As the capital of Morocco, Rabat is home to numerous NGOs, international organizations, and Morocco’s leading university, and boasts a cosmopolitan mix of European Modernism and North African and Islamic tradition. Its unique blend of cultures, religions, languages, and identities creates a perfect backdrop for studying issues in the francophone world. Rabat’s coastal location, moderate weather year-round, and blend of the old and new make it a fascinating city in which to live and study in the summer.
IES Abroad invites you to study abroad in Rabat, where, over the course of the summer, you will come to know the winding streets of Rabat's vibrant medina and the numerous cafés and boulevards of the city's modern Ville Nouvelle.
Designed for students interested in Francophone Studies, this program offers courses in Gender Studies, Migration Studies, Maghrebian Studies, and Political Science, all of which are taught in French. You are required to take a 1-credit course in Colloquial Moroccan Arabic as well.
These dates are preliminary and are subject to change. Students should not book flights according to these dates.
Our mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad program possible—which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences.
You enroll in a 1-credit course in Colloquial Moroccan Arabic and two 3-credit electives for a total of 7 credits. All area studies courses are be taught in French.
These courses will give you the opportunity to study the North African and Sub-Saharan Francophone regions and will be enhanced by your field study experience in Dakar, Senegal.
This is a list of planned course offerings. After you are accepted, you will see a list of final course offerings in your MyIESabroad account.
IES Abroad Rabat organizes field study trips that complement what you’re learning in the classroom, and contribute to your general knowledge of Moroccan culture and society.
Homestays – Live with a Moroccan family in a homestay to experience first-hand the culture, traditions, and cuisine of Morocco with three meals per day.
Part of making you feel at home in Rabat is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation program that makes you feel prepared, housing that is well-located and comfortable, or field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.
Upon arrival in Rabat, you participate in a three-day orientation, which includes an introducution to the IES Abroad program, the city of Rabat, and basic language instruction. During orientation, the IES Abroad staff discuss the following subjects:
You take part in guided tours by Moroccan students, lectures, tours, and excursions related to the history, art, and culture of Morocco, and an introduction by IES Abroad faculty to IES Abroad courses.
Additionally, IES Abroad's Comprehensive Orientation & Re-entry Experience (CORE) begins during orientation and continues throughout the summer with activities focusing on cultural adjustment, goal achievement, and preparing for the return home.
All of these activities are designed to prepare you for living and studying in Rabat and to help you adjust to speaking Arabic every day.
Many cultural activities are scheduled throughout the semester such as:
Multi-Day Field Trips Exciting multi-day trips takes you to important cultural and historic locations in Senegal and Morocco. Field trips may include:
Fez & Meknes:
This trip is included in the IES Abroad program fee.
Dakar, Senegal:
This trip is required and is included in the IES Abroad program fee.
IES ABROAD RABAT 89, Avenue Moulay Ismail | Rabat-Hassan, Morocco
The IES Abroad Rabat Center is located within easy walking distance of the Medina and is just steps away from the Mausoleum and Hassan II Tower. Features include:
Mohamed BaghdadiIES Abroad Director Mohamed Baghdadi is a leading Moroccan specialist on language teaching with experience in teaching and training teachers of Modern Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, Berber (Tamazight), and English. He earned his B.A. in English literature from Université Sidi Mohamed ben Abdellah in Fez and pursued further studies at the Moray House College of Education of the University of Edinburgh, the University of Manchester, and the Centre Nationale de Formation des Inspecteur de l’Education Nationale where he earned a diploma for the supervision of language teachers. For more than 13 years, he served as Program and Curriculum Coordinator of The Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF), the leading school of Arabic as a foreign language west of Egypt. In addition to overseeing the language program, Mohamed was responsible for orientation, student life, curricular design of area studies courses, and customized programs. His research interests focus on the interaction between the teaching of language and the teaching of culture. He has a lifelong interest in Tamazight music and culture.
IES Abroad Staff
Fatima Ezzahra LahnaProgram Assistant and Accountant
Shaakira Raheem Student Affairs Coordinator
Faculty
Salaheddine AbbadiArabic
Driss AdliLiterature
Fatima AmraniGender Studies, Sociology
Leila BouarfaColloquial Moroccan Arabic
Jamila BoulimaCommunications
Badia BouslikhaneFrench
Khalid ChegraouiInternational Relations, Political Science
Yamina El KiratAfrican Studies
Elhabchi ElaasriArabic
Boutaina IsmailiEconomics
Khalid ChegraouiHistory
Abderrahim OulbouchArabic
Aziz RadiCommunications
El Mostafa RezraziPolitical Science
Khalid SaqiReligion
Mohammed YacineArabic
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