Northwestern University in Qatar invites Evanston students from the School of Communication, the Medill School, and Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences to spend a semester in Doha, Qatar, on Northwestern’s international campus.
With this chance to experience the Middle East’s exciting growth, students will gain a firsthand familiarity with a region that is increasingly important in the global development of architecture, education, culture, health, sports and media.
SiQ courses in communication, journalism and liberal arts are supplemented by an honors-style seminar on the culture and developments in the region, as well as a funded post-term visit to another Gulf country. Access to NU-Q’s world-class studio is included, as are a wide range of student activities and events at the school and elsewhere throughout the community. These include exposure to, and involvement in, the activities of NU-Q partners, including Al Jazeera and the Doha Film Institute—and potential participation in the nation’s fall film festival.
About the Program
The Doha Seminar
The hallmark of the 16-week fall SiQ program is the Doha Seminar. This 300-level interdisciplinary elective is a unique, collaborative assembly that brings together visiting students, a select group of peers from Education City’s diverse university campuses, faculty from several disciplines, and special guests from government, the arts, the media and business.
In this forum, students focus on Qatar as a case study of issues that include the dynamic cultural interchange of modernity and tradition, economics and politics, and geography and trade. Supplemented by field trips, the Doha Seminar is a rare opportunity to engage in a personal exchange of ideas with an extraordinary mix of students, scholars and leaders from beyond the University.
Experience MENA Trip
To fully imagine the variety, values and vibrancy of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, visitors need to experience the wider region and its people. Immediately following the end of coursework, NU-Q provides SiQ students with a regional excursion beyond Qatar. This is a chance to personally see, hear and feel a region second to none in its impact upon the world. In December 2014, SiQ students traveled to Oman, where they spent three days exploring its culture and customs by engaging with locals and camping in its deserts.
Program timing
The Semester in Qatar program takes places each fall. The fall academic term at NU-Q is 15 weeks, but students should count an additional one week for orientation and one week for post-program travel in the region. View our academic calendar.
Application requirements
The SiQ Program is open to sophomores and juniors from Northwestern's Medill School, the School of Communication, and Weinberg. All classes are taught in English and students do not need to know Arabic in order to apply.
Questions
Please contact the program administration at studyabroad@qatar.northwestern.edu.