American University of Beirut

​​​​Academic Advisors

Each student has an academic advisor who mentors the student in course selection. The dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences appoints freshman advisors. Freshman students will continue to work with their freshman advisor until they have completed their freshman equivalence and they have provided the freshman equivalence regardless of whether they are admitted to a major. The advisor continues advising the student until s/he has been accepted into a major. Students who do not join a major in three terms are re-assigned an advisor for majorless student. Names of advisees and their respective advisors are available through the Student Information System (SIS).

Categories of Students

Full-Time Students

To be considered full-time, a student must carry a minimum load of 12 credits per regular term and 6 credits for summer term.

Part-Time Students

The category of part-time students is restricted to the following students:

• AUB staff members who are working toward a degree .
• Diploma students.
• Degree seeking students who need fewer than 12 credits and are granted permission through an online petition by the appropriate faculty committee for one of the following reasons:
  • Potential graduation
  • Health issues.
  • Family problems.

Non-Degree Students

The category of non-degree students is restricted to those students who are not working for a degree. Students in this section could be visiting, cross-registered, exchange, study abroad, special not working for a degree and auditing students.

Auditing students

Those who wish to attend individual classes without receiving credit may apply as auditing students.

An applicant must apply online through the Office of Admissions. An applicant is eligible to audit a course if the following requirements are met:

• Baccalaureate II or its equivalent or a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized academic institution to audit a graduate course..
• Approval from the instructor of the course.
• Payment of the tuition charge at the Comptroller’s Office (student accounts section).
• Registration as an auditor at the Office of the Registrar.

Applicants are not eligible to audit laboratory, studio or seminar courses.

Since permission to audit is on a space-available basis, applicants are not permitted to register until after registration of regular students is complete.

The university does not grant academic credit for such work.

Majorless Status

Faculty of Arts and Sciences:

A student in who has not yet chosen a major or is in the process of selecting a new major is given the status of majorless. Students must be admitted to majors a term before graduation.

A freshman student who finished the freshman program and has not been accepted into a major is considered majorless.

For all faculties:

Any other student can be considered majorless based on the recommendation of the faculty due to the inability to follow a study path successfully.

These students must be accepted into a major by their third term of being majorless or risk being dismissed from the University

English Proficiency

Grades on papers (term papers, essays or examinations) or a final course grade may be lowered for the quality of writing alone.

The Intensive English Course (IEC), ENGL 100, is intended for students who have been admitted but have not met the Readiness for University Studies in English (RUSE). The minimum score for admission to IEC is 375 on the AUB EEE or 490 on the paper-based TOEFL (equivalent to 163 on the computer-based TOEFL [CBT] or 57 on the Internetbased TOEFL [IBT] or 350 on the Writing section of SAT I).

Students are placed in either ENGL 100A (15 hours) or ENGL 100B (10 hours) based on their EEE and TOEFL and SAT I Writing scores. Students with scores of 375–449 on the EEE or 490–500 on the TOEFL (163–173 on the CBT or 57–61 on the IBT) or 350 on SAT I writing go into 100A. Those with scores of 450–499 on the EEE or 503–567 on the TOEFL (177–227 on the CBT or 62–87 on the IBT or 360–370 on the SAT I writing) go into 100B.

Students enrolled in the IEC may register for one or two regular university courses (up to a maximum of 6 credits) depending on whether they are placed in ENGL 100A or ENGL 100B, respectively, thus earning credits toward a degree while working toward achieving Students usually complete the IEC in one or two terms. Students who successfully complete their IEC will automatically be placed in their class and major and will be required to complete ENGL 102.

A student who fails to pass the IEC by the end of the second term is dismissed from the university. A student in the IEC program is subject to the same attendance requirements as all other AUB students.

ENGL100A Intensive English Course/ENGL 100B Intensive English Course: These 0-credit courses are offered each term. The courses are designed to help students develop linguistic and communication skills with special emphasis on strengthening areas of particular weakness identified by diagnostic tests. The four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) are integrated. Students are exposed to a wide variety of assignments to assist them in developing critical thinking skills. Laboratory sessions reinforce grammar, reading speed, vocabulary building and study skills.

