Program in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies and Modern Standard Arabic

  Yemen

Sana'a

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Winter 
Dates: all year

Description: The YCMES and YLC offer international students the opportunity to take internationally competitive and college-accredited classes in politics, history, anthropology, MSA language instruction and more.

For almost two decades, the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies has played a leading role in the education of foreigners in Yemen. Founded in 1989 by Sabri Saleem, the Yemen Language Center (YLC) was the first institution devoted to teaching Arabic as a foreign language. With an increasing interest from international students, the Center expanded to include the Yemen Center for Arab Studies in 1993. Over the next fifteen years, programs and student numbers fluctuated due to local and world events, but the overall trend showed a gradual rise of international students wishing to study Arabic in Sana'a, Yemen. During these periods, the YLC continuously invested back into the institution, establishing excellent facilities, a first-rate Arabic program, and an outstanding reputation.

With the demand and need for new study abroad programs in the Middle East, the YLC transformed into the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies (YCMES) in 2006. With the help of Steven C. Caton (Harvard University), the YCMES has designed the curriculum of the Program in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies and will supervise all the academic aspects of its instruction. More recently, the YCMES has further developed and expanded its facilities, academic programs, and administrative services to ensure the highest standards found at western universities. The college consists of two entities: The Program in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies (PCMES) and the Yemen Language Center (YLC).

Yemen is an ideal location for such a college. It is perhaps the only country left in the Middle East where foreigners can practice their Arabic with local people and not be forced to use English or other languages. In addition to the superb language environment, Yemenis have retained their customs and traditions with very little Western influence, offering an international student the opportunity to live among one of the most traditional Arab societies.

The college is centrally located in Sana'a, the capital of the Republic of Yemen, in a residential neighborhood near the main square of the city and within walking distance of the historical Old City. The YCMES offers its students unmatched language and academic programs, cultural activities, and volunteer/community service projects to engage students in Yemeni society. Students come mainly from North America and Europe, but the college is open to all qualified individuals wishing to seek a greater knowledge of the contemporary Middle East.

Accreditation: The Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies is a non-profit, private college licensed by the Yemen Ministry of Higher Education. They run official partnerships with a number of US universities.

Highlights: All language instructors have Masters degrees or higher in English or Arabic language or literature. Classes in the YCMES are taught in English by visiting experts on Yemen and the Middle East. The program of the YCMES was developed and is overseen by the director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies department at Harvard University. The modern campus, offering amenities such as wireless internet, a western-style coffee shop, an up and coming recreation center, and beautiful gardens, to name a few, is located in the heart of the traditional and historic city of Sana'a, Yemen, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Yemeni dialect is one of the closest to Modern Standard, and English is spoken at a rate much lower than most other study abroad locations in the Middle East. For more information, please contact us.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: varied based on program

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Yemen Independently Or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies's Mission Statement: The Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies, in conjunction with its sister organization The Yemen Language Center, provide internationally competitive curricula in Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies and instruction of Modern Standard Arabic within the same modern campus located in the historic heart of the Old City of Sana'a, Yemen.

Year Founded: 1989