated here. In 1996, the building experienced a major fire, destroying the center wing of the building and severely damaging the northern and southern wings. In 2005, the school replaced the center wing with a new sleek and contemporary glass structure, which linked historic brick northern and southern wings designed by

Steven Holl Steven Holl (born December 9, 1947) is a New York–based American architect and watercolorist. His work includes the 2022 Rubenstein Commons at the Institute for Advanced Study; the 2020 Campus expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston inc ...

, and incorporated complementary contrast to the original essence. As part of the rebuilding of Higgins Hall, Rogers Marvel Architects restored and renovated the original nineteenth-century wings to their former glory. File:Pratt library sunny jeh.jpg, Library File:Pratt Memorial Hall jeh.jpg, Memorial Hall File:Pratt Inst powerhouse sun jeh.jpg, East Hall File:Pratt Engineering Bldg rainy jeh.jpg, Engineering Building File:Pratt Chemistry bldg rainy jeh.jpg, Chemistry Building

Historic sites

Several Pratt Institute's buildings and landscapes are historically significant. The Pratt Institute Historic District is a national

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

that comprises 10 contributing buildings built between 1885 and 1936. Several buildings are recognized as being New York City Designated Landmarks. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2005 and was awarded the Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grant. Two buildings outside the historic district, Higgins Hall and the Caroline Ladd Pratt House are also listed on the historic register as being a part of the

Clinton Hill Historic District Clinton Hill Historic District is a national historic district in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, in New York City. It consists of 1,063 largely residential contributing buildings built between the 1840s and 1930 in popular contemporary and revival styl ...

. The buildings and structures listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for their architectural or historical significance are:

Residence halls

Pratt, a residential campus, offers seven different residence options for its students. All residence hall students are provided with a bed (twin extra-long), a desk, a chair, and a dresser. Students residing in a dorm without in-unit kitchens are required to be on a mandatory meal plan (Stabile, Emerson, ELJ, and Pantas), while those with in-unit kitchens can sign up for an optional meal plan (Willoughby and Grand Avenue). Emerson Place, Leo J. Pantas Hall, and Vincent A. Stabile Hall are the primary freshman dorms. In total, 51 percent of undergraduate students reside on campus while 92 percent of incoming freshmen students reside on campus. Pratt offers the following residence halls for students to choose from: * Esther Lloyd-Jones Hall is named for a trendsetter in modern American higher education. The building was originally a private apartment building built in 1921 but was acquired by Pratt in 1964 as used for dormitories. ELJ accommodates students in single and double rooms in apartment-style accommodations. ELJ is occupied primarily by upperclassmen continuing students. * Emerson Hall is the newest dorm on the Pratt campus, opening in Fall 2019. It was built specifically to be a freshman dorm. It was collaboratively designed by CannonDesign and Hanrahan Meyers Architects to encourage interaction. The dorm is off campus, across the street from the Film and Video Building. The dorm contains double rooms, with several individual bathrooms and separate, individual shower rooms on each floor to be shared by those inhabiting each floor. Each floor also contains a large central common space with a small kitchen on each floor. * Leo J. Pantas Hall was opened in 1987 and designed by

and sits centrally located on campus. Students live in four-person suites, which consist of two double rooms (two people in each double room), and each suite has its bathroom. Suites are single-sex, but floors are co-ed. The building boasts a work/study rooms and communal lounges. The building was designed in brick with a clock tower, echoing the style of the original 1887 Main Building. Pantas is primarily a freshman residence hall. Pratt houses Steuben St jeh

* Vincent A. Stabile Hall opened in the Fall of 1999 and designed by Pasanella+Klein, Stolzman+Berg Architects. Named for the donor and graduate of the Engineering School, it was designed for new undergraduate students. It houses 240 students in four-person suites. Each suite consists of two double rooms with a shared bath. There are

kitchenette A kitchenette is a small cooking area, which usually has a refrigerator and a microwave oven, but may have other appliances - for example a sink. They are found in studio apartments, some motel and hotel rooms, college dormitories, office buildings ...

s located on each floor. Stabile is primarily a freshman residence hall. * The Pratt Townhouses are historic landmarks that were originally constructed from 1901 to 1910 in the colonial revival style to serve as faculty housing. The townhomes were designed by Hobart C. Walker. After being neglected for several years, Pratt renovated the townhouses to be used by upperclassmen. Each unit consists of six single rooms spread across three stories, a full kitchen, living room, parlor, basement, and shared backyard. * Willoughby Hall is a former private apartment building built as part of

