Associate Member American University is a private doctoral institution chartered by the Congress in 1893 and situated in a residential neighborhood of northwest Washington, D.C. Average enrollment is in excess of 12,000 students, with roughly 50% being degree-seeking undergraduates, and the balance a combination of degree-seeking graduate students, law students, and students in non-degree certificate programs, Washington Semester, or AU Abroad.
Degrees offered include 57 bachelor’s degrees, 51 master’s degrees (not including law), 9 doctoral degrees, and 3 law degrees, as well as more than 60 certificate programs, mostly graduate level. Courses run on a 15-week semester basis in fall and spring, with shorter summer-term classes. Also offered are 105 study-abroad programs. More than 80 percent of undergraduates and 60 percent of AU graduate students participate in at least one internship or other experiential education program.
The AU student body is cosmopolitan and globally diverse, with all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 144 countries represented. Six percent of undergraduates and 11 percent of graduate students are international. The university’s mission is carried out by 591 full-time teaching and research faculty, 69 full-time administrative and library faculty, and 1,337 full-time staff. Ninety-four percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their field. Among the ~ 500 adjunct faculty at AU are policy makers, diplomats, journalists, artists, writers, scientists, and business leaders.
American University has six major schools and colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Communication, School of International Service, School of Public Affairs, and Washington College of Law.
