American International College was founded in 1885 with the specific mission of preparing the new immigrants flooding into New England to become productive citizens and leaders in their adopted country. This mission has broadened over the years to include students from a wide variety of backgrounds, including first generation students, those seeking a pre-professional experience, international students, and student athletes, as well as those seeking a broad grounding in the liberal arts. In all cases, the mission is to "transform lives" through a strong connection between the student and his or her instructors, a rich campus life, great diversity, and a wide choice of sports and co-curricular activities that build skills in leadership and team work. The undergraduate component of the College has remained intentionally small with just over 1500 students working toward one of thirty-five majors in arts and sciences, social science, business, and health sciences. The rigorous General Education curriculum provides all students - regardless of their major field of study - with a solid grounding in writing, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, global and cultural awareness, and social responsibility. In the past decade, graduate education has expanded considerably, and this trend continued in the academic year 2015-16, with graduate students now representing considerably more than half of total enrollment. The large component of the graduate student body is engaged in studies of education across a wide range of specializations - including special needs, early childhood development, school administration and leadership. Other programs include business studies where AIC was the first to offer the MBA (Masters of Business Administration) in Massachusetts outside of the Boston area and offers a masters degree in accounting and taxation, as well. There are also masters level programs in clinical psychology, forensic psychology, nursing, occupational therapy, counseling and leadership, as well as doctorates in Educational Psychology, Education, and Physical Therapy. The College is located on a 58 acre campus in Springfield, a mid sized city in the Connecticut River Valley with a rich history dating to the colonial period. The campus is less than two hours from Boston and three hours from New York City. A majority of AIC students experience internships that are directly tied to their field of study and serve as preparation for the job market. The Office of Career Development maintains strong ties with employers not only in Springfield but also in Connecticut and the Boston area. Students have interned at organizations such as Massachusetts Mutual Life, the Boston Red Sox, ESPN, Lego Systems, Disney World, and the Springfield Museums. During the academic year 2015-16 AIC students were engaged in many community activities as part of the Colleges efforts to be "Springfields best neighbor." AIC competes athletically in many sports at the NCAA Division II level and at the Division I level in ice hockey. AIC faculty members presented papers at national and regional academic conferences and the honors program expanded its research emphasis for students. The College continues to invest in technology for the classroom and systems upgrades to streamline administration with the goal of providing the best possible service to its core stakeholders - the students who attend AIC and the families that support them.

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