Center for Migration and Refugee Studies
Migration and refugee issues have become high priorities on the global agenda and are still gaining momentum.
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) is among the largest source, transit and destination regions for migrants and refugees in the world. In spite of its strategic position, however, the MEA remains one of the regions suffering the most acute deficit of accurate knowledge with regard to international migration.
The Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS), previously known as the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies program (FMRS), at the American University in Cairo (AUC) intends to fill this knowledge gap. Established in 2000 as a program of education, research, and outreach on refugee issues, it was developed in 2008 into a regional center that encompasses all forms of international mobility, whether voluntary or forced, economic or political, individual or collective, temporary or permanent. CMRS works along three building blocks: research, education and outreach, aiming to form strong synergies between them.
CMRS offers an MA in Migration and Refugee Studies (MRS) in addition to a Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies, forming together the only multidisciplinary program in the world that combines both migration and refugee studies with a focus on the Middle East and Africa. As of fall 2009, CMRS is also offering an additional Graduate Diploma with a Specialization in Psychosocial Intervention for forced migrants and refugees.
This new diploma is offered in collaboration with the new International Counseling and Community Psychology graduate program in the Psychology Unit.
CMRS’ research program includes a systematic and comparative inventory of the situation regarding migration and refugee movements across the MEA, as well as in-depth studies of emerging issues in the region. It gathers in-house faculty and fellows as well as a network of scholars established in other countries covering the region, with a focus on producing policy-oriented research.
CMRS’ outreach includes disseminating knowledge on migration and refugee issues beyond the university’s gates, as well as providing a range of educational services to refugee communities.
For more information, we invite you to investigate the links in the right-hand column of this page.