Israel is a country of many cultures and races, but the common thread is the return of the Jewish people, the ‘Hebrews’, to their original homeland. The lingua franca of the country is Hebrew and this is also the language of instruction at the Technion. Nevertheless, English is the second language and most of the teaching texts which are used in Technion courses are in English. All Technion students are expected to be fluent in English.

    Visiting Students accepted for Winter or Spring teaching semester programs should attend the Technion’s intensive five week Hebrew language course (‘Ulpan’) before they begin their studies. A student who completes this course should be able to communicate on a day-to-day basis, both on and off campus. We strongly recommend that you acquire some basic knowledge of Hebrew before your arrival in Israel. The acquisition of these basic linguistic skills will help you to acclimatise more easily to the country and the Technion.

    Elective classes which are based primarily on mathematical material do not present much of a linguistic barrier to the Visiting Student. Some humanities courses in the Department of Humanities and Arts are available in English and the Faculty of Industrial Engineering & Management offers a special English Language Program in the Spring Semester. All course homework (exercises and essays), as well as examinations, can be submitted in English. If a Visiting Student has a problem understanding Hebrew, he/she should inform the instructor at the beginning of the course. A competent, English speaking Student Tutor can be made available to help the Visiting Student where necessary. No one expects a Visiting Student to submit a project report in Hebrew!

    We normally recommend that Visiting Students limit themselves to no more than 15 Credit Points per Semester (approximately 20 contact hours per week), selecting 4-5 courses from the Technion Course Catalogue. Credit Points are given according to an agreed scale of 1 Credit Point per lecture hour per week, 0.5 Credit Points per hour of recitation (exercises) and 0.25 Credit Points per hour of laboratory or seminar work.

    Of the selected courses 1-2 may be general courses relevant to the Eastern Mediterranean Region and given within the framework of the Department of General Studies or at Haifa University. Examples could be courses in Hebrew or Arabic Language and Literature, a course on another language (either European or Asian), and courses on the Holocaust, the Arab/Israel Conflict or the History of the Middle East.