first technical school established west of the Mississippi River. It was founded in 1887 in San Francisco, Calif., by dentist Henry D. Cogswell and his wife, Caroline. It moved to suburban Cupertino, Calif., in 1985. In 1994 the college relocated to Sunnyvale, Calif., in the Santa Clara Valley, in order to be closer to the many technological companies of the Silicon Valley. A branch campus opened in 1979 in Kirkland, Wash. Cogswell is a private institution offering undergraduate programs. Enrollment is about 370 students, with men greatly outnumbering women. About half of the students are state residents. Minorities make up more than half of the student body, with a large number of Asian Americans. About 10 percent of the students are from foreign countries. More than half of the students are over the age of 25. The college conducts both day and evening classes to better accommodate the large number of students who attend part-time. There is no campus housing. The academic calendar is divided into trimesters. The majority of the faculty are part-time. A few associate degree programs are offered in engineering technologies. At the bachelor's degree level, engineering technology programs cover areas such as computers, electronics, and music. Other programs include electrical engineering, mechanical engineering technologies, computer and video imaging, and software engineering. All disciplines require seniors to build, design, and demonstrate an original project. Outside agencies sometimes call upon students to help with commercials, musical demo tapes, and multimedia designs. Many students join student chapters of professional organizations. Most students enter careers in business and industry after graduation. The college also conducts the Open Learning for the Fire Service program, an independent study program of correspondence courses. Fire service personnel can earn a bachelor of science degree in fire administration and management or in fire prevention technology. |