Hands-On Learning
Take the skills and insights you’ve gained in the classroom and put them to work—literally.
One of the best things about being close to New York City is the wealth of opportunities the city provides for learning beyond the classroom. No matter what your professional interest is, there are people in NYC who are succeeding at it, and we’ll help you connect with them.
Of course, it’s not all about NYC. Great things are happening right down the road. Our students are also busy at work in the music studios and nonprofit organizations in Port Chester, cultural organizations in White Plains, biotechs in Tarrytown, public schools in Yonkers, and art studios in Greenwich.
Internships
Improve the chance of landing your dream job. It’s a fact that internships give you a competitive edge with employers. Purchase students have interned with financial analysts, gallery buyers, commercial productions, animal rights advocates, architects, painters, executives, and more. There are businesses throughout the region looking for interns. Our Career Development Center can help you sort through the possibilities to find your best fit, and then help you apply.
Service Learning
Purchase has a longtime commitment to giving back— locally and globally. Many choose to volunteer their time and energy to a variety of organizations. Some of our recent service-learning partners include NYPIRG, Teach for America, and Voto Latino, among many others. Purchase Alternative Service Trips (PAST) turn your school breaks into opportunities to serve others in the U.S. and beyond.
Beyond the Classroom
Now more than ever, teaching and learning aren’t confined to the classroom. Co-curricular opportunities abound, such as collaborative study groups, lectures, and presentations by leaders and influencers, social networks, and student productions and performances.
Many courses build community engagement into the syllabus, so you’ll join your classmates in helping others in real situations. It’s incredibly rewarding.
The Senior Project
Every student regardless of major or GPA creates original work for their required Senior Project. The experience is often pivotal and the benefits are lasting.
Recent Experiences:
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Purchase on the Creative Team of Broadway’s Bob Fosse’s Dancin’
Dave Grill ’86 leads the lighting team for the Broadway revival.
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President’s Award for Public Art: Debora Martinez ’22
Hue TV, a conceptual and performance work by Martinez, is the President’s Award for Public Art selection for 2022 and will be on view on campus (and on Instagram) for the remainder of the spring 2023 semester.
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Students and Alumni Work Together at FISU
The Purchase D/T program was well represented on the crew behind the FISU Games 2023 Opening Ceremony in Lake Placid.