' urban renewal projects surrounding Pratt, and is the largest residence hall. Built in 1957 by architect

, the 16-story building accommodates 800 undergraduate men and women. In addition to the standard furniture, all apartments have a kitchen table, stove, and refrigerator. All students are assigned to double, triple, or single spaces. The converted apartments consist of at least one double or triple that occupies the former living-room space of the apartment. The number of students residing in a given apartment ranges from two to six students, depending upon the size of the converted apartment—studio, one, two, or three bedrooms. * Grand Avenue Residence is home to new and continuing graduate students. The building can accommodate 50 students in efficiency apartments (double and single) and private single rooms within two- and three-bedroom apartments. A double-efficiency apartment is two students sharing a one-room apartment (with a kitchen and bath). A single-efficiency apartment is one student in a private one-room apartment with a kitchen and bath. A shared single is two or more students, each with a private bedroom, sharing a kitchen, bath, and living room. The building is located one block from campus. Each living room is furnished with a sofa, club chair, coffee table, kitchen table, and chairs.

Transportation

Pratt does not provide any official sponsored transportation options for its students, but there are several public transportation options located directly off Pratt's main campus. The school is served by MTA

New York City Bus MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the bus operations division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. The MTA operates local, limited-stop, express, and Select Bus Service ( bus rapid transit) services across the city ...

routes with the bus route servicing the campus to the south with stations along DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues and the bus route serving the area north of the campus along Myrtle Avenue. In addition, the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

's has one station located at the intersection of Washington and Lafayette Avenues and another located at the intersection of Classon and Lafayette Avenues. The Clinton–Washington Avenues station (

IND Crosstown Line The IND Crosstown Line or Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division (New York City Subway), B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City. It provides crosstown service between wes ...

) is located directly across the street from Higgins Hall. The Classon Avenue station (

) is located one block south of the southeast corner of campus. In addition, the has an entrance to Clinton–Washington Avenues station (

IND Fulton Street Line The IND Fulton Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, running from the Cranberry Street Tunnel under the East River through central Brooklyn to a terminus in Ozone Park, Queens. The IND Rockawa ...

) four blocks south of the Hall Gate entrance and three blocks south of Higgins Hall. New York City's public bike-share program,

Citi Bike Citi Bike is a privately owned public bicycle sharing system serving the New York City boroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, as well as Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City and Hoboken, New Jersey. Named after lead sponsor Ci ...

, has stations nearby at Lafayette Avenue and Saint James Place; at Hall Street and Willoughby Avenue; and Emerson Place and Myrtle Avenue. The

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

Atlantic Terminal Atlantic Terminal (formerly Flatbush Avenue) is the westernmost commuter rail terminal on the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) Atlantic Branch, located at Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It is the prima ...

, is located a short walk from the campus. Pratt participates in New Jersey Transit's University Partnership Program where students can receive a twenty-five percent discount on monthly passes based out of

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may refer to: Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * New York Penn Station ** Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), the predecessor to the present New York City station * Newark Penn Station Train ...

in Manhattan.

Pratt Manhattan

The Pratt Manhattan center, located at 144 West 14th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue, is home to associate degrees programs, a bachelor's degree program, and graduate programs. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies also offers non-credit courses and certificate programs. This seven-story historic building was acquired by Pratt in 2000. The institute restored the building's exterior to its original facade highlighting its decorative architectural and design elements and renovated the interior to feature its high ceilings and wood beams. In 1974, the New York Phoenix School of Design, formerly the New York School of Applied Design for Women and the

Phoenix Art Institute Phoenix Art Institute, originally located at 350 Madison Avenue in New York, New York, was an educational institution co-founded in 1925 by Franklin Booth with Lauros M. Phoenix. In 1944, it merged with the New York School of Applied Design for W ...

, merged with the Pratt Institute to form the Pratt-New York Phoenix School of Design, which offered three-year certificate programs in art and design at least into the late 1970s. It is located in the landmark New York School of Applied Design Building at 160 Lexington Avenue, at the northwest corner of Lexington and 30th Street. At this time, Manhattan had long been the epicenter of publishing design during the latter-twentieth century. This new commercial-art-dedicated satellite was modeled to apply intensely concentrated vocational training in graphic design, illustration, package design, and textile design. Its faculty was largely composed of Manhattan's working professionals. Magazines, books, music albums, movie posters, print and television advertisements, and packaging for all forms of retail products were the intended goals for its graduates, as well as Manhattan's omnipresent fashion industry. In addition, the below-ground space in the school was converted into a state-of-the-art printmaking facility, teaching artist-created lithography, silk screening, and engraving.

