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Academics

Academics

Bring your 

passion

        and find your purpose.

Female student in pink sweatshirt smiles standing in library stacks

Think Wide Open isn’t just a tag line. 

It’s how we approach everything we do. 

Fifty years ago, we started a grand
experiment: to be a different kind of college.

Blending the arts, sciences, and humanities on a single campus, our goal was to create a living laboratory where students from all disciplines live and work side by side.

Where a chance meeting might lead to a new and exciting collaboration. Where creativity underlies everything. Where a fearless, do-it-yourself attitude leads to real accomplishment.

Prepare to lead a life, not simply making a living. 

Find Programs
ActingAnthropologyArt HistoryArt History (MA)Art+Design Foundations ProgramArts and Cultural ManagementArts ManagementArts Management: Music IndustryArts Management: Performing ArtsArts Open Access CoursesAsian StudiesBiochemistryBiologyBiology: ConcentrationsChemistryChineseCinema and Television StudiesCollege and Expository WritingCommunicationsComposition (Classical)Contemplative StudiesCreative WritingDance PerformanceDance Performance: BalletDance Performance: CompositionDance Performance: ProductionEarly Childhood DevelopmentEconomicsEducation StudiesEnglish and Global LiteraturesEnvironmental StudiesFilmFilm/Video ProductionFrenchGender StudiesGeneral StudiesGlobal Black StudiesGlobal StudiesGraphic DesignGraphic Design: IllustrationHistoryInstrumental PerformanceInstrumental Performance: BrassInstrumental Performance: Classical GuitarInstrumental Performance: HarpInstrumental Performance: PercussionInstrumental Performance: PianoInstrumental Performance: StringsInstrumental Performance: WoodwindsItalianJazz StudiesJewish StudiesJournalismLanguage and CultureLatin American, Caribbean, and Latinx StudiesLaw and Justice StudiesLiberal ArtsLinguisticsMathematics/Computer ScienceMedia StudiesMuseum StudiesMusic MinorNew MediaPainting and DrawingPhilosophy and Critical ThoughtPhotographyPlaywritingPlaywriting and ScreenwritingPolitical SciencePrintmakingPsychologyScreenwritingSculptureSociologySpanishStudio CompositionStudio ProductionTelevision Theory and PracticeTheatre and PerformanceTheatre Design/TechnologyTheatre Design/Technology: Costume DesignTheatre Design/Technology: Costume TechnologyTheatre Design/Technology: Lighting DesignTheatre Design/Technology: Scenic DesignTheatre Design/Technology: Sound DesignTheatre Design/Technology: Stage ManagementTheatre Design/Technology: Technical DirectionUndeclaredVisual Arts (BS)Visual Arts Graduate ProgramsVisual Arts MinorVisual Arts, Interdisciplinary (BFA)Voice and Opera Studies

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Majors and Minors
Smiling student and smiling instructor with laptop.
Academic Support
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Your First Year
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Hands-On Learning

student experiences

Land stewardship and invasive species intern handling compost in the on-campus Purchase College garden.

Sustainability Interns

Land Stewardship and Invasive Species interns have begun work on campus in the Purchase Garden and on campus.

Learn More
Student musicians at work in the newly renovated Studio A

Spaces Where the Work Gets Done

From shops to studios to labs to theaters, peek inside the places where students spend the bulk of their time getting it done.

Inside Look
Samara Joy '21 (Photo: AB+DM)

Top Story

2025 Grammy Awards: Big Night for Jazz Studies

Samara Joy ’21 continues her Grammy streak, and Jaylen Petinaud ’20 played drums on the award-winning Hell’s Kitchen Original Broadway Cast Recording.

Read the Story More News

By the Numbers

  • 47

    Majors

  • #11

    On 2025 Top Public Schools List
    (U.S. News and World Report)

  • 92%

    Of 2023 graduates who participated in applied or experiential learning

  • 90%

    Of 2023 Graduates Employed, Enrolled in Grad or Professional School, or Both

  • 18

    Average Class Size

  • 12:1

    Student to Faculty Ratio

headshot of Adam Nagourney

Proof of Purchase

Adam Nagourney ’77

Author and reporter Adam Nagourney (Economics) covers West Coast cultural affairs for The New York Times.

He was previously the Los Angeles bureau chief and served eight years as the chief national political correspondent. He is the co-author of Out for Good, a history of the modern gay rights movement.

Meet Adam

Alumni Profiles

Latest Stories

Students in the Sophomore SummerQuest program on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Sophomore SummerQuest: Finding the Right Fit for Success

Rising sophomores had a unique opportunity to explore a variety of college programs, degree options, and careers at the annual Sophomore SummerQuest, June 1–5.

Arts Management class Managing Artists visit Warner Music in Manhattan.

Students Receive VIP Tour of Warner Music Group

The Arts Management class tours the impressive offices in New York City.

Two smiling interns with tools stand by a nature preserve sign on a wooded trail surrounded by green trees and grass.

Sustainability Team and Community Design Collaborate for Nature Preserve

Students on the Sustainability Team partnered with seniors enrolled in Community Design this spring to create original, eye-catching signs, maps, and stickers promoting the Purchase Nature Preserve.