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Behind Pratt’s success is a philosophy of
education developed more than 120 years
ago by its founder, Charles Pratt, who
revolutionized education by challenging
the traditional concept of education as a
purely intellectual exercise. He created
a school where applied knowledge was
emphasized and specific skills were
taught to meet the needs of a growing
industrial economy.
Pratt has been a pioneer in education
since its inception. In 1888, the Institute
began its women’s department, which
offered programs in home management,
dressmaking, and millinery. Considered
revolutionary at the time, these courses
were among the first to prepare women
to be professionals in our society. In
1938, Pratt expanded its curriculum
and granted its first four-year bachelor’s
degree. It was the first art and design
school in the United States to require
a foundation year for all art students,
giving them a broad overview of the
various artistic disciplines before they
specialize. The first graduate program
in librarianship was added in 1940.
Pratt was also one of the first schools to
incorporate the new computer graphics
technology into a degree program,
the computer graphics and interactive
media major. Pratt was one of the first
schools to recognize design as a serious
discipline and the importance of urban
planning and historic preservation.
Using its immediate environment as a
vital source of education through Pratt’s
Center for Community Development,
formerly PICCED, Pratt has been in the
forefront of strengthening education
while strengthening communities. Today,
Pratt offers students a choice of over 20
graduate programs from which to choose
in its three schools of architecture,
art and design, and information and
library science.
The History of Pratt
Left: Charles Pratt, founder and first president of Pratt
Institute, created a revolutionary approach to education
that remains relevant today. Photo: Courtesy of the
Pratt Institute Archives