Officers of the Faculty
Fadlo R. Khuri | President of the University |
Zaher Dawy | Provost |
Farès Dahdah | Dean |
Saouma BouJaoude | Special Advisor to the Dean for Faculty Affairs |
Pierre Karam
| Associate Dean |
Izzat El Hajj
| Director of Freshman Program |
Bradley Jon Tucker | Registrar
|
Antoine Sabbagh | Director of Admissions
|
Lokman Meho | University Librarian
|
Faculty Administrative Support
Bassel Baker
| IT Service Desk Manager |
Patrick Daou
| GIS Technologist/Specialist
|
Yara El-Hoss | Student Services Administrative Officer |
Zeina Halabieh | Director of Student Services and FAS Space Management |
Razan Harb
| Senior IT Service Delivery Manager |
Ghida Itani
| Graduate Studies and Career Services Officer |
Dima Jamil Ahmad Dit Hakim | Administrative Assistant |
Zeina Katergi
| Executive Officer for Administrative Affairs |
Dina Khattab
| Academic Affairs Officer |
Abeer Khoury
| Financial Operations Manager |
Hadi Knaiber
| Data Analyst
|
Stephanie Mesrobian
| Undergraduate Student Officer
|
Nadine Rizk
| Faculty and Staff Affairs Manager
|
Razan Sabbidine
| Student Records Administrative Officer
|
Armine Seferian
| Communications Officer
|
Mohamad Ali Sheikh
| Building Operator
|
Historical Background
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences was established in 1866, the same year in which the Syrian
Protestant College, now the American University of Beirut, was established. On December
13, 1866, the first class was held, attended by sixteen students, and in 1870 the first five students graduated. Arabic, which was the language of instruction since the inception of the college, was replaced by English in 1882. AUB, in general, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,
in particular, have survived many crises since 1866, including two world wars, regional and
local wars, student strikes and economic crises. Despite all these hardships, the faculty has
continued to develop and maintain its high academic standards.
Mission
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences embodies AUB’s core commitment to the liberal arts and
sciences. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts, humanities and social,
natural and mathematical sciences, and is dedicated to advanced research in all these domains. Through its freshman and general education programs, it is the University’s principal
gateway to higher studies and professional education. The faculty, through its teaching and
research, promotes free inquiry, critical thinking, academic integrity, and respect for diversity
and equality.
Vision
Building upon its rich tradition, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is determined to position
itself at the heart of free inquiry in the Middle East. Liberal and critical thinking is central
to the faculty’s teaching, its research, its engagements with the wider community and its
commitment to the thoughtful transformation of all its activities and structures. The faculty’s
enhanced undergraduate programs will graduate innovators with a breadth of vision who
can be agents of positive change wherever they live and work. The faculty will strategically
expand its graduate offerings, especially in areas where it can make a distinctive contribution, and it will educate graduate students who are themselves producers of knowledge. The
faculty will be recognized internationally for the quality of its research and creative activities
in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematical sciences and interdisciplinary areas, whether undertaken in response to regional and global needs or to human curiosity and imagination. The faculty will provide a vital forum for open discussion and engage
contemporary issues in ways that resonate far beyond our campus walls.
Graduate Study
Admission to the graduate programs in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is competitively based
on the applicant’s academic record, achievements and research interests. All applicants to
graduate study need the recommendation of the academic unit concerned. Academic units
may add additional requirements that could assist in their admission recommendations, such
as a writing sample, GRE (or GMAT, in the case of the Department of Economics) scores and/
or interview. The GRE is required from the following departments only: Biology, Economics,
History and Archaeology and Psychology. FAS also offers an MS in Environmental Policy
Planning (as part of an Interfaculty Graduate Environmental Sciences Program).
The following includes admissions information specific to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Additional requirements are described in the General section on Admissions in this catalogue.
RCR Requirement
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Requirement must be completed by all newly
admitted degree-seeking graduate students. The requirement consists of a course that must
be completed within the first month and is marked by a passing grade. Failure to fulfill this requirement in a timely manner results in a registration hold that is removed once the requirement has been fulfilled. The specific course/section to be taken is assigned by the student
advisor. For more details on the requirement, please refer to General University Academic
Information section of this catalogue. Below is the RCR course listing of FAS.
Admission as a Regular Graduate Student
An applicant is considered for admission as a regular student to a graduate program if s/he
meets the following minimum admission requirements:
An undergraduate average of at least 3.3 (or standardized equivalent from other institutions
of higher learning) in the major field of study and a cumulative average of at least 3.0 (or
standardized equivalent) for all work done at the undergraduate level leading to a bachelor’s
degree or its equivalent from AUB or another recognized institution of higher learning. Applicants to the Environmental Policy Planning specialization in the Master’s Degree Program in
Environmental Sciences are required to have an average of at least 3.3 in the last two years
of undergraduate study or its equivalent at AUB or other universities as determined by the
faculty Graduate Studies Committee.
Further requirements for admission to graduate work are found in the General section on
Admissions in this catalogue.
Admission as a Graduate Student on Probation
An applicant is considered for admission on probation if s/he meets the following minimum
admission requirements:
An undergraduate average of at least 3.0 (or standardized equivalent from other institutions
of higher learning) in the major field of study and a cumulative average of at least 3.0 (or
standardized equivalent) for all work done at the undergraduate level leading to a bachelor’s
degree or its equivalent from AUB or another recognized institution of higher learning. Applicants to the Environmental Policy Planning specialization in the Master’s Degree Program in
Environmental Sciences are required to have an average of 3.0 in the last two years of study
or its equivalent at AUB or other universities as determined by the faculty Graduate Studies
Committee.
Further requirements for admission to graduate work are found in the General section on
Admissions in this catalogue.
Admission as a Prospective Graduate Student
Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree in a major field of study, other than the one to which
they are applying, and who do not have sufficient academic preparation in the field may
be admitted as prospective graduate students who must complete specified undergraduate
course requirements.
To be considered for admission as a prospective graduate student, the applicant must have
attained an undergraduate average of 3.0 (or standardized equivalent) in all work done at
the undergraduate level leading to a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from AUB or another
recognized institution of higher learning.
Further requirements for admission to graduate work are found in the General section on Admissions in this catalogue. For the purpose of change of status (admission after completion
of requirements) to regular graduate student, a minimum average of 3.3 will be required in all
the supplementary courses. If an average of 3.0-3.3 is attained, the student may have her/his
status changed to graduate student on probation pending departmental recommendation
and approval of the faculty Graduate Studies Committee. The supplementary courses must
be completed within four consecutive regular terms.
Transfer of Credits
Transfer of Credits into a Master’s Degree Program
Please refer to the General University Academic Information, section pertaining to “Academic
Rules and Regulations”.
Transfer of Credits from One Master’s Degree to Another
Graduate courses taken at AUB (or at other recognized institutions), in which the applicant
has earned an equivalent grade of B+ or above, may be transferred toward another master’s
degree at AUB. No more than 9 credits are transferable provided they are not credits earned
by an internship, thesis or practicum, and degree minimum residency requirement is maintained. Approval by the department or academic unit concerned and by the FAS Graduate
Studies Committee is required for all transfers.