Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

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The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev אוניברסיטת בן גוריון בנגב


Motto	"Israel's capacity for science and research will be tested in the Negev..." David Ben-Gurion
Established	1969
Type	Public
President	Rivka Carmi
Location	Beersheba, Israel
Campus	Urban
Website	www.bgu.ac.il

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Hebrew: אוניברסיטת בן גוריון בנגב‎) was founded in 1969, in Be'er Sheva, Israel.

The University is mandated to promote development of the Negev region, inspired by the vision of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who believed that the country's future lay in the relatively undeveloped south (The university's name on the time of its foundation was "University of the Negev". Its name had been changed to the current one after Ben-Gurion's death on November 1973). As a result of Ben-Gurion's vision, the university has a small campus at Midreshet Ben-Gurion, located next to Sde Boker kibbutz, Ben-Gurion's home in his latter life. The campus is home to the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, which award Master's degrees and PhDs in desert-related subjects.

The university is rapidly expanding and has a current enrollment of 17,400 students.

Ben Gurion is one of Israel's faster growing universities, and is known for its graduated engineers in electronics, chemistry, computers and mechanics. Along with Tel Aviv University, it is ranked second or third after the Technion in engineering disciplines. After the collapse of the USSR, the university was strengthened by hiring faculty from prestigious Soviet universities, including Leningrad, Riga, Moscow, and Kharkov.

University faculties are:

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Natural Sciences
The Faculty of Engineering Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Management
Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research

1 International Student Programs
2 Faculty
3 Graduates
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] International Student Programs

Even though most courses are being taught in Hebrew, the university has established several English language programs which are attended by many international students:

Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies (MAPMES).
The Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at the Sde Boker campus offers graduate programs in Desert Studies.
In collaboration with Columbia University, a unique program in International Health is offered by the Medical Faculty.
The School of Management offers a full-time Honors MBA Program.
The Department of Foreign Literature and Linguistics offers BA and MA programs taught in English.
The Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program offers short-, mid- and long-term academic programs and Hebrew language studies.
In addition, many departments accept exchange, internship and trainee students.