General Education Requirements

AUB is committed to offering its students a broad undergraduate liberal arts education. The aim of the General Education Program is to help us understand ourselves, the world and our role in it. In order to do so, the program enables students to acquire the analytical skills and habits of lifelong learning that will allow them not only to become effective in whatever area or career they choose, but also to become active citizens of the world. Students will be exposed to a range of intellectual experiences during their time at AUB, including those allowing them to reflect on their own values and responsibilities. We want to give our students the opportunity to make choices and question and test what they believe are their career goals, intellectual interests and roles in the world.

In addition to courses in their academic majors and possible minor concentrations in specific fields, all AUB students must satisfy the General Education requirements by taking a minimum of 39credits distributed as follows:

Ways of Understanding

• 3 credits in Understanding Communication (Arabic)
• 6 credits in Understanding Communication (English) through ENGL 204 (ENGL 206 in MSFEA)
• 3-6 credits in Quantitative Reasoning

Understanding Ourselves

• 9 credits in Cultures and Histories 3 credits in History of Ideas
• 6 credits in Societies and Individuals.

Understanding the World

• 3-6 credits in Understanding the World (Students are required to take 9 credits of Understanding the World and Quantitative Reasoning with at least 3 credits from each)

Understanding Our Role in the World

• 3 credits in Human Values.
• 3 credits in Community Engaged Learning

Students must fulfill 3 credits of Social Inequalities, common with any of the completed non-language GE courses.

All new undergraduate students at AUB are required to take Understanding Communication (English) Courses. New undergraduate students are placed in one of the English Communication Skills Courses on the basis of their scores on the TOEFL, the AUB-EN, the SAT Writing or any equivalent standardized test. The Department of English offers a sequence of two core courses, ENGL 203 and ENGL 204, to all AUB undergraduates, and two specialized courses, ENGL 206 to MSFEA students and ENGL 208 to OSB students. A new undergraduate student is placed in one of the core courses in the sequence upon matriculation and has to complete the sequence in successive terms. MSFEA students take ENGL 206 instead of ENGL 204.

In addition, all undergraduate students are required to take a 3-credit Writing in the Discipline course, which is normally offered in the major.

Depending on their faculty/school, students who have not taken Arabic in their last few years of school are required to take an Arabic course at their level. The Arabic Placement Test (APT) is optional. Students who opt not to sit for the APT will have to register in any approved General Education Understanding Communication Arabic course. The option of taking the APT will be open to students who think they may be too weak to follow coursework higher than the basic language course (ARAB 201A). Such students may sit for the APT to ascertain if their level of proficiency in Arabic is not appropriate for a higher course.

While being exposed to various fields of knowledge, we also want our students to have the opportunity to experience different modes of learning (lectures, seminars, labs and independent research projects, experiential learning). Different modes of analysis are designed to enhance students’ verbal and interactive skills (seminars), writing and analytic skills (research projects), and hands-on experimental skills (laboratories).

These distribution requirements may be met by either required or elective courses.

A comprehensive list of approved General Education courses can be found on the General Education Program website. Active General Education courses in any term may be searched by subject through the AUBSIS homepage (Search for General Education Courses). Students are expected to refer to their major degree requirements available in this catalogue before registering their GE courses.

Students who transfer from other universities or take study-abroad courses should submit the Course Equivalence petition to their faculties for courses that could count towards fulfilling their GE requirements.

Premedical Requirements

Students seeking eligibility for admission to the Faculty of Medicine must complete the premedical requirements detailed in the 2023-24 Graduate Catalogue.

Double Major/Concentration

Students may, upon approval of the relevant faculty/school, earn one degree with a double major within the same faculty as long as both majors share the same degree structure (e.g., both lead to BA, BS or BE degrees). In such cases, one diploma will be issued with both majors indicated. The student must complete the requirements for both majors before the degree can be awarded. To be eligible to apply for a double major, the applicant must:

• have completed at least 24 sophomore credits
• and be in good academic standing, minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3.