Student life

Clubs and student organizations

As of October 2022, Pratt is home to 122 clubs with a wide range of focuses. Some of these clubs include the Pratt Photo League, the Latinx Student Alliance, the Pratt Institute Botanical Society, Aura Dance Crew, and the Students for Socialist Revolution. Clubs at Pratt don't just hold meetings, but also host on-campus events and arrange exhibitions of club members' work.

Student media

Pratt has several student media groups including a Film Club. * ''The Prattler'' is Pratt's quarterly student magazine/newspaper, established in 1940. * ''Static Fish'', a comic book publication established over 20 years ago. * ''Ubiquitous'' is Pratt's literary and arts magazine, published twice a year with reading events on campus per semester, and also maintains a blog. * Pratt's yearbook, ''Prattonia'', is designed by selected Pratt students. * ''Pratt Radio'', a student-run internet radio station broadcasts on the web. Originally broadcasting from a limited-range signal in the mid-1980s, the

FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains ju ...

stepped in and shut the operation down after students modified the broadcast tower, rendering Pratt Radio

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

. The station later re-emerged in 2001 as a legitimate internet-only station. * ''The Felt'' is an online journal of poetry and prose from the MFA Writing program.

Fraternities and sororities

The Inter-Greek Council is responsible for all Greek life organizations at Pratt Institute. In total, Pratt offers one

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

for male students and two

sororities In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

for female students: *

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...

Theta Phi Alpha Theta Phi Alpha (), commonly known as Theta Phi, is a women's fraternity founded at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 nation ...

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma (), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority. It was established in 1898 at what is now Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, Farmville, Virginia.The so ...

Athletics

Pratt was awarded full

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

membership in the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) on September 1, 2022. The Cannoneers joined the

Atlantic East Conference The Atlantic East Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. History Beginning play ...

(AEC) in the 2024–25 academic year and are the only New York institution in the seven-member league. Pratt sponsors 14 NCAA intercollegiate programs and is a member of the Coast to Coast Conference (C2C), with men's volleyball being a member of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). Pratt began its transition to NCAA Division III with an exploratory season in 2018–19, which was rewarded with provisional membership the following year.

Facilities

Designed by Ezra Ehrenkranz and Daniel Tully and constructed in 1974, the Activity Resource Center, or simply known as "The ARC", is the main hub for Pratt Athletics and Recreation. The ARC boasts several courts for recreational and competitive activities, a fitness and performance room, a multi-use studio room, a 200-meter indoor track, a boxing and functional fitness area, and over 41,000 square feet of open event space for special occurrences. It also previously hosted the annual Colgate Games, the nation's largest amateur track series for girls from elementary school through college.

Mascot

The school's mascot, the Cannoneer, derives from the 19th-century cannon that stands prominently near the main gate to the campus. Cast in bronze in Seville, Spain, the cannon bears the insignia of Philip V and was brought to Pratt from the walls of Morro Castle in Havana, Cuba, in 1899.

Accomplishments

Men's Basketball

The men's basketball team has a storied tradition, including the fourth-longest collegiate basketball rivalry in the nation between Pratt and Polytechnic University (Brooklyn, NY), with Pratt holding the overall record 78–59. The Cannoneers also took home a national collegiate championship title in 1901 and made four NAIA ('59, '60, '61, and '62) and two ECAC ('77,'79) post-season appearances. Former players included Ed Mazria ('62), who was drafted by the New York Knicks, and Anthony Heyward ('94), who toured with the And1 streetball team as "Half Man Half Amazing".

Bernard Chang Bernard Chang (born 1972) is a Canadian-American artist/designer best known for his work in the comic book industry and entertainment design. Career Born in Montreal, Quebec, Chang started drawing comics professionally in 1992 while attending P ...

was formerly captain of the men's varsity basketball team.

Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team won the inaugural NAIA tournament in 1959, edging

Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown College (informally Etown) is a private college in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. History Founding and early years Elizabethtown College was founded in 1899 by members of the Church of the Brethren in response to an initiative by ...

4–3 in double overtime.

Cross Country

The women's cross-country team recently captured the 2006 HMWAC championship title and coach Dalton Evans won "Coach of the Year" honors. The men's cross-country team also has a championship title. The women's tennis team has won three HVWAC titles, including an appearance in the ECAC tournament.

Intramurals

In addition, there are intramural activities scheduled throughout the year, ranging from individual (tennis and track & field) to team sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, and touch football). Two premier student intramural events include the fall classic Halloween Pratt Ratt Outdoor Obstacle Relay Race and the annual Mr. & Ms. Pratt All Thatt Fitness & Artistic Expression Pageant finale.

