Bethlehem University () is a Catholic university located in the city of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, Palestine.
History Established shortly before the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the university traces its roots to 1893, when the De La Salle Brothers opened schools in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Nazareth, along with others in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt; and to 1964's Pope Paul VI's visit to the Holy Land in which he promised the Palestinian people a university, a centre for Ecumenical Studies (Tantur Ecumenical Institute), and a school for children with special educational needs (Effetá Paul VI School).
, Bethlehem University is the first established university in Palestine and the only Catholic university in the Holy Land (excluding seminary schools and theological or biblical institutes). It continues to be a joint project supported by the Vatican and run by the De La Salle Brothers.
In 2017 the Palestine Museum of Natural History opened on the campus; it is closely linked to the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability.
Demographics Bethlehem University students are predominantly Muslim (~75%) and female (~78%), with Christians representing ~25% of the students.
Faculties Arts & Humanities
Business Administration
Education
Nursing & Health Sciences
Applied Sciences, Technology & Engineering
Institute of Hotel Management & Tourism
Majors and Minors Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Religious Studies Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence Social Work Sociology English Language, Literature, and Communications Interactive Media and Communication Business Administration Accounting Pre-School Education Lower Basic Level Education Upper Basic Level – Teaching Arabic Language Upper Basic Level – Teaching English Language Upper Basic Level – Teaching Mathematics Upper Basic Level – Teaching Social Studies Nursing Midwifery Speech Therapy and Audiology Physiotherapy Occupational Therapy Medical Laboratory Sciences Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry Software Engineering Computer Simulation in Sciences and Engineering Sustainable Energy Engineering Hotel Management Tourism Studies Computer Information Systems Biology Industrial Chemistry Mathematics Physics
Interreligious character
All religious groups are welcome at the university, which currently counts among its students Christians of many different denominations including Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Russian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Greek Catholic, and others.
See also Education in Palestine List of universities and colleges in Palestine Lasallian educational institutions Palestine Ahliya University
Gallery
References
External links Directory of Faculty and Staff