Agreement offers Harris students unique exposure to Middle Eastern policy issues at one of the region’s leading universities
October 20, 2016

On October 20, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon announced a partnership to establish a comprehensive exchange program for students, further broadening Harris’ engagement in the Middle East.

The new agreement will enable students from Harris Public Policy and LAU to conduct coursework at their partner school, and to pursue internships and career placement opportunities through either institution.

“Our global partners play an extremely important role in enriching intellectual life at Harris,” says Interim Dean Kerwin K. Charles.

“This unique collaboration will give our students exposure to Middle Eastern policy issues and scholars at one of the region’s leading universities. We are immensely excited by this opportunity. We are pleased to offer LAU students the chance to live in our great city of Chicago and study at the University of Chicago, one of the United States’ premier academic institutions.”

Through the collaborative exchange program, Harris students who have successfully completed the one-year Master of Arts degree can apply to LAU’s Master’s in Applied Economics degree program. LAU students who have successfully completed their first year of LAU’s Master’s in Applied Economics may be admitted to Harris’ Master of Arts degree.

Students admitted to either program will have access to the institutions' internship and career placement resources. Students will also benefit from each university’s relationships with practitioners like the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and regional organizations.

“We believe the relationship between applied economics in the Middle Eastern context, combined with the Harris approach to evidence-based, data-driven policy, will uniquely prepare graduates to immediately influence and positively impact the region’s greatest policy challenges, including conflict, energy, urban and cultural policy, and more,” says Jeremy Edwards, senior associate dean at Harris Public Policy.