Studying in the Middle East
The study program SiMO ( From German: Studien im Mittleren Osten) and the program extension SiMO+ enable students as well as graduates to study, research and work in Lebanon for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 12 months.
Press release on the current situation
(10 April 2026)
“I don’t know – can things possibly get any worse?”
For many years, we have maintained close ties with numerous partners in Lebanon and other countries of the Near and Middle East. In Lebanon, we are particularly connected with the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, as well as with the Schneller School in the Bekaa Valley. Over the past days, we have received countless desperate messages from our partners. The people of Lebanon had found hope in the agreed ceasefire, believing the violence will finally end. The hail of bombs on the afternoon of April 8, 2026, has shattered that hope. Every message ends with a request to pray that the weapons will fall silent. The people of Lebanon are exhausted. Each additional day of war not only destroys human lives and material goods, but also inflicts profound damage on the souls of children, and thus on the future prospects of Lebanon and the whole region.
We, as the Executive Committee for the program “Studies in the Middle East”, are appalled by the scale of violence in the Near and Middle East, particularly in Lebanon. We call on the German Federal Government to:
1. Use all available diplomatic means to immediately silence the weapons in Lebanon;
2. Insist on a permanent ceasefire among all warring parties; and
3. Work together with local, European, and international partners towards a peace solution for the entire Middle East. For us, this includes an immediate halt and long-term suspension of all arms deliveries to the war zone until a peaceful resolution is in sight.
In Christian fellowship and love for our neighbor, we stand with our friends and partners, our brothers and sisters in faith in the Near and Middle East, and with all people affected by and suffering from the current war. We pray and hope that peace may come and last!
The whole statement in German and English can be downloaded here.
The Study Programs
SiMO and SiMO+ offer students and graduates the opportunity to live and study at the tradition-steeped Protestant Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon. Additionally, internships can be completed in local church and civil society NGOs with different target groups. Both programs offer the unique opportunity to explore the cultural and religious diversity of Lebanon and to have a unique experience abroad in the Middle Eastern metropolis of Beirut.
SiMO
The full study experience at the Near East School of Theology
- A complete academic year (approx. October – June) in Beirut
- Interesting theological courses on topics such as Eastern churches and Christian-Muslim relations
- Living in dorms with students from the region as well as international students
- Excursions to churches, mosques, monasteries and other institutions and unique places
SiMO+
Flexible short-term stays at the Near East School of Theology
- 3 to 6 months research or internship in Beirut
- Research at NEST, for example for seminar papers or theses
- Internships with Lebanese partner organizations
- Participation in courses offered by NEST
- Living in dorms with students from the region as well as international students
About the Near East School of Theology
Protestants from various Middle Eastern countries like Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Armenia, whether Armenian Protestant, Anglican, Lutheran or Reformed, live and study at the Near East School of Theology. The university is the only Protestant educational institution in the region, apart from a seminary in Cairo, where young people are trained as pastors or religious educators from the Protestant churches mentioned above.
Various state degrees can be obtained at NEST, which qualify students for service in the churches or for further research.
NEST is located in the western part of Beirut, in the neighborhood of important educational and cultural institutions. Its library contains around 42,000 volumes in English, Arabic, Armenian, French and German.
What alumni say
For more than 20 years, more than 80 students have participated in the “Study in the Middle East” program at the Protestant and interconfessional Near East School of Theology in Beirut.
I came to Beirut with many expectations and hopes
I came to Beirut with many expectations and hopes, but also with many prejudices and a great deal of ignorance. In nine months at NEST, I learnt an incredible amount: about Lebanon, the Middle East, the religious diversity and, last but not least, about myself.
Learned an immense amount
The 9 months of the SiMO programme turned into a total of 2 years in Lebanon, during which I learned an immense amount about religion(s), politics and society. The time in Beirut triggered changes and developments in me that can hardly be overstated, especially through the wonderful, very diverse people I was able to meet there.
To share everyday life with people of different denominations
After my studies, SiMO+ enabled me to combine an internship at the Middle Eastern Council of Churches in Beirut with life at NEST. During my stay, I attended various church services and was able to share everyday life with people of different denominations, celebrate devotions and experience ecumenism at first hand. In my free time, I was able to discover the great cultural and scenic diversity of Lebanon!
Many treasures in my heart
I return enthusiastic, critical, touched, (even) more open, questioning, thoughtful, even saddened (about the arbitrariness, corruption and hopelessness in Lebanon), with many treasures in my heart, experiences, time with God and relationships with loved ones.
