Pratt Institute-Main

Pratt Institute-Main is a private university located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 1887, the institution offers undergraduate and graduate programs primarily in art, design, architecture, information studies, and liberal arts and sciences. The institute also maintains facilities and programs in Manhattan. Pratt Institute-Main is known for studio-based learning and professional education in creative and applied disciplines, integrating practical training with academic study. Students are typically drawn to its focus on visual arts, design fields, architecture, and creative professions, as well as its urban campus setting within New York City’s cultural and professional networks.

Pratt Institute-Main was founded in 1887 in Brooklyn, New York, by industrialist Charles Pratt, who sought to provide affordable education for working men and women during a period of rapid industrialization. Established as a trade school with programs in engineering, architecture, and the arts, Pratt Institute-Main combined practical training with instruction in the liberal arts. In 1888, the institute opened its library, which became one of Brooklyn’s early free public libraries. Over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the campus expanded in Clinton Hill, adding specialized facilities for technical and artistic education. Graduate programs developed in the twentieth century, including library and information science. As the institution evolved, Pratt Institute-Main broadened its academic offerings while maintaining a focus on art, design, architecture, and information studies. Today, it operates from its historic Brooklyn campus with additional programs in Manhattan.