Queens College, City University of New York - Overview

Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and preprofessional programs. With its extensive range of graduate and undergraduate degrees, honors programs, research opportunities, and internship placements, the college serves more than 20,000 students, mentored by an award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful, 80-acre campus, the college has been cited for 28 consecutive years in the Princeton Review as a "Best Value" college. U.S. News and World Report and Forbes magazine also rank Queens College a "Best Value College," thanks to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages, and affordability. The Equality of Opportunity Report placed Queens College in the top one percent of all colleges in moving students from poverty to prosperity.

Queens College produces more education graduates who become principals, teachers, and counselors for New York City's public schools than any other college in the metropolitan area. The college contributes to the local talent pool as a leader in tech education, and enrolls the second-most computer science majors of any college in the city. Students from across the country and around the world are attracted to study at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Its renowned faculty and alumni include celebrated composers, conductors, and performers who have received over 100 Grammy Awards and nominations. Visit the homepage to learn more about Queens College's stellar programs and robust campus life.

At its founding in 1937, Queens College was hailed by the people of the borough as "the college of the future." Now part of the City University of New York (CUNY), Queens College offers a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences under the guidance of a faculty dedicated to both teaching and research. Students graduate with the ability to think critically, address complex problems, explore various cultures, and use modern technologies and information resources.

Located in a residential area of Flushing in the borough of Queens-America's most ethnically diverse county-the college has students from more than 150 nations. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Queens College is consistently ranked among the leading institutions in the nation for the quality of its academic programs and student achievement. Recognized as one of the most affordable public colleges in the country, Queens College offers a first-rate education to talented people of all backgrounds and financial means.

The beautiful campus consists of 80 acres lined with trees surrounding grassy open spaces and a traditional quad. The college boasts state-of-the-art computer and science laboratories, a spectacular music building, and the six-story Rosenthal Library. The major classroom building, Powdermaker Hall, has the latest technology throughout. An extensive commitment to sustainability has earned Queens College inclusion in the Princeton Review's first-ever Guide to 322 Green Colleges.

Academic programs are organized into four divisions, which offer both day and evening courses: Arts and Humanities; Mathematics and the Natural Sciences; the Social Sciences; and Education (Queens College educates more teachers than any other college in the New York City region). The college offers several new undergraduate and graduate majors, including a BA in Chinese, a BA in Classics, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, an MFA in Creative Writing and Translation, an MS in Photonics, and an MS in Risk Management.

Queens College participates in CUNY's Macaulay Honors College, a challenging program open to the most academically gifted students. It also offers qualified students its own honors programs in the arts and humanities, sciences, and social sciences. An Honors Center with lounges and labs is available for students participating in the college's various honors programs.

The college's centers and institutes serve students and the larger community by addressing society's most important challenges-including cancer, pollution, and racism-as well as celebrating the borough's many ethnic communities. Its arts scene is vibrant, thanks to the Kupferberg Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, which brings together the college's academic departments in the arts (Music, Drama, Theatre & Dance, Art, and Media Studies) and its museums (the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, the Queens College Art Center, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum). The celebrated Evening Readings Series has brought some of the world's most acclaimed writers to campus.

The college's administration is committed to making the campus a home away from home for its students with over 100 clubs and teams, from the Science Organization of Minority Students to clubs for theatre, fencing, environmental science, and martial arts. One of only two CUNY colleges that participate in NCAA Division II sports, Queens sponsors men's and women's teams and has some of the finest athletics facilities in the metropolitan area. The college continues to open new cafes, dining areas, and lounge areas; improve the Student Union and other buildings; and embark on a variety of beautification projects to enhance students' experience on campus.

Queens College opened its first residence hall, The Summit, in fall 2009. Now known as Summit Apartments, it houses approximately 500 students. Summit earned LEED Gold certification, a ranking established by the U.S. Green Building Council, thanks to its green design and use of sustainable strategies for water and energy.