Middle East Studies in Amman, Jordan (CIEE)

  • Location: Jordan - Amman
  • GPA Requirements: 2.75 GPA
  • Other Requirements: Demonstrated interest in the Middle East and Arabic language through coursework and statement of purpose
  • Program Structure: Hybrid
  • Application Deadline: Fall: February 20 | Spring: September 20
  • Program Term(s): Fall, Spring
  • Official Website: Middle East Studies in Amman, Jordan (CIEE)
Program Dates
Term Start Date End Date
Spring 2025 February 10th, 2025 May 30th, 2025
Fall 2025 September 15th, 2025 December 23rd, 2025

These dates are tentative. Confirm program dates before booking travel.

Where: Amman, Jordan

Amman has an ancient history and a diverse, vibrant modernity. It is an accessible, cosmopolitan city with numerous museums, art galleries, theaters, and cinemas. With its reputation for security and hospitality, Amman is home to inhabitants from all over the Middle East. The city provides a safe and stable environment for students to learn about the region.

Academics

CIEE’s Middle East Studies program offers study abroad students a series of specially designed area studies courses in economics, history, international relations, environment, literature, politics, regional diplomacy, and religion. All courses provide an overview of issues relevant to Jordan and the broader Middle East region. One of these courses can be an internship at a local government agency, international organization, national organization, or business. Although there is no language prerequisite, all students are required to take both Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial Jordanian Arabic while in Amman following an onsite placement exam.

Students also have the option to take one course from a pre-approved selection at Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT).

Students will take: Modern Standard Arabic at the appropriate level
Colloquial Jordanian Arabic at the appropriate level
Two or three elective courses.  This may include one course from PSUT.

Academic Structure

Participants study only with other CIEE students from the Middle East Studies program at CIEE Amman. The extracurricular activities, lectures, and workshops with experts on a range of contemporary issues allow CIEE students to gain official insight into Jordan’s most pressing domestic and international concerns. Participants who choose to take a course through PSUT will study with Jordanian and other international students on the PSUT campus.

Course Credit

CIEE courses: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 45 contact hours
CIEE Internship: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 15 seminar hours, 100-120 internship placement hours
CIEE Directed Independent Research: 3 semester/4.5 quarter credits; 15 contact hours, 100-120 research hours
Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) courses: 3 U.S. semester/4.5 quarter credits; 48 contact hours 

Courses

For a full list of course offerings, visit CIEE’s website here.

Eligibility

2.75 G.PA., demonstrated interest in the Middle East and Arabic language through coursework and statement of purpose. There are no specific language requirements for this program.

Housing & Student Life

Study Abroad students have the option of living with a Jordanian host family or in an apartment with other CIEE program participants. Homestay placements are made based on compatibility between families and students, and in some cases, a suitable homestay may not be available for every interested student. All CIEE housing options in Jordan require students to make adjustments to the host culture, including curfews, limits on guests, and decorum. Apartments have limits on visitors and quiet hours for safety purposes and deference to local norms. Students in homestays generally eat two meals a day with their families and most meals on the weekends. Students selecting the apartment option need to budget for all meals, as they are not included in the program fee. For students planning to stay for the academic year, meals between the fall and spring semesters are not included in the program fee unless they continue to reside with their homestay family. All students are responsible for their lunches.

Visa & Immigration information

You must obtain a visa to study in Jordan and will work with CIEE on this process. If you are not a U.S. citizen, please contact the Jordanian consulate in your home country for visa requirements.

Application Process

Allegheny students must apply for approval to study off-campus from the Global Education office AND apply directly to their chosen program.For this program, students should work on the Allegheny approval application at the same time as the host program application. The Allegheny approval application deadline is February 20 for fall programs and September 20 for spring programs. Study away approval applications will be reviewed immediately following the appropriate semester deadline. The separate application deadline to apply directly to this program will vary and could be before or after Allegheny’s approval application due date. Check directly on their website (linked at the top of this page) for deadline information. For more information about the study away application process, please visit the application steps page.

Fees & Costs

Below find information on estimated costs for a semester abroad. You will receive a bill from Allegheny College, as you normally would, for the amount shown under “Costs Paid to Allegheny College.” All other study away program costs will be paid directly to a non-Allegheny entity and are listed in part two below. These amounts are estimates and will vary depending on individual choices. A total estimated cost of attendance for this program is shown at the bottom.

All financial aid awards can be applied to study abroad costs with the exception of federal work-study awards and certain tuition exchange scholarships. For more information, visit our page about Financing Study Away.

Part One: Costs Paid to Allegheny College

Tuition (12 to 20 credits)
Students do not pay tuition directly to CIEE. Instead, students continue to pay tuition to Allegheny College. This fee includes academic related expenses, CIEE iNext travel insurance, CIEE deposit.
$27,930
Housing – Double Room Rate
– Includes Standard CIEE Housing with a homestay family
$3,675
Meals – Gator Blue Plan
– Homestay includes two meals a day on weekdays and three meals a day on weekends.  If student is in an apartment, this cost is not billed and students pay for their own meals on-site.
$3,375
Study Away Fee $800
SUBTOTAL Paid to Allegheny College $35,780

Part Two: Costs Paid to non-Allegheny Entity

Estimated Costs for Additional Meals $560
Estimated Airfare $1,200
Estimated Visa and Immigration Expenses $60
Estimated Books and Academic Materials $150
Estimated Local Transportation $1,200
Estimated Personal Expenses
Personal expenses include: the basic expenses for laundry, toiletries and other incidental expenses. It does not include an estimate for personal travel, entertainment or social outings.
$250
SUBTOTAL Paid to NON-Allegheny entity $3,420

TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE

Subtotal Part One: Fees paid to Allegheny College (in section 1. above) PLUS $35,780
Subtotal Part Two: Fees paid to non-Allegheny entity (in section 2. above) $  3,420
TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE $39,200 ***
***Compare this to a semester at Allegheny in Meadville.

NOTES:

Study Away Fee includes: administrative support, transcript translation and processing, pre-departure orientation, and emergency travel insurance.