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American University
Academics

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How strong are the academics at American University?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

12:1
Student to faculty ratio
20
Average class size
68%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

American has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
63
10-19
846
20-29
509
30-39
131
40-49
24
50-99
2
100+
5

Honors Programs

American University has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on American's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at American University:

88%
First-year retention rate
68%
4-year grad rate
75%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are American University's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

International Relations and Affairs
Political Science and Government, General
Business Administration and Management, General
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies
39.2
108.56
177.92
247.28
316.64
386

The Full List

Major Graduates
Area
  • Women's Studies 8
  • Women's Studies 3
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 3
  • African-American/Black Studies 2
  • German Studies 2
  • Russian Studies 2
  • Latin American Studies 2
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 2
  • African-American/Black Studies 1
  • German Studies 1
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 1
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 1
  • French Studies 0
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 37
  • Neuroscience 15
  • Biochemistry 8
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 180
  • Finance, General 42
  • Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other 32
  • Accounting 11
  • Business Administration and Management, General 3
  • Finance, General 1
Communication
  • Journalism 59
  • Public Relations/Image Management 56
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 28
  • Public Relations/Image Management 3
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 3
  • Journalism 1
Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
  • Recording Arts Technology/Technician 6
  • Recording Arts Technology/Technician 1
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 19
  • Computer Science 1
Education
  • Elementary Education and Teaching 19
  • Secondary Education and Teaching 4
  • Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 0
  • Secondary Education and Teaching 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • General Literature 25
  • General Literature 9
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 4
  • Spanish Language and Literature 4
  • Chinese Language and Literature 1
  • Japanese Language and Literature 1
  • Arabic Language and Literature 1
  • Arabic Language and Literature 1
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Public Health, General 48
  • Public Health Education and Promotion 13
  • Public Health, General 5
History
  • History, General 27
  • History, General 7
Homeland Security
  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 97
  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 14
  • Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other 9
Legal Professions And Studies
  • Legal Studies 31
  • Non-Professional Legal Studies 31
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 31
  • Legal Studies 9
  • Non-Professional Legal Studies 9
  • LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 9
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Statistics, Other 12
  • Mathematics, General 9
  • Statistics, General 5
  • Statistics, Other 2
  • Mathematics, General 1
  • Applied Mathematics, General 0
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 103
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 4
  • Data Science, Other 4
  • Computational Science 2
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Science 20
  • Environmental Studies 17
  • Environmental Studies 6
  • Environmental Science 1
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 4
  • Philosophy 4
  • Religion/Religious Studies 1
  • Religion/Religious Studies 1
  • Jewish/Judaic Studies 0
Physical Sciences
  • Physics, General 6
  • Chemistry, General 6
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 72
  • Psychology, General 13
Social Sciences
  • International Relations and Affairs 386
  • Political Science and Government, General 189
  • Economics, General 48
  • Economics, General 20
  • Political Science and Government, General 14
  • Sociology, General 13
  • Anthropology, General 8
  • Political Science and Government, Other 5
  • International Relations and Affairs 5
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 4
  • Sociology, General 1
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 46
  • Graphic Design 11
  • Musical Theatre 9
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 7
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 6
  • Music, General 6
  • Photography 4
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 3
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 2
  • Graphic Design 2
  • Music, General 2
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 2
  • Musical Theatre 1
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 1
  • Photography 1
  • Dance, General 0
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CollegeIQ® relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

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