About Purchase College

State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public instructor in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 total colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was founded by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1967 as “the cultural gem of the SUNY system.”

Purchase College confers the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and the Master of Music (MM). As a requirement for the BA and BS degree, students agree to a senior project in which they devote two semesters to an in-depth, original, and creative study under the near supervision of a capacity mentor. Similarly, the BFA and MusB studies culminate in a senior exhibition, film, or recital. Master’s degree programs culminate in a thesis and the MFA and MM culminate in an exhibition, recital, or partnered presentation.

Purchase is a hamlet in the town and village of Harrison, in Westchester County, New York. One myth explains that its reveal is derived from Harrison’s purchase, where John Harrison was to be fixed as much house as he could ride in one day. Purchase is home to State University of New York at Purchase and Manhattanville College.