Students enrolled in double majors must satisfy requirements of both majors and must complete at least 15 credit hours over and above the requirements of the first major.

Students should satisfy the General Education requirements of both majors.

Students interested in earning double majors must complete an application form available at the Registrar’s Office’s website (found this form: https://www.aub.edu.lb/registrar/Documents/pdfdoc/doublemajor-application.pdf within the announced deadlines for change of major and transfer applications for the fall or spring term. The application must be approved by the receiving department and the Admissions Committee of the faculty/ school.

Students of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business are allowed to graduate with a maximum of two concentrations by completing 15 credits in the first concentration and 12 credits in the second concentration; however, the free business elective course can be counted towards the second concentration provided that the free business elective course is listed among those of the second concentration.

Dual Degree

Students may, upon approval of the relevant faculty/school, complete the requirements for another simultaneous degree while registered in another faculty/school at AUB. Within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, a dual degree is allowed for distinct degree structures (e.g. , BS in Mathematics and BA in Economics, or BS in Biology and BA in Political Studies or History). In such cases, the student will be granted two degrees upon graduation, If tuition differs, students pay the higher rate. To be eligible to apply for a dual degree, the applicant must:

• have completed at least 24 sophomore credits,
• be in good academic standing
• and have achieved a minimum overall cumulative averageof not less than 2​​​​​​.3.

All final admissions decisions depend on the overall quality of the eligible applicant pool and the number of available places in the faculty concerned for the term in question. The applications are treated in terms of grade requirements similar to transfer applications across faculties/schools.

The student interested in a dual degree must submit a dual degree application to the faculty/school offering the dual degree program within the announced deadlines for transfer applications for the fall or spring term. There is no application fee for the dual degree. Students should refer to the university calendar for further information on deadlines. Information about deadlines and applications are available through the following link: https://www.aub.edu.lb/registrar/Documents/pdfdoc/dual-degree-form.pdf

Students enrolled for a dual degree must satisfy the full requirements of both degrees and complete at least 30 credit hours over and above the requirements of the greater credit hours required for either degree. Students must satisfy the General Education requirements of both majors. Students may withdraw from either degree up to one term before graduation by completing the relevant petition.

Dual degrees must be completed concurrently and must have the same graduation date.

Second Degree

Students working towards completion of their undergraduate major degree who wish to obtain a second degree in the same or another faculty after completion of their first degree can apply for a second degree as follows:

Students who apply for a second degree during the last year of study of the first degree or within two years of completion of the first degree can do so by completing an internal application form posted on the Registrar website at https://www.aub.edu.lb/Registrar/Documents/pdfdoc/second-degree-form.pdf. The second degree application can be in the same faculty as the first degree or in another faculty. The second degree applications will be considered by the faculty/school concerned following the same internal procedure for change of major (same faculty) or transfer (another faculty) applicants, and the concerned faculties/schools will send their decisions to the Registrar and Admissions.

Students already holding an AUB bachelor’s degree for more than two years and wishing to obtain a second bachelor’s degree in the same faculty or in another faculty must apply through the Office of Admissions for advanced standing at the concerned faculty and will be exempted from SAT I and Readiness for University Studies in English. Advanced standing transfer applications are available at the Office of Admissions website.

Students holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education recognized by AUB can apply for a second degree (not in the same major of the first degree). Advanced standing transfer applications are available at the Office of Admissions website.

The faculty/school Admissions Committee evaluates all applications for a second degree and makes recommendations to the dean of the concerned faculty/school. All final admission decisions depend on the overall quality of the eligible applicant pool and the number of available places for the term in question.

Students enrolled in a second degree must meet the University residency requirement with a minimum of 36 credits major requirement and all faculty and departmental requirements for the degree. Students should satisfy the General Education requirements of one major.

Minor

Students declare their intention to pursue a minor by submitting the online petition “intention to fulfill a minor”.

Students are required to submit the “completion of minor” petition such that it is received by the Office of the Registrar in sufficient time to meet the deadlines indicated on the Office of the Registrar webpage.

