Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies

The Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies is an educational and cultural center created for study in the Near East, emphasizing religion, the humanities, and the social sciences. The Jerusalem Center has three principal goals:

  1. Provide students an opportunity to grow academically, culturally, socially, and especially spiritually, in a setting touched by the lives of apostles, prophets, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  2. Help students gain a greater understanding, appreciation, and respect for the peoples of the Holy Land and neighboring lands by studying cultural artifacts, traditions, and histories of the area.
  3. Encourage students to enlarge and deepen testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and come to understand the mission of the Savior better as they study, on site, His life and teachings and his dealings through ancient prophets and apostles.

To achieve these goals, the Jerusalem Center offers a core curriculum focused on the Old and New Testaments and on ancient and modern Near Eastern studies. Classroom study is integrated with a field trip program spanning the length and breadth of the Holy Land as well as travel to Jordan and to either Egypt or Greece. In addition, the Center provides introductory language study in Hebrew and Arabic.

The Jerusalem Center has marvelous physical facilities on Mount Scopus overlooking the oldest part of the city of Jerusalem. Classrooms, a library, a learning center, auditoriums, student and faculty apartments, a gymnasium and conditioning room, and a cafeteria provide a complete learning environment.

Academic Program

Calendar and Program Emphasis. Three programs are offered during the calendar year, scheduled to approximate the Provo campus calendar: fall, winter, and spring-summer (four-month programs).

  1. The semester programs are designed for students who are currently enrolled at one of the BYU institutions (BYU in Provo, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii) seeking their first undergraduate degree. Most of the courses offered are at the upper-division level. Students are encouraged to prepare themselves in advance for this exceptional experience by taking such courses as Poli 170, Geog 120, Hist 300, 302, Arab 101, Heb 101.
  2. All programs include field trips within the Holy Land and to Jordan and to either Egypt or Greece.

Curriculum. The following subject areas are currently taught at the center:

  1. Biblical Studies: Old Testament and New Testament
  2. Ancient Near Eastern Studies
  3. Modern Near Eastern Studies
  4. Introductory course in either Hebrew or Arabic.

Note: Some courses taken at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies may be applied toward degrees in Near Eastern Studies, International Relations, and other majors in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. Students should contact their advisement centers concerning specific degree requirements.

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