City College of New York
Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture
The Spitzer School of Architecture, the flagship public school of architecture in New York City, is committed to creating a just, sustainable, and imaginative future. Through innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration, the distinguished faculty educate the diverse student body in degree programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, urban studies, and urban sustainability. Students are invited to design, to build, and to dream; they weigh in on (and intend to solve) the crises of our time; they learn the fundamentals of the craft of the professions of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. As designers, builders, developers, public servants, leaders, and innovators, graduates of the Spitzer School reflect and enrich the complex communities in which they live, practice, and work; they become skilled, committed, and engaged professionals who advocate for a better city, a better country, and a better world.
The Spitzer School is sustained by the mission of the City College of New York, which has enabled working class, moderate income, and immigrant New Yorkers access to the American dream for more than 175 years. The Spitzer School acts in the spirit of the City College of New York’s historic Ephebic Oath: “To transmit the city, not only not less, but greater, better, and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”
Setting
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has 26 colleges spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving 247,000 degree-seeking students of all ages and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a public first-rate education to all students, regardless of means or background.
School Philosophy
The City College of New York Mission
Since its founding in 1847, The City College of New York (CCNY) has been true to its legacy of access, opportunity, and transformation. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and boldly visionary as the city itself. CCNY advances knowledge and critical thinking, and fosters research, creativity, and innovation across academic, artistic, and professional disciplines. As a public institution with public purpose and a more than 175-year history, CCNY produces citizens who make an impact on the cultural, social, and economic vitality of New York, the nation, and the world.
The City College of New York Vision
City College stands at the intersection of its historical past and promise for a vibrant future. Building on its strong foundation of unleashing potential, a City College education integrates knowledge with experience to nurture scholars, professionals, and leaders who are ready to meet the challenges of our contemporary society. CCNY will attract students who have a tenacious desire to learn, lead, and contribute to the greater good of society on their path to a successful future. CCNY graduates will be committed to supporting access to opportunity and mentorship for future generations of learners.
Programs
Architecture Programs Mission:
Our mission is to prepare students to design for the betterment of our shared global community. At the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, the only public school of architecture in New York City, our professional B.Arch. and M.Arch. programs are shaped by the diversity of our students, the inventive research of our faculty, and by multidisciplinary collaborations. We prepare students to become engaged designers and to apply an expansive set of skills to address pressing social, cultural, environmental, and professional challenges. With a rigorous foundation in the core competencies of building design, history, theory, and technologies, and with an emphasis on agile thinking, the Architecture programs aim to educate the next generation of innovators redefining the role of the architect in the twenty-first century.
Landscape Architecture Program Mission:
Landscape architecture plays an essential role in connecting justice to environmental design and the ecological infrastructures of the urban realm. The mission of the Master of Landscape Architecture Program at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York, is to prepare students to be leaders in the field of landscape architecture through innovative research and practice in urban ecological design, planning, and policymaking. The program aims to reimagine and rethink the profession’s current and future challenges through the lens of social, environmental, and multi-species justice, including rapid urbanization, resource extraction and management, the interface of nature and technology, ongoing species extinctions, and the climate emergency. The curriculum engages critical thinking about complex and indeterminate systems, empowering students to implement actionable change across multiple scales of the urban landscape.
Urban Design Program Mission:
The Graduate Program in Urban Design is dedicated to the creation of sustainable, equitable, and beautiful cities. Knowing that no single discourse can account for the urban, we seek to work at the convergence of many. Our goal is to give our students – all citizens of this exponentially urbanizing planet – tools that will enable them to expand the forms, means, and understandings vital to the design and flourishing of cities new and old.
of Focus
1. Digital Fabrication & Technology
2. Building Technologies
3. Community Design
4. History | Theory | Criticism
5. Cross-Cultural Contexts | Human Experiences
6. Urbanism
7. Design/Build
8. Sustainability & High-Performance Built Environments
Opportunities
Cross-disciplinary experience
Summer Program
Study Abroad
Facilities
Large-format Printer
Laser Cutter
Woodshop
3D Printing
Metalshop
CNC Milling
Fabrication Lab
Robotics Lab
Policies
Transfer Policies
Most associate’s degrees allow applicants to transfer all general education requirements to their record here at CCNY. This leaves five years of studio and architecture requirements, which it may be possible to complete in four years. (6 general education credits must be taken at CCNY and are required for any student in this situation.)
