Orientation

Upon arrival in Cairo, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program students participate in an in-depth, week-long orientation designed to introduce them to Egyptian culture and daily life and familiarize them with the logistics of the program. Students stay in a hotel in central Cairo for the first few days of the on-site orientation and then move to their accommodation for the semester. The orientation combines structured informational sessions with organized activities and free time to familiarize participants with Cairo. Topics such as safety and health, cultural adjustment, program regulations, participant responsibilities and other essential information are all discussed during orientation. During the on-site orientation students also meet their professors, take language placement tests, and become familiar with the program’s IT environment.

Accommodation and Meals

Students enrolled in the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Cairo, Egypt live in shared apartments. The apartments are carefully selected by AMIDEAST to be safe, comfortable and convenient to program facilities and public transportation. For meals, students will have access to a kitchen as well as local restaurants. There are many dining options in Cairo including eating out, delivery, or buying food in grocery stores and local shops to cook in your apartment. Dokki, the neighborhood where you will be living and attending class, has many restaurants, supermarkets and dozens of small local shops.

Activities

In addition to the academic program, the AMIDEAST Education Abroad Program in Cairo offers a variety of additional learning opportunities to enhance participants' study abroad experience.

• Civil Society:  Students will encounter a variety of Egyptian civil society organizations ranging from local NGOs in a variety of fields to women’s organizations to sports clubs.  AMIDEAST will organize special activities to facilitate student connections to these organizations.
• Service-learning: AMIDEAST coordinates organized service-learning projects either for individual students or for larger groups. With many connections to a wide range of organizations in Egypt, AMIDEAST can adapt projects to individual student interests to ensure a unique and satisfying service-learning experience.
• Cross-cultural learning: AMIDEAST organizes a variety of cross-cultural learning opportunities. Ranging from meet-and-greets to formal presentations, these events give participants the chance to interact with Egyptian students, to learn more about Egypt, and to introduce others to American culture.

Excursions

AMIDEAST students participate in program-organized excursions both in and outside of Cairo to visit major attractions and historical sites in Egypt. The excursions are coordinated by AMIDEAST/Egypt in conjuction with the program’s academic staff and are led by a member of the faculty. Organized activities are combined with free time, allowing students to explore independently within a safe and structured framework. 

Excursions will include visits to:

• Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Citadel, Old Cairo and other major sites in and around Cairo
• Alexandria
• Upper Egypt

In addition, other optional excursions (at additional cost) will be organized based upon student interest and demand.

 Health & Safety

With AMIDEAST’s nearly 60-year presence in the Middle East and North Africa, AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs are able to draw on AMIDEAST’s long-term experience in the region, strong local connections, and deep understanding of the intercultural, health, safety, and security issues inherent to study in the Arab world.
AMIDEAST provides medical insurance for all enrolled students through HTH Worldwide, as well as medical, political, and security evacuation coverage. AMIDEAST has also contracted with an intelligence provider to assist with monitoring, protecting against, and responding to security issues in the region.

The AMIDEAST Advantage

Guided by an Academic Consortium that represents a cross-section of U.S. higher education, AMIDEAST programs are designed to provide academic excellence. AMIDEAST programs also include ample opportunities to interact with local university students and to reflect on intercultural encounters in structured settings.

Transcripts and Institution of Record

After completion of the program, students receive a transcript from the Cairo University Faculty of Engineering and an AMIDEAST grade report which indicates letter grades and credit received. One grade report will be sent to a students’ university and one will remain at the AMIDEAST office in Washington, D.C. Alternatively, students can request (for an additional fee of $350) a transcript issued by AMIDEAST’s Institution of Record (IoR), Northeastern University. Should a home institution advisor indicate that a student needs to use the IoR, the student (or in some cases the institution) will be billed for this fee. This fee is refundable until the student is a confirmed participant.

Laboratories and Facilities at CU

There are a number of laboratories available to students of civil engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at CU, including: the concrete and materials labs, the geotechnical engineering lab, the hydraulics lab, and the virtual education computer lab (which also contains educational videos and demonstrations for students).  Civil engineering students also participate in an extensive on-site orientation and in organized excursions in Cairo and around Egypt, and they are given ample opportunities to meet Egyptian university students both in and outside their classes.  These labs support teaching, research and community service activities. Staff are well qualified and there is a significant level of personnel to support the labs.

Cairo Addresses