Want a PhD? Dream on!

Dreaming of an advanced degree? Try a doctorate in dreams, something which could soon become a reality in a new Saudi academy offering undergraduate and graduate degrees.



Yusuf al-Harthy, a well-known Saudi dream interpreter, plans to start up an institute offering bachelors and masters degrees as well as even a PhD in explaining dreams and visions.

"Dream interpretation is by nature a way of counseling a person," said Harthy, who already runs a website on deciphering the meaning of dreams.

Islam has a long history of dream interpretation, with the seventh century-born scholar Muhammad Ibn Sirin, a native of Basra in present-day Iraq, credited with authoring a classic Islamic catalogue on dream interpretation.

Harthy, who discusses dreams on radio and television shows, disagrees with the Saudi Islamic Affair's Ministry view that dream interpretation is not a teachable science but something born of inspiration.