By Dr. Scott Sprenger, President of The American University of RomeFor many new university students, choosing a major can be a significant source of anxiety. Students understandably worry about how their field of study will shape their careers and future opportunities, especially as AI and rapid technological change reshape labor markets and make even traditionally reliable paths, such as computer science, feel uncertain. The result is a growing expectation that students should be able to identify – typically, at age eighteen - the educational pathway most likely to secure professional success. In this environment, selecting the “right” major can seem like one of the most consequential and difficult decisions a student will make.The good news is that undergraduate degrees often leave more career possibilities open than conventional wisdom suggests. Outside fields in high demand with specific licensing or technical requirements, the path to a career is rarely so linear. A major may shape a graduate’s first opportunities upon graduation, but it seldom determines where they will be a decade, or several decades, later. People move across industries, organizations, and roles, often into careers only loosely related to their undergraduate studies. The challenge today, then, is not simply to choose the “right” major, but to prepare for a future whose defining opportunities, technologies, and disruptions cannot yet be predicted. That reality invites a broader conversation about what higher education should prepare students to do and become. Public discussion often frames higher education as a choice between pursuing intellectual interests and preparing for employment. At The American University of Rome, we see this as a false choice. Research on educational outcomes, the experiences of our alumni, and employers’ expectations all point to the same conclusion: students need both. Dr. Scott Sprenger   Students need disciplinary expertise, technological fluency, and practical professional experience. They also need critical thinking, communication, creativity, ethical judgment, intercultural competence, and the capacity to continue learning throughout their lives. The most effective education develops these abilities together rather than treating intellectual development and career preparation as competing priorities. This perspective shapes how AUR advises students to think about their major: not as a narrow credential, but as one part of a broader educational and professional path. It means extending learning beyond the major through cross-disciplinary minors and practical experiences such as internships, applied research, consulting projects, entrepreneurial initiatives, leadership roles, language study, professional networking, clubs, and volunteer service. These opportunities connect classroom learning with real-world practice. Ultimately, employers do not hire majors; they hire people who can meaningfully contribute, collaborate, learn, and adapt. This philosophy has reshaped AUR’s approach to career advising, resources, and development. Career strategy begins in the first year with small but decisive steps. In their first semester, students can take College by Design, a one-credit course that helps them connect their academic and professional interests to choices about majors and minors, internships, extracurricular activities, and longer-term goals. As students progress, they develop practical capabilities in data analysis, artificial intelligence, communication, networking, interviewing, and professional presentation. While many AUR graduates continue to graduate or professional school, those entering the labor market directly benefit from internships and other applied experiences—including employer-sponsored consulting projects and professionally oriented practica—that enable them to apply these skills, build a record of accomplishment, and demonstrate their readiness to contribute. The objective is not to turn every academic choice into vocational training. It is to ensure that students graduate able to articulate what they know, what they can do, and how they can apply both in unfamiliar environments. Rome adds another dimension to this education. In an international capital where politics, business, diplomacy, culture, and history intersect, learning extends beyond the classroom, and students continually encounter perspectives and problems beyond the boundaries of a single discipline or viewpoint. The city creates opportunities to connect academic study with professional and cultural experiences in ways that are difficult to replicate elsewhere. The emergence of artificial intelligence has reinforced the importance of this broader educational model. While AI is transforming many forms of work, it has also increased the value of distinctly human capacities: judgment, emotional intelligence, communication, ethical reasoning, aesthetic and cultural understanding, the art of storytelling, and the ability to make decisions amid complexity and uncertainty. These qualities complement technical expertise and will remain essential regardless of how technology evolves. A university major is often treated as a prediction about a future career, yet its value runs much deeper. It gives students a disciplined way of seeing the world, a method of inquiry, a body of knowledge to build on, and a community in which to test theories and ideas. The major is important not because it determines where students will end up, but because it provides the intellectual foundation from which future possibilities emerge. Higher education works best when it combines that intellectual foundation with the experiences, relationships, and opportunities that shape both a student's personal and professional development over a lifetime.

