Choose the Right University for Your International Education:
Welcome to The American University of Rome
The American University of Rome is committed to excellence in education and prepares students to live and work across cultures as skilled and knowledgeable citizens of an interconnected and rapidly changing world through its practical interdisciplinary academic majors, opportunities for learning through travel and internships, and its multi-cultural student body, faculty and staff.
The diversity of education and intellectual interests enriches the dialogue in the classroom and the learning of students in academic and real-world situations.
We Are an International Community
AUR is home to a highly diverse student body representing over forty countries. Today the University enrolls some 400 to 450 students each semester. Just like our students, our multi-faceted faculty comes from all over the world. Accustomed to students with diverse background, our professors respect different points of view, ideas and experiences. The diversity of education and intellectual interests enriches the dialogue in the classroom and the learning of students in academic and real-world situations. Both faculty and students bring to their conversations the diversity of perspective that contributes to lively discussions and a more informed basis for learning.
Read more: AUR students share their experience…
AUR Blends the Best of Two Worlds
The American University of Rome has been combining the excellent academic attributes of higher education in the U.S. – American practical know-how, technological capability and career preparation – with the European and Italian classical tradition of the humanities and liberal arts.
Rome is Our Classroom
Rome constantly conjures up vivid reminders of its glorious past as the city that built the greatest empire the world has ever known. With its sunny climate, stately umbrella pines, and an unparalleled wealth of history around every corner, Rome’s beauty quickly overtakes all who enter its ancient walls. A walk or bus ride through even the most commonplace quarters of the city yields encounters with innumerable monuments, towering pillars, and major imperial buildings that still stand imposingly just as they have for 2,000 years! Our professors frequently integrate the city into lessons using on-site visits. Using the city as a classroom our faculty will guide you through the richly layered experience that is Rome, and help you situate the city in its global context through the ages.
Students shoot a film atop the AUR terrace.
AUR Offers Exciting and Unique Degree Programs
We offer degrees in Archeology and Classics (also with Cultural Heritage or Screen Media if desired) and Art History (with Art Business if desired). AUR’s Department of Communication & English offers Italy’s first, broadest and best established American Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Italy’s only American Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Digital Media. We offer well-established Bachelor of Arts degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies, International Relations and Global Politics, and Italian Studies, and an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies. Our Bachelor of Science in Business Administration can be taken with concentrations in Finance, Management, Marketing, Social Marketing or The Business of Art. We also offer an Associate of Applied Arts in International Business.
Our Job Placement Rate is High
After degree completion most AUR graduates either go on to further their education or choose to enter the workplace. Of those students choosing to enter the workplace after graduation, 86% located employment in less than a year (as of September 2010 data as formally and publicly reported to the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
Your Program Can Include Transformative Internships
Internships are an integral part of the AUR experience because they provide an opportunity to work for a company or organization that matches student interests and career goals. First-hand experience in the workplace enables interns to apply the theory of the classroom to the work they hope to do through the observation of, participation in, and understanding of a professional environment.
During their Junior and Senior Years, students may apply for an internship with one of the many international organizations or corporations headquartered in or near Rome where they will work side by side with professionals who will mentor them. AUR students have recently worked in the NATO Defense College, National Geographic, the Vatican Museum, The Associated Press, The World Food Program, Bioversity International, UBS Bank, the Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the House of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, and a number of national embassies.
A remarkable 72% of the students at AUR have done an internship, far above the US national average of 50%. Even more notably, over a quarter of those students have gone above and beyond – by participating in two internship experiences. A wonderful complement to their academic studies, internships provide students with the benefit of experience in a competitive job market.
“I Interned at Bioversity International in the Finance Department. It was a great experience for me. My superiors were helpful and entrusted me with a lot of responsibility. I learned how to use a new accounting software system, developed my skills in Excel, and managed travel expenses for the department. I definitely consider it time well spent!”
Kristin Lichtenberg, Business, AUR class of 2012
“I interned in the emergencies reporting unit at FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN). My Internship focused on international development and complex emergencies. It involved writing, editing and translating. The skill set that I acquired will be important for any future job that I could have with an international organization – making this experience more than rewarding.”
Anias Engelmajer, International Relations, AUR class of 2011 has accepted a position at the FAO
“I did two internships in the journalism field: National Geographic and Il Manifesto, an Italian newspaper. It was great to work for both because I had the chance to experience two different fields in journalism. At Nat-Geo, I collaborated in the creation and update of the new website. At Il Manifesto I learned a lot about how a newspaper is built, and the mentality surrounding the daily choice of news and assessment of news values.”
Alessandra Potenza, Communication, AUR Class of 2011 and a published author, is enrolled in the Masters Program at the Columbia School of Journalism
We Offer You Memorable Excursions
Studying at AUR gives students the chance to travel across Italy and Europe. We choose vibrant destinations, priced with a student’s economy in mind. Destinations include Capri, Tuscany and Pompeii. The academic departments offer exciting and challenging credit course excursions. Recent examples include Kosovo (2009) with the International Relations Department and Sicily (2010) with the Italian Studies Department.
AUR Has a Low Student/Faculty Ratio
The 16-to-1 faculty ratio at American University of Rome gives students the opportunity to gain the best possible international education experience.
AUR has Highly Qualified and Expert Faculty
Our international and highly qualified faculty are all experts in their fields, with degrees from prestigious universities in the US and the world over, and research and creative activity in many different disciplines. Some make frequent appearances on television and radio, where they are called on to give expert commentary and analysis. Others are award-winning film-makers, animators, screenwriters and artists, and others write books, articles and internet blogs that are read and referenced by scholars and commentators all around the world.
AUR students and advisor Bjorn Thomassen proudly represent their delegated country, Saudi Arabia, at the Harvard National Model United Nations Conference in Boston.
We Offer Exciting Course Exchange Opportunities
Students with the requisite Italian language ability may arrange for part of their study (for credit) at the nearby prestigious Libera Universita Maria SS. Assunta, known more popularly as “LUMSA”. LUMSA is one of the most prestigious private liberal arts university in Italy and students may select from a broad array of courses in art history, communication, international relations, business and, of course, Italian language, culture and literature. LUMSA students also study at AUR adding yet an additional layer to the cross-cultural nature of the AUR campus. Read more about course exchange opportunity between The American University of Rome and LUMSA (link)
AUR students have the opportunity to spend a semester, summer or winter session studying in another country through the AUR Abroad (AURA) program. A wide array of study abroad opportunities is available to AUR students, including China (Nanjing and Shanghai universities), Ecuador (Guayaquil) Spain (Santander), and many more.
We Offer Much More, Including …
- Accommodations in high quality apartments ensures immersion in the local community
- Student-centered focus with a range of clubs, competitive sports and activities
- Comprehensive on site orientation program
- “ResGrad” program of peer to peer intercultural and practical mentoring
- Vibrant, historic campus in Rome’s most distinctive area — atop the famous Janiculum hill
- Current technologies, including high speed wireless environment on campus and in student accommodations
- A culture of student learning and assessment – AUR is a member of the Forum on Education Abroad and the College Consortium of International Studies (CCIS) organizations.
Preparing to Go Abroad
The key to a successful study abroad experience is preparation and an open mind because no amount of preparation will be enough! For example, brush up on some elementary Italian, make sure you have all the prescription medicine you will need- these are all fine forms of preparation. However be prepared that the nature of a study abroad experience is that it is an adventure – academically, politically, socially, artistically, etc. For example, if you have never been to Rome – nothing can prepare you for the traffic.
Here’s a list of resources to help you prepare for your study in Rome experience:
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