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Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב
Motto:	"Israel's capacity for science and research will be tested in the Negev..." David Ben-Gurion
Established	1969
Type:	Public
President:	Rivka Carmi
Location	Beersheba, Israel
Campus:	Urban
Website:	www.bgu.ac.il

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Hebrew: אוניברסיטת בן גוריון בנגב‎) was founded in 1969, in Beersheba, Israel.

The university is mandated to promote development of the Negev region, inspired by the vision of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who believed that the country's future lay in the relatively undeveloped south. Originally named University of the Negev, the name was changed to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev after Ben-Gurion's death in November 1973. The university also maintains a small campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, near kibbutz Sde Boker, where Ben-Gurion spent his retirement years, and a campus in Eilat. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is home to the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, which awards masters degrees and PhDs in desert-related subjects. With a current enrollment of 17,400 students, Ben-Gurion is one of Israel's fastest growing universities.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has faculties in:

• Humanities and Social Sciences
• Natural Sciences
• Engineering Sciences
• Health Sciences
• Management
• Desert Research

Zalman Aran library on the campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba

Most of the courses are taught in Hebrew, but the university runs several English language programs that attracts students from around the world:

• Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies (MAPMES).
• The Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at the Sde Boker campus offers graduate programs in Desert Studies.
• In collaboration with Columbia University, a unique program in International Health is offered by the Medical Faculty.
• The School of Management offers a full-time Honors MBA Program.
• The Department of Foreign Literature and Linguistics offers BA and MA programs taught in English.
• The Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program offers short-, mid- and long-term academic programs and Hebrew language studies.
• In addition, many departments accept exchange, internship and trainee students.

• Aaron Antonovsky, sociologist
• Aharon Appelfeld, author
• Eliezer Shkedi, commander in chief of Israeli Air Force
• Charles Blattberg, political scientist
• Avishay Braverman, former president of the university, economist and politician
• Rivka Carmi, pediatrician
• Haim Chertok, author
• Shlomi Dolev, computer scientist
• Tikva Frymer-Kensky, biblical scholar
• Neve Gordon, political scientist
• Samuel Hollander, economist
• Etgar Keret, author
• Benny Morris, historian
• Amos Oz, author
• Aviad Raz, sociologist
• Danny Rubinstein, journalist
• Joshua Prawer, historian
• Richard Shusterman, philosopher
• Charles Small, urban studies and policy scholar
• Carsten Peter Thiede, biblical scholar
• Unni Wikan, anthropologist

• Amira Dotan (behavioral science, psychology), Knesset member
• Gonen Segev (medicine), former physician and Knesset member
• Silvan Shalom (economics, accountancy), former Israeli minister of finance and minister of foreign affairs
• Eliezer Shkedi (mathematics, computer science), Commander of the Israel Air Force
• Yaakov Turner (behavioral science), Mayor of Beersheba
• Mordechai Vanunu (geography, philosophy), nuclear technician and convicted spy
• Shelly Yachimovich (behavioral science), journalist and Knesset member
• Agi Mishol (poet)

• University Website
• American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

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