Accreditation at the American University of Beirut

The American University of Beirut (AUB) operates under a charter granted by the Education Department of the State of New York, which registers and certifies the University’s curricula, degrees and certificates. AUB degrees are also recognized by the Lebanese government through the equivalence committees of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

As an institution, AUB is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Tel. 267-284-5000). The University was first accredited in June 2004 and then reaccredited in June 2009 in accordance with standard Middle States’ practice. AUB’s next accreditation cycle is in 2018-19.

The accreditation process is a means of peer review and professional self-regulation. It is intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of a university, faculty, or program, confirming that it is worthy of public confidence. While the process is guided by guidelines and standards set by the accrediting body, the resulting Self-Study document is produced internally and provides the university or academic unit with an invaluable opportunity to analyze how it conducts its affairs and where it can improve its performance.

The pursuit of regional accreditation has become common practice among universities certified to operate in the United States. As one of that country’s six regional accrediting bodies, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, as well as New York, the ‘middle state’ where AUB is certified. Institution-wide accreditation is often a prerequisite for the separate accreditation of professional schools and programs by more specialized bodies.

Since the time of AUB’s initial accreditation with Middle States, the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Graduate Public Health program became the first such program to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) outside of North America. Similarly, the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing became the first nursing school beyond American territories to have BSN and MSN programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). In April 2009, undergraduate and graduate programs at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business were accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Most recently, in July 2010, four undergraduate Engineering programs at AUB’s Faculty of Engineering and Architecture were accredited by ABET Inc. (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology).

If you have questions or comments, please contact the Office of the Provost