Academic Planning

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 these questions are connected, and they all start with academic advising. Choosing a liberal arts education means 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

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

Your faculty advisor has weekly office hours, but they can also be contacted for appointments outside those times. You must see your faculty advisor before you register for courses in upcoming semesters or if you are considering taking courses at outside institutions. The advising 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

The core curriculum is at the heart of the American liberal arts model of education. It allows you to develop and consolidate skills that your major will later 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 subject and learn how that discipline asks and answers questions. Most majors have core classes, taken by all students in the major, and electives, which allow students to 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 here.

One more thing: follow your curiosity! The strength of the American system is that you don’t have to stop at your chosen specialty. Choose elective classes outside your field just because they intrigue or challenge you. Explore the curriculum and see what treasures await you.

Study Abroad

Studying in Paris is already a study abroad adventure. But why stop there? Spend a semester – or even 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), 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 at AUP with no idea of what they want to major in. Others are sure when they walk in the door – and they may or may not change their minds. Talking to faculty advisors, members of the advising team, and students in the major can point you in promising directions. 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 advisor in your major, or you can choose one yourself by contacting the Advising Center. If, later, you discover that another major is the right one for you, or you find the perfect faculty mentor to advise you, then remember that both majors and advisors can be changed at any time.

The Junior Degree Check helps you make sure that you are on track for graduation. Working with your advisor, 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.