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Maryland-in-Rome Academic Overview

Academic Structure

Maryland-in-Rome semester students will enroll in 12-16 credits.  The curriculum is comprised of the following:
Course Credits Notes
AUR Italian Language course (beginning or intermediate) 3-7 Taught by AUR faculty
Approved AUR electives 8-12 Taught by AUR faculty
 

American University of Rome courses

Maryland-in-Rome students enroll in regular courses at the American University of Rome (AUR), one of the oldest degree-granting American universities in Italy. Maryland students will be in classes taught by local and international faculty with AUR degree-seeking and study abroad students from around the world. AUR uses Rome as its classroom and Italy as an invaluable resource. There is an emphasis on active learning, a goal that the University's small student-to-faculty ratio helps to facilitate. All courses are taught in English, except for language classes.

Maryland students choose their AUR language course and electives from those courses that have been evaluated and approved by University of Maryland faculty for Maryland resident credit.
 
Maryland-in-Rome Course Evaluations
 

Students who wish to take courses not on this list should email the course number to the Maryland-in-Rome coordinator at least 3 months before the program start date, so that Education Abroad may request a review from the appropriate academic department.  There is no guarantee that the course will be approved for UMD resident credit.

AUR Italian Language and Culture

All Maryland-in-Rome students enroll in one Italian language class (from beginning to intermediate) to facilitate their integration into the city. Students with no prior Italian language experience can choose from two courses to satisfy this requirement:
  • ITL 100 Introduction to Italian Language and Culture
    • This course introduces features of the Italian language needed for interaction in everyday practical situations, such as the caffè, restaurant, accommodation, and in shops. Cultural topics, such as religion in Italy, Italian geography, and Italian families will also be studied through readings in English. 
  • ITL 101 Elementary Italian 1
    • In this course students establish an introductory base in the Italian language in the four areas of language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students looking to continue on with Italian language courses after their program should take this course instead of ITL 100. 

Please note that UMD credit will only be granted for language courses taken at or above level of Italian already received at UMD. Credit will not be awarded for repeated courses or courses at a level lower than that already received at UMD (i.e. a student who has received credit for ITAL203 may not earn credit for any 100-level equivalent course at AUR). Placement in specific levels cannot be guaranteed by UMD and are determined using a placement test once students arrive in Rome. For additional information on this policy, please refer to the UMD Academic Catalogue.

AUR Elective Courses

Maryland students can choose from a list of approved AUR courses that might fulfill major, minor, elective or gen ed credit.  The main academic foci of AUR courses are:
  • Arts and Humanities (especially Art History and Archaeology, Studio Art, Classics, Communication, English, and History)
  • Business (especially Finance and Marketing)
  • Behavioral and Social Sciences (including Anthropology, Economics, and Government and Politics)
Because Maryland-in-Rome students enroll in courses at the American University of Rome, availability of courses changes every semester and University of Maryland Education Abroad cannot guarantee that there will be enough space in every course requested. Courses may also be canceled before the start of the semester. Students on the Maryland-in-Rome program are given the opportunity to select alternate courses in order to address the possibility that a selected course may not be available.

It is expected that Maryland students have academic activities four days each week. Browse the AUR course offerings to see available courses for each term and course descriptions.

Credit and Transcripts

Maryland-in-Rome is a hybrid credit program offering both resident and transfer credit courses.

Students who choose to take courses at AUR that are not approved by the University of Maryland may not receive academic credit for them. Students who drop a course after AUR's Add/Drop period will receive a W on their Maryland transcript for that course.

Please note that grades from the term in Rome are not posted until about 4-6 weeks after the end of the semester in which a student studies abroad.