CUNY Queens College

What is the history of CUNY Queens College?

Queens College opened in 1937 as a public liberal arts college in the borough of Queens. It became part of the City University of New York when CUNY was established in 1961. Its history helps explain its present-day combination of undergraduate liberal arts education, graduate study, teacher preparation, and access for students living across New York City.

The college opened on the former site of the New York Parental School in Flushing. As its enrollment and academic offerings grew, it developed specialized programs alongside its original liberal arts curriculum. Today, Queens College serves both students beginning college and a substantial transfer population; its identity is distinct from other CUNY institutions with similar names, including Queensborough Community College.

What are the faculties and departments at CUNY Queens College?

Queens College offers bachelor's and graduate study across the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, education, and business. It is a four-year CUNY college, not an associate-degree community college.

Its academic organization includes divisions covering arts and humanities, mathematics and natural sciences, social sciences, and education. The Aaron Copland School of Music and the School of Business are notable specialized academic units. Undergraduate choices include subjects such as biology, computer science, economics, English, psychology, accounting, and studio art; graduate offerings include education and other professional or disciplinary fields.

Applicants should distinguish admission to Queens College from admission to a particular major. Teacher-certification pathways, music study, and some other programs can have separate prerequisites, auditions, portfolios, or progression requirements. The academic catalog is the appropriate place to check a program's current curriculum and credential requirements.

What is the location of CUNY Queens College?

Queens College is in Flushing, Queens, New York, at 65-30 Kissena Boulevard. Its campus offers a more self-contained college setting than many urban campuses, while most students remain connected to the wider city through daily commuting.

Bus routes serve the campus, and students traveling by subway or the Long Island Rail Road generally need to plan a connecting bus ride or other onward trip. Travel time can differ considerably depending on where a student lives and when classes meet. LaGuardia Airport is the nearest major airport, though local transit is more consequential for everyday attendance.

For students comparing schedules, the location makes it worth checking the time between classes, work, and home - not just the distance to Queens on a map.

What is the mission and vision of CUNY Queens College?

Queens College describes its educational purpose in terms of public access, liberal arts learning, research, and service to a diverse urban community. Its stated priorities include preparing students for civic participation and work in an interconnected world.

That mission is reflected in a broad curriculum rather than a single occupational focus: students can pursue humanities and sciences alongside education, business, and arts programs. Queens College is a public CUNY institution, not a religiously affiliated college. Its mission expresses institutional aims; individual students should judge how well a particular program, schedule, and set of services meets their needs.