3. Graduation With Distinction
Students who complete the last two years of study with a general
average of 85.00 or above in all courses, including repeated courses,
and who are recommended by their faculties, are awarded their
degree with distinction. Students who complete the last two years
of study with a general average of 90.00 or above in all courses,
including repeated courses, and who are recommended by their faculties,
are awarded their degree with high distinction.
4. Term Average Distribution
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Degrees Granted by the Faculty of Engineering and
Architecture at the American University of Beirut
The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture offers programs of
study leading to the degree of Bachelor of Architecture (BArch),
Bachelor of Graphic Design (BGD), and the Degree of Bachelor of
Engineering (BE), with majors in civil engineering, computer and
communications engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical
engineering. The curriculum of the BArch degree extends over 14
terms (ten 16-week semesters and four eight-week summer terms),
totaling 192 weeks. Although the program is completed in five
calendar years, it is equivalent to a program of six academic
years that does not include summers. The curriculum of the BE
degree and that of the BGD degree is each divided into 11 terms
(eight 16-week semesters and three eight-week summer terms), totaling
152 weeks. This duration is equivalent to five academic years,
without summers, but the program is completed in four calendar
years. All engineering majors have the first two terms in common.
There is a short break after each term and a one-month vacation
between summer and fall terms. Applicants who completed the freshman
year, or hold the Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II secondary school
degree, or its equivalent (thirteen years of pre-university education),
such as the French Baccalaureate , the German Abitur, the GCE
Advanced Level, or the International Baccalaureate qualify for
admission to First year Engineering, Graphic Design or Architecture
in the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.
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Supplementary Academic Information
The American University of Beirut (AUB) has since 1866 provided
its students with a university education based on American academic
goals and curricula. Its location in Beirut, Lebanon, does create
some differences from standard U.S. academic practice. For this
reason, AUB provides the following background information that
is intended to aid evaluation of the AUB transcript and student
records for those assessing students for acceptance into graduate
and professional programs. Approximately 65 percent of new undergraduate
students enter directly into the Sophomore class, since they come
from schools that offer the Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II (deuxieme
partie) secondary school degree or its equivalent, such as the
French Baccalaureate, the German Abitur, the GCE Advanced level,
and the International Baccalaureate degree, all considered the
equivalent of thirteen years of pre-university education. Students
who have the American or international high school degree enter
the Freshman class. Approximately 80 percent of registered students
in AUB come from the top 15 percent of their high school classes.
Over 90 percent come from the top 25 percent of these classes.
Over the past three years, the mean SAT I scores of newly registered
Freshman has been 1024; while the mean score for newly registered
Sophomores has been 1125. Few AUB students are native speakers
of English, hence their SAT I verbal scores tend to be lower than
that of their U.S. counterparts. AUB’s curriculum is totally
in English (except for courses taught in the Arabic department).
All Undergraduate applicants must obtain a minimum TOEFL score
of 575 or 230 on the Computer Based TOEFL exam or 88 on IBT (Internet
Based TOEFL); and applicants for the graduate class must obtain
a minimum TOEFL score of 600 or 250 on the Computer Based TOEFL
exam or 100 on IBT. As a result of this criterion-based grading
system, the grades of AUB students tend to be lower than that
of students in American universities and colleges. For this reason,
the university provides students applying to graduate programs
in the US with this “Supplementary Academic Information”,
as an aid in the evaluation of the student’s performance
in comparison with his/her peers at US universities. This supplementary
academic information is given only to provide a contextual background
basis of comparison and is not part of the student’s official
transcript.
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Degrees Recognition
The Lebanese Ministry of Education recognizes all the degrees
awarded by the American University of Beirut provided students
are admitted on the basis of the Lebanese Baccalaureate or its
equivalent as determined by the Lebanese Ministry of Education.
The Ministry of Education also recognizes degrees in medicine,
engineering and architecture and agriculture as equivalent to
the corresponding degrees awarded or recognized by the Lebanese
University.
It is the responsibility of the students themselves to ensure
that the degrees they receive from AUB are duly evaluated by their
respective governments.
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Lebanese equivalence of the Freshman Class
Students holding the Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II are eligible
for consideration for admission to the Sophomore class of the
Faculty of Arts and Sciences or the corresponding first year in
the Faculties of Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences,
Agricultural and Food Sciences, and Second Year in the School
of Nursing. Non-Lebanese students who successfully complete the
Freshman class are entitled for promotion to the Sophomore class
in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and for consideration for
admission to the corresponding year in the professional schools
at the University. Lebanese students who have obtained permission
from the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese ministry of education
to continue their education on the basis of a program leading
to a high school diploma or certificate, are entitled, upon successful
completion of the Freshman class, for promotion to the Sophomore
class in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and for consideration
for admission to the corresponding year in the professional schools
at the University.
Below is the number of credits and the types of subjects that
Lebanese student should take during their Freshman year in order
to obtain the equivalence of Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II from
the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese ministry of education.
Minimum Number of Credits per Subject
| Minimum
Number of Credits per Subject |
| Subject |
Freshman Arts |
Freshman Sciences |
| Humanities |
12 |
9 |
| Natural Sciences |
3 |
9 |
| Social Sciences |
9 |
-- |
| Mathematics |
-- |
6 |
| “Electives” |
6 |
6 |
| Total |
30 |
30 |
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Statement of Accreditation Status
(SAS)
Degrees awarded
by the American University of Beirut are officially registered
with the Ministry of Higher Education in Lebanon and with the
Board of Education in the State of New York. AUB was granted
institutional accreditation in June 2004 by the Commission on
Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges
and Schools. In September 2006, the Council on Education for
Public Health (CEPH) acted to accredit the university’s Graduate
Public Health Program in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS).
The AUB Graduate Public Health Program is the first CEPH
accredited public health program outside the North American
continent. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
accredited AUB’s School of Nursing for five years beginning
October 13, 2007. The Olayan School of Business is a candidate
for accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business (AACSB), and the Faculty of Engineering and
Architecture is preparing for accreditation from the
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET),.
The University
is also a member of the Association of American Colleges and
Universities (AACU), the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), the
Association of American International Colleges and Universities
(AAICU), the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the Arab Association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers (Arab ACRAO), the College
Board, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE),
the National Association for Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA),
the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA),
the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC),
the Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC),
and the European Council of International Schools (ECIS).
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Language of Instruction
English is the official language of instruction at the American
University of Beirut. Therefore, it is necessary that candidates
for admission to the University demonstrate a level of proficiency
in English consistent with the demands of the academic programs.
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