Seeking an international community like the one she had growing up and convinced of the need for a liberal arts education, Morgan Smith came to Paris to complete the BA in International Business Administration. She has not been disappointed. Feeling, she says, “like the world is at her fingertips,” and having learned so much through her course work, the Branding Practicum (one of her highlights so far), study trips, an internship and her involvement in student government, Morgan is currently pursuing the MSc in Strategic Brand Management.

When asked about the best parts of her AUP education, she points to the Branding Practicum taught by Professor Behnke, to the study trips that have taken her to Salzburg and Iceland, and will soon take her to Maastricht. She also praises the opportunity at AUP to take elective classes outside of the degree – such as digital advocacy – focused on her personal interests.

Indeed, Morgan has a passion for advocacy, which can be seen in the fact that she is currently President of the Graduate Student Council, was President of ReSisters, a feminist club on campus, until 2023, and has been Youth Ambassador for the Women’s Forum. Her goal is to work in branding for an NGO or a non-profit where she can focus on women’s rights and empowerment.  “AUP has the connections for it,” she says.

Connection, on campus, and off, has made all the difference for Morgan. Because relationships with professors, the classmates of her tight-knit cohort and the program director “extend beyond the walls of AUP,” and focus on individual attention, so many opportunities are created for a catered experience, “direct paths” opening into the future you desire.

With respect to the Iceland study trip, she again emphasizes interaction, saying “everything that I’d worked on and everything that I’m personally interested in got meshed into one. The opportunity to show what I know and interact with people in a real-world setting was unique. It felt a bit like the summit of everything that I’ve worked on coming into play at once.”

AUP helps you get involved in the fields that interest you most, and prepares you for the future you will craft. For Morgan Smith, this new master’s program is more than promising. She invites all students interested in marketing, management and branding to consider what AUP has to offer from the bachelor’s level to the master’s level.