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 New York State Department of Education in the United States. AUB has been accredited as an institution since 2004 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’s accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in June 2009, after the completion of an extensive self-study that was reviewed by educational experts chosen in consultation with Middle States. Over the last several years, a number of AUB faculties, in addition to the Medical Center, have also sought accreditation with more specialized bodies. In September 2006, 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. One year later, the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing became the first nursing school beyond American territories to have its nursing programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). In 2008, the AUB Medical Center received official accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI), the international arm of the US-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The Medical Center had previously been accredited by JCAHO from 1965 until 1983; however, the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon subsequently prevented periodic site visits by review teams. The Medical Center is also accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a provider of continuing nursing education. ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program B granted AUBMC its prestigious Magnet designation in June 2009, making the Medical Center the first healthcare institution in the Middle East and the third in the world outside of the United States to be recognized in this way. Also in 2009, undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business were accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In July 2010, four undergraduate programs at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture were accredited by ABET, Inc. (the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology), retroactive to October 1, 2008.
The University is 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 Association for Institutional Research (AIR); the College Board; the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE); the Association of International Educators (NAFSA); Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA); the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO); the American Society for Quality (ASQ); the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC); the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC);
the Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC); the American International Consortium of Academic Libraries (AMICAL); and the European Council of International Schools (ECIS). Members of the AUB administration regularly attend meetings and professional development activities organized by these and other international organizations, as well as associations, syndicates, and other formal groupings located in Lebanon and the region.
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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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