Click here for course equivalency information (pdf).
Website: www.arava.org
For further information, please schedule an appointment with the program advisor by contacting Linda Litzinger in the International Office at 814-332-4891 or llitzing@allegheny.edu.
The Institute is located on the grounds of Kibbutz Ketura, an oasis village in the scenic Arava Valley of southern Israel. The campus is a half-hour drive from the Red Sea resort cities of Eilat and Aqaba, and four hours from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The Institute's mission is to foster a regional perspective, crucial to the next generation of environmental professionals. TAUGHT IN ENGLISH, the Institute's courses provide university students with technical literacy, public policy fundamentals, and comprehension of philosophical concepts necessary to participate actively and effectively in environmental matters.
The Arava Institute faculty are academic and practicing professionals who also guide students in independent study projects. Topics include wildlife captive breeding and repatriation, coral preservation, sustainable agriculture, and environmental activism and advocacy. This hands-on training contributes to a holistic educational experience.
The Institute's facilities include an environmental research library, a computer lab with online access to the internet and regional resources, and scientific laboratory facilities.
Students must have completed at least one year at Allegheny and must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Courses may have prerequisites; check course listings at http://arava.org/Academics/Courses/courses.html.
The Arava Institute offers more than just an academic experience: it enables students to become acquainted with life on a kibbutz, a unique agricultural community. Student rooms are near tennis courts, a swimming pool, a riding stable, soccer field and basketball court. Students take their meals with other kibbutz members in the dining hall. The kibbutz synagogue and reading library are available to Arava Institute students. A new campus adjacent to the kibbutz is currently under construction incorporating fundamentals of environmentally sustainable living and learning in the harsh desert environment. Besides dormitories, the campus plans include projects for self-building by future students in the program, an alternative energy center, a solid waste recycling facility, and innovative solutions for sewage treatment and reuse.
Allegheny students must be first approved to study off-campus, and then apply to their chosen program. Deadlines to submit the approval packet are March 1 for the fall program and September 20 for the spring program. Approval packets submitted prior to the deadline will be reviewed upon submission. Stop by Reis Hall to pickup the guidelines or access the information on the web http://www.allegheny.edu/accel/international/studies/guidelines.php.
Students are charged Allegheny tuition, fees (including a $300 off-campus fee), room and board for the Arava program. Allegheny aid is applied to program costs. Additional costs include international insurance, international airfare, personal expenses (including passport, visa, and local transportation). Students must submit a $50.00 application fee with the application packet to Arava.