By Dr. Scott Sprenger, President of The American University of RomeFor many new university students, choosing a major can be a significant source of anxiety. Students understandably worry about how their field of study will shape their careers and future opportunities, especially as AI and rapid technological change reshape labor markets and make even traditionally reliable paths, such as computer science, feel uncertain. The result is a growing expectation that students should be able to identify – typically, at age eighteen - the educational pathway most likely to secure professional success. In this environment, selecting the “right” major can seem like one of the most consequential and difficult decisions a student will make. The good news is that undergraduate degrees often leave more career possibilities open than conventional wisdom suggests. Outside fields in high demand with specific licensing or technical requirements, the path to a career is rarely so linear. A major may shape a graduate’s first opportunities upon graduation, but it seldom determines where they will be a decade, or several decades, later. People move across industries, organizations, and roles, often into careers only loosely related to their undergraduate studies. The challenge today, then, is not simply to choose the “right” major, but to prepare for a future whose defining opportunities, technologies, and disruptions cannot yet be predicted. That reality invites a broader conversation about what higher education should prepare students to do and become. Public discussion often frames higher education as a choice between pursuing intellectual interests and preparing for employment. At The American University of Rome, we see this as a false choice. Research on educational outcomes, the experiences of our alumni, and employers’ expectations all point to the same conclusion: students need both.
Dr. Scott Sprenger   Students need disciplinary expertise, technological fluency, and practical professional experience. They also need critical thinking, communication, creativity, ethical judgment, intercultural competence, and the capacity to continue learning throughout their lives. The most effective education develops these abilities together rather than treating intellectual development and career preparation as competing priorities. This perspective shapes how AUR advises students to think about their major: not as a narrow credential, but as one part of a broader educational and professional path. It means extending learning beyond the major through cross-disciplinary minors and practical experiences such as internships, applied research, consulting projects, entrepreneurial initiatives, leadership roles, language study, professional networking, clubs, and volunteer service. These opportunities connect classroom learning with real-world practice. Ultimately, employers do not hire majors; they hire people who can meaningfully contribute, collaborate, learn, and adapt.

This philosophy has reshaped AUR’s approach to career advising, resources, and development. Career strategy begins in the first year with small but decisive steps. In their first semester, students can take College by Design, a one-credit course that helps them connect their academic and professional interests to choices about majors and minors, internships, extracurricular activities, and longer-term goals. As students progress, they develop practical capabilities in data analysis, artificial intelligence, communication, networking, interviewing, and professional presentation. While many AUR graduates continue to graduate or professional school, those entering the labor market directly benefit from internships and other applied experiences—including employer-sponsored consulting projects and professionally oriented practica—that enable them to apply these skills, build a record of accomplishment, and demonstrate their readiness to contribute. The objective is not to turn every academic choice into vocational training. It is to ensure that students graduate able to articulate what they know, what they can do, and how they can apply both in unfamiliar environments. Rome adds another dimension to this education. In an international capital where politics, business, diplomacy, culture, and history intersect, learning extends beyond the classroom, and students continually encounter perspectives and problems beyond the boundaries of a single discipline or viewpoint. The city creates opportunities to connect academic study with professional and cultural experiences in ways that are difficult to replicate elsewhere. The emergence of artificial intelligence has reinforced the importance of this broader educational model. While AI is transforming many forms of work, it has also increased the value of distinctly human capacities: judgment, emotional intelligence, communication, ethical reasoning, aesthetic and cultural understanding, the art of storytelling, and the ability to make decisions amid complexity and uncertainty. These qualities complement technical expertise and will remain essential regardless of how technology evolves. A university major is often treated as a prediction about a future career, yet its value runs much deeper. It gives students a disciplined way of seeing the world, a method of inquiry, a body of knowledge to build on, and a community in which to test theories and ideas. The major is important not because it determines where students will end up, but because it provides the intellectual foundation from which future possibilities emerge. Higher education works best when it combines that intellectual foundation with the experiences, relationships, and opportunities that shape both a student's personal and professional development over a lifetime.