Advising Center

What will you be doing in ten years? In five years? What major will you choose? What should you take next semester? The answers to those questions are connected, and they all start with academic advising. Choosing a liberal arts education means far more than just preparing for a job that can evolve significantly given changes in the organization, the economic environment or your own ambitions: it means knowing you have the educational skills to continue learning and adapting to whatever situation you encounter. Different disciplines and different types of classes have their own ways of thinking, analyzing, and approaching problems. You will develop those skills in the context of a major you love, but also in the context of other disciplines, widening your perspective. As you build your personal project, you might consider studying in another country, doing an internship, or participating in experiential learning. 

Making the right choices

So many choices – how to make the right ones? If this is your first experience at a university, you'll be enrolled in FirstBridge; one of your FirstBridge instructors will be your academic adviser and will mentor you during your first year, helping you to identify your interests and strengths and to select your classes. Transfer students are matched with a faculty adviser in their declared field of interest. The name of your advisor shows on your AUP academic profile and on your unofficial transcript accessible via the Student Portal. You’ve found the perfect faculty member to advise you? You can change your adviser at any time by contacting advising@aup.edu.

Your faculty adviser has weekly office hours and can be contacted for appointments outside those times. You must also see your faculty adviser before you can register for courses in upcoming semesters or if you are considering taking courses at outside institutions. The Advising Center Team also provides support for course selection decisions, transfer credits, and any other necessary academic advising both for assigned advisees of the center and for walk-in consultations.

Degree Requirements

General education is at the heart of the American liberal arts model of education, so you will develop and consolidate the skills that your major will build on and that will equip you to face the challenges of today’s cultural and professional world. You’ll explore the social sciences and the humanities to focus your critical thinking, and classes in English, French, math and science will sharpen your analytical abilities and capacity for communication.

Your major is where you deepen your knowledge of a particular body of knowledge and learn how that discipline asks and answers questions. Most majors have core classes, taken by all students in the major, and electives, where students personalize their disciplinary studies. In addition, if you wish, you may add a minor, a secondary field of study that complements your interests or intended career path. Find out more about degree requirements.

And you should follow your curiosity! The strength of the American system is that you don’t HAVE to stop there. Choose elective classes outside your field just because they intrigue or challenge you.  Explore the curriculum and see what treasures are there.

Study Abroad

You may consider your education in Paris as your study abroad adventure, but why stop there?  Spend a semester or a year at the University of Cape Town in South Africa or at one of our partner schools in Rome (American University of Rome or John Cabot University), in London (American International University in London), or Hong Kong (Lingnan University). Ask about our US study abroad opportunities too.

From Declaring a Major to Obtaining a Degree

Some students arrive with no idea of what they want to major in. Others are sure when they walk in the door – and may or may not change their minds. Talking to faculty advisers, members of the Advising Team, and students in the major can point you in promising directions. You think you’ve decided? Declare your major via My Profile on the Student Portal so that your new department knows of your interest and can include you in its activities. You’ll also be reassigned to a faculty adviser in your major, or you can choose one yourself by contacting the Advising Center. You’ve just discovered that some other major is the ideal one for you, or you’ve found the perfect faculty mentor to advise you? Both majors and advisers can be changed at any time.

The Junior Degree Check helps you make sure that you are on track for graduation in the personal project you are developing. Working with your adviser, it’s the moment when you take stock of the classes you’ve taken and plan out the classes, internships, or other opportunities you’ll need to complete to obtain your degree.

The Senior Degree Check/Degree Application is the final step towards that moment in May when you walk onto the stage and receive your diploma in front of your family, friends, and classmates.

Documents and Links for Students and Advisers

• An adviser looking for quick tips on general education and advising tools? Consult the advising manual [pdf].
• Looking for math placement info? Take a look at our Math course and placement exam guide [pdf]. To sign-up for a math test use the SIGN-UP Math Placement Test webform.
• Looking for help reading codes on a transcript? Click here. 
• Looking for detailed information about academic policies and procedures? Consult the academic handbook [pdf]
• Looking for webforms such as course substitution petition, directed study application, withdrawal forms, etc.? Take a look at the academic forms.
• Looking for a list of specific types of course offerings, such as general education offering, cross-listed courses, etc.? Click here: scheduling information.
• Trying to plan out a schedule for an upcoming semester? Use the course registration worksheet [doc].
• Looking to see how you're progressing towards a particular major? Use the undergraduate program degree worksheets for the major(s) of your choice.