Past affiliations

The Cannoneers previously competed in the

Coast to Coast Athletic Conference The Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C; officially stylized as Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference), formerly named Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member ...

(C2C) from 2020–21 to 2023–24 and in the

American Collegiate Athletic Association The American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) was an athletic conference with no regular-season competition. The ACAA competed in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was formed in 2017 primarily by Independent schools in the Northeast ...

(ACAA) during their NCAA Division III exploratory status from 2018–19 to 2019–20. They also competed as a founding member of the

Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) is a member conference of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). It consists of five small colleges in New York state. HVIAC's first championships were held in the ...

(HVIAC) of the

United States Collegiate Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 national ...

(USCAA) from 2004–05 to 2017–18.

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty

* Andrea Ackerman, artist *

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...

, animator and co-creator of the ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...

'' series of animated shorts * Karen Bausman, architect * Jonathan Beller, film theorist *

Jonas Coersmeier Jonas Coersmeier is an architect and designer, born in Germany and working in the United States. He is finalist and first runner-up in the World Trade Center Memorial Competition. He was born in Cologne, Germany and studied architecture at Colu ...

, architect *

Peggy Cyphers Peggy Cyphers (born 1954) is an American painter, printmaker, professor, curator, and art writer. Cyphers was a formative figure in the East Village art scene during the 1980s, and has had her work exhibited in the United States and Europe since t ...

, painter * Arthur Deshaies, printmaker * Eva Díaz, art historian *

Greg Drasler Greg Drasler is an American artist known for metaphorical paintings that mix vernacular imagery and decoration and visual and interpretive conundrums.Goodman, Jonathan. "Greg Drasler at Generous Miracles," ''Art in America'', July 2000.Scher ...

, painter *

Arthur Wesley Dow Arthur Wesley Dow (April 6, 1857 – December 13, 1922) was an American painter, printmaker, photographer and an arts educator. Early life Arthur Wesley Dow was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1857. Dow received his first art training in 188 ...

, decorative arts *

Shannon Ebner Shannon Ebner (born 1971) is an American artist based in Los Angeles. She was born in Englewood, New Jersey. Ebner's artwork takes the form of photographs and poems that question the limits and ambiguity of language. Career Ebner received her ...

, photographer, chairperson of the photography department *

Fritz Eichenberg Fritz Eichenberg (October 24, 1901 – November 30, 1990) was a German-American illustrator and arts educator who worked primarily in wood engraving. His best-known works were concerned with religion, social justice and nonviolence. Biography ...

, printmaker *

Carla Gannis Carla Gannis (born 1970) is an American transmedia artist based in New York and professor at the Pratt Institute in the Department of Digital Arts until 2019 when she joined New York University. Her works combine digital imagery with well-known w ...

, artist * Tula Giannini, musicologist, information scientist *

Philip Guston Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein, June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980) was a Canadian American painter, printmaker, muralist and draftsman. "Guston worked in a number of artistic modes, from Renaissance-inspired figuration to formally accomplis ...

, painter * Eric Goldberg, film director and animator * Charles Goslin, graphic designer * James Hannaham, writer *

Stephen Hilger Stephen Hilger (born in Los Angeles, California) is an American photographer, writer, and educator who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Career Hilger received his BA and MFA degrees from Columbia University in 1998 and 2003. He participated in the ...

, photographer * Ralph Johonnot, taught color theory, decorative arts, and interior design (1909–1912), former head of the design department *

Peter Kayafas Peter Kayafas (born 1971) is an American photographer, publisher, and educator based in New York City. He creates black and white photographs that are "simple and spare, yet quietly overpowering with their evocation of a history on a scale beyond t ...

, photographer * Sean Kelly, writer *

Josh Koury Josh Koury (born April 22, 1977) is an American filmmaker, best known for his documentary films ''Voyeur (film), Voyeur'', Journey to Planet X', ''Harry Potter fandom#We Are Wizards, We Are Wizards'' and ''Standing By Yourself, Standing by Yourse ...

, filmmaker *

Manuel de Landa Manuel DeLanda (born 1952) is a Mexican- American writer, artist and philosopher who has lived in New York since 1975. He is a lecturer in architecture at the Princeton University School of Architecture and the University of Pennsylvania Scho ...

( adjunct), philosopher, artist *

Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt (born 1948) is an American artist who took part in the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, which was a historic turning point in the movement for Gay liberation and LGBT rights. He is on the faculty of New York City's ...

, painter *

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", an art form populariz ...

