Overseas students can enroll in the regular academic program for the fall semester, the spring semester, or for the full academic year. This program offers fully accredited courses taught in English in the fields of Hebrew and Arabic language, Middle East Studies, Jewish and General History, Archaeology, Conflict Resolution and Holocaust Studies, Communications, and the Psychology Honors Program. The Psychology Honors Program is a special program open to Israeli honors students, psychology majors, and a select group of overseas students who are interested in advanced research methods and independent projects in psychology. Overseas students may also enroll in courses in the Department of English, and those who are art majors may enroll in the studio art courses in the Department of Art and Art History. Students with a good Hebrew proficiency may enroll courses offered by any of the other university departments. The Department of Overseas Studies faculty members are selected from other university departments and are excellent scholars and teachers. The department also features a very personally rewarding Volunteer Program with the Ethiopian community of Haifa and other community institutions, and an outstanding extracurricular program including tours and hiking trips, holiday parties, and many other social activities.

The Department of Overseas Studies also offers a number of special programs. In addition to the Psychology Honors Program, overseas students may apply for the Internship Program that offers students work and study placements that prove valuable job experiences and the opportunity to explore vocational interests. Internships are offered in educational and medical services, government offices, and civic and cultural institutions. Internships carry academic credits based on the number of work hours.

The Kibbutz-University Program enables overseas students to live and work on Kibbutz Ramat Menasche during six-week sessions prior to the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters. Students study Hebrew in an accredited course, learn about important current issues in Israeli life, and travel on field trips and tours. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about life in this uniquely Israeli community.

The International Summer Hebrew Ulpan is one of the finest programs in Israel for learning Hebrew. Accredited courses are offered on six levels of proficiency and involve intensive classroom instruction, a computerized language laboratory, and numerous social activities that enable students to use their acquired language skills.

In coordination with the Department of Maritime Studies, the Department of Overseas Studies offers a summer Maritime Archaeology Research Seminar. This seminar includes an optional Scuba Diving Course, a course in maritime archaeological research theories and methods, and an opportunity to work at an on-going excavation site on the Israeli coast.

The Department of Overseas Studies also offers an intensive summer study-tour course on Contemporary Israel, "Israel on the Eve of the Millennium," in which students will travel to numerous sites all over the country where historical and contemporary events come together. They will meet with Israelis and Palestinians who are engaged in resolving the current political and social problems and thereby shaping the future of the Middle East.

For French-speaking students, the Department of Overseas Studies has opened a special course, "La Culture Israelienne," that will feature a series of guest specialists lecturing on Israeli art, literature, and contemporary social history.

Although Israel sometimes appears to be a society living in conflict, overseas students at the University of Haifa experience a much different reality. The cosmopolitan population of Jews, Christian, Moslems and Druze, longtime residents and new immigrants, all live together in a harmony that is unique to the Middle East and represents an Israel now that we would like to see throughout the country in the future.