BYU Jerusalem Center to accept BYU-I students
- posted: 09 Oct. 2007
- scrollcampus@byui.edu
Imagine studying the Savior’s birth while overlooking Bethlehem; singing “Master, the Tempest is Raging” while on a boat in the Sea of Galilee; climbing Mount Sinai and the Mount of Temptations.
These are just a few of the experiences awaiting students who attend the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. Recently re-opened after safety concerns triggered its closure in 2000, the center is now accepting applications from students at all three BYU campuses.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Roy Huff, who served as a religion teacher at the Jerusalem Center before its initial closure. “To experience the scriptures where they happened really makes those stories come alive.”
Opened to students in 1987, the Jerusalem Center is a study-abroad facility with a curriculum focusing on Near Eastern history, Arabic and Hebrew languages and the Old and New Testaments. Students study both in the center and in various locations around Israel, Jordan and Egypt, taking several field trips a week.
Semester programs are available in the fall and winter, with students registered for 15 credits. Term programs run for seven weeks in the spring and summer, and students take nine credits.
Costs also vary between the semester and term programs, running about $7000 to $9000. While students may be discouraged by these costs, Huff says the experience is well worth it.
“What you get for the amount of money you pay is amazing,” Huff said.
Students interested in applying are encouraged to attend an informational meeting Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. in room 120 of the John Taylor Building. Jim Kearl, assistant to the university president for the Jerusalem Center, will be available to answer questions and give information about the program.
While the Winter 2008 semester program is already full, students can apply for spring or summer terms, or for the fall program.
Enrollment is currently capped around 80 students, but center officials are expecting to admit up to 170 for Fall Semester 2008.
Further information can be found at the Jerusalem Center Web site, www.ce.byu.edu/jc/. 