Most departments in faculties/schools offer a number of minor fields of study. University minimum requirements for a minor are as follows:

• A minimum of 15 credit hours earned on the basis of regular graded courses (not tutorial or special project type courses) is required for a minor (refer to the requirements of each faculty/school).
• At least 9 credit hours of coursework must be completed at AUB.
• Each minor must have at least 6 credits exclusive to it, 9 credits may be common with the program requirements of the major field(s) of study.
• Minor courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis at AUB.

Students should refer to the relevant catalogue section for each faculty/school for further information on the requirements of each minor. To graduate with a minor, a student must attain an average of 2.3 or more in courses taken to satisfy the requirements of that minor. The minor will appear on the student’s transcript but will not appear on the degree.

Registration

Requirements

Before registering, new students must ensure that all requirements for registration have been met, particularly conditions detailed in the acceptance email and checklist received from the Office of Admissions. Students who do not meet the conditions listed in the checklist cannot register.

The registration guide is posted on the Office of the Registrar’s webpage . For new students, after confirming that all checklist conditions have been met, students must follow the steps provided during the registration section of their orientation.

Continuing students must follow the steps received in the email announcing the opening of the registration they receive from the Office of the Registrar.

In both cases, students may refer to the “Registration Instructional Video”.

Students can introduce final adjustments to their schedules during the change of schedule (drop andadd)period. Thisperiod normally extends for one week starting the second day of classes.

Freshman students will be promoted to their sophomore year only when they complete all of their freshman courses and secure the Lebanese Baccalaureate II Equivalence from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Freshman equivalence must be secured in a maximum of one semester after the freshman completion year. Details can be found on the Office of the Registrar webpage. No student is allowed to register for a course unless its prerequisite/s have been me.

No student is allowed to register for a course unless its prerequisite/s have been met.

Cross-Registration Students Enrolled at AUB Taking Courses at Other Universities in Lebanon

A student studying at the American University of Beirut may be allowed to cross-register for a course at other recognized academic institutions if all of the following conditions are met:

• the course is a program requirement at AUB,
• the course is not offered at AUB during the graduation term. Official grade must be received by AUB two weeks prior to the senate vote, or graduation will be postponed to the following term.
• the course in which the student intends to cross-register is equivalent to a course that AUB offers (the number and title of each of the two equivalent courses should be clearly indicated)
• the student completes the cross-registration form and secures the chairperson’s approvaland sends it to the Registrar , and
• the Registrar authorizes the student to cross-register; the student submits authorization to the concerned institution and secures their consent.
• The student will be registered for the course manually at the Office of the Registrar upon presenting the signed form.
• The student must earn a C+ or its equivalent in the cross registered course.

Students Enrolled at Other Universities Taking Courses at AUB

For purposes of cross-registration, students studying at recognized academic institutions who wish to take courses at AUB must do the following:

• secure permission from their institutions to take specified courses at AUB
• secure permission from the chairperson of the concerned department at AUB,
• present the above permissions to the AUB Registrar , and
• settle the fees at AUB upon the registration by the Registrar.

Tutorials and Directed Study

Students can register for a single tutorial of up to 3 credits during their final year at AUB.

Study Abroad for Undergraduate Students

AUB undergraduate students may choose to study abroad in their junior year (or equivalent class in professional schools) in an approved program of study, without losing their status at AUB. They may apply for an established program at a university that has an exchange agreement with AUB, or they may initiate their own proposal for study abroad at a university of their choice that is recognized by AUB.

In both cases, an application and approval of the faculty and the Office of International Programs (OIP) are required. More information regarding study abroad options and procedures is available from the OIP at the following link: www.aub.edu.lb/oip.

Courses

Course Loads

Full time students can normally register for up to 17 credits per term and up to 9 credits during the summer term and up to a maximum of 3 credits during winter session. Students in the following categories must submit an overload petition to the appropriate faculty committee for permission to register for course loads above these maximum credit loads:

• Freshman students intending to go into medicine or engineering, and who have an average of at least 3.3 in the first term, may take an additional course in the second term.
• Junior and senior (third and fourth year in the professional schools) students who have completed their English communication skills requirements at the level required by their major departments may register for a maximum of 18 credits per term (a maximum of 19 credits per regular term in MSFEA).
• Other students on a case by case basis.