, painter * John Lehr (photographer), photographer * Matthew Leifheit, photographer *

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect who designed modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the postmodern 550 ...

, architect *

Mickalene Thomas Mickalene Thomas (born January 28, 1971) is a contemporary African-American visual artist best known as a painter of complex works using rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel.

, artist *

Sibyl Moholy-Nagy Sibyl Moholy-Nagy (born Dorothea Maria Pauline Alice Sybille Pietzsch; October 29, 1903 – January 8, 1971) was an architectural and art historian. Originally a German citizen, she accompanied her second husband, the Hungarian Bauhaus artist Lás ...

, architectural and art historian *

Sergio Rossetti Morosini Sergio Rossetti Morosini (born 1953) is a Contemporary Brazilian-American scholar, artist and author of Venetian extraction who served as Brazil's Cultural attaché in New Orleans and is also dedicated to preserving the Atlantic Forest and rest ...

, painter, sculptor *

Anna Moschovakis Anna Elizabeth Moschovakis is a Greek American poet, author, and translator. Early life Moschovakis was born to an American mother and a Greek father. She split her time growing up between the U.S. and Greece, where her father owned what she d ...

, poet, novelist, translator *

Mario Naves Mario Naves-- (b. 1961, Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American artist, art critic, professor and blogger. Mario Naves studied painting and drawing at the University of Utah, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1984. He subsequently studie ...

, art critic *

Toshio Odate Toshio Odate (born 1930) is a Japanese-born American sculptor, woodworker, craftsman, author, and educator. He specializes in Japanese woodworking and is a noted shoji maker. He is the author of, ''Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Sp ...

, Japanese woodworker, sculptor *

Denis Peterson Denis Peterson (born New York, 1944) is an American hyperrealist painter whose photorealist works have been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Butler Institute of American Art, Tate Modern, Springville Museum of ...

, painter *

Reeva Potoff Reeva Potoff (born 1941) is an American visual artist based in New York City. Critics observe that her work takes a Feminist art movement, feminist approach that explores the observable world in order to emphasize themes such as impermanence, tr ...

, artist and educator * Nick Relph, photographer and filmmaker, K–12 center instructor *

Carole Rosenthal Carole Rosenthal (born 13 December 1940) is a fiction writer, the author of ''It Doesn't Have To Be Me'', a collection of short stories. She was a professor of English and Humanities at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and was honoured in 2015 as a ...

, English and Humanities professor emeritus *

Carissa Rodriguez Carissa Rodriguez (born 1970) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Artistic practice Rodriguez' work investigates the relationship of the material and social conditions through which art is produced, reproduced, and consum ...

, photographer * Nasser Sharify, father of international librarianship * Matthew Sharpe, author * Carrie Schneider, photographer * Anna Shteynshleyger, photographer * Milagros de la Torre, photographer * Anne Turyn, photographer *

Charles Warner Charles John Warner (né Lickfold, 10 October 1846 – 11 February 1909) was an England, English stage actor whose career of over forty years spanned the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian era, Edwardian eras. Warner performed in a variet ...

, architect *

Eva Zeisel Eva Striker Zeisel (born Éva Amália Striker, November 13, 1906 – December 30, 2011) was a Hungary, Hungarian-born American industrial designer known for her work with Ceramic art, ceramics, primarily from the period after she immigrated to th ...

, ceramic artist/designer

References

External links

*
Athletics website

Pratt Institute
��Documentary produced b
Treasures of New York
* {{authority control Art schools in New York City Culture of New York City Universities and colleges established in 1887 Historic American Engineering Record in New York City Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Brooklyn Universities and colleges in Brooklyn Universities and colleges in Manhattan Universities and colleges in New York City Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Romanesque Revival architecture in New York City Renaissance Revival architecture in New York City University art museums and galleries in New York City USCAA member institutions Universities and colleges on Long Island Private universities and colleges in New York City 1887 establishments in New York (state)

History

Inception

Early years

Degree-granting status and increase in enrollment

Campus reorganization

Enrollment decline and financial issues

Revitalization and growth

Presidents

Academics

Rankings

Schools and academic divisions

Joint degree programs

Accreditation

Demographics

Brooklyn campus

List of sculptures on campus

Buildings

Historic sites

Residence halls

Transportation

Pratt Manhattan

Student life

Clubs and student organizations

Student media

Fraternities and sororities

Athletics

Facilities

Mascot

Accomplishments

Men's Basketball

Men's Soccer

Cross Country

Intramurals

Past affiliations

Notable people

Alumni

Faculty

References

Further reading

External links