If a full-time student wishes or is forced to reduce her/his load to fewer than 12 credits, s/he must submit an underload petition to the appropriate faculty committee.

Repeating Courses

No course may be taken more than three times including withdrawals from the course. When a course is repeated, the highest grade is considered in the calculation of the cumulative average. All course grades remain in the student’s permanent record.

Students are not allowed to repeat a course in which they have earned a grade of B+ or higher or in which they have an incomplete grade, otherwise the course will be dropped

Transferred courses from another institution that are repeated at AUB will be assigned the grade earned at AUB irrespective of the grade of the transferred course.

Withdrawal from Courses

Full time students can withdraw from courses to a minimum of 12 credits per regular semester (6 credits for summer) by the withdrawal deadline specified on the University calendar. Students receive a grade of ‘W’ for the course.

Students who withdraw from a course will not be reinstated in that course and are not allowed to take the final exam.

At least 40% of the overall course assessment is expected to be issued by the instructor before the last day of withdrawal.

Attendance

Classes and Laboratories

• Students are expected to attend all classes, laboratories or required fieldwork.. The student is responsible for all course material and for any announcements made during class time, lab time or fieldwork .
• Students whomiss more than one-fifth of the sessions of any course prior to the withdrawal deadline can be withdrawnfrom the course by the instructor.
• Students who withdraw or are withdrawn for excessive absence from a course receive a grade of “W”.
• An instructor who withdraws a student from the course because of excessive absence must have stated in the syllabus that attendance will be taken.
• Students who do not withdraw or cannot be withdrawn for excessive absence from a course will receive a grade of F.
• A student may not withdraw from a course if the withdrawal results in being registered for fewer than 12 credits for regular terms and 6 for the summer.

Examinations and Quizzes

Students who miss a scheduled examination or quiz must present an excuse considered valid by the instructor of the course. Unless stated otherwise in the course syllabus, the course instructor should then require the student to take a make-up examination. Make-up quizzes, midterms and class assignments must be completed before the final grade of the course is issued at the end of the term.

Only medical reports and/or qualified professional opinions issued by an AUB employee, an AUB Medical Center (AUBMC) doctor, or by the University Health Services will be accepted. Should there be a question about the validity of any excuse presented by the student, the matter should be referred to the appropriate faculty committee. Instructors should make sure there is no time conflict between an exam and a regularly scheduled course.

Residence Requirements

AUB students must earn the last 45 credits while in residence at AUB. An AUB student in good academic standing who did not transfer to AUB from another university and who wishes to study abroad may spend up to one year and earn up to 30 credits at another university. An AUB student must spend her/his final term at AUB. See, as well, Study Abroad/Student Exchange in the Office of Student Affairs section of this catalogue.

The MEHE requires the following to be met:

• A minimum residency of six regular semesters at AUB for bachelor programs is required
• Students admitted as freshmen need two additional semesters to meet the residency requirement.
• Students working towards a dual or a second degree, are required to complete two additional semesters of residency.
• Two Summer sessions can be counted as one regular semester only once except for engineering disciplines where this can be done twice.

Grades

Grading System

For new students registered at the University starting fall term 2019-20, AUB uses a 4.3 letter grade system according to the following table:

The GPA is capped at 4.0

GPAs calculated using letter grades are actually weighted GPAs. This means that the letter grade you receive for a course is weighted by the course’s credit value. For example, if you receive a B+ in a course that is a three credit-hour course, your B+ is equivalent to a quality point value of 3.3, and this 3.3 is multiplied by three credit hours for a total of 9.9. If you take a four credit-hour course at the same time, and you earn an A-, this A- is equivalent to 3.7 quality points, and when multiplied by four credit hours results in a total of 14.8. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say that these were the only courses you took in this particular term, so your GPA would thus be 9.9 + 14.8 / 7 or 3.53. Had your A- course been a three-credit course, the calculation would have been 9.9 + 11.1 / 6 or 3.50. The weighting of the course for which you earned an A- enhances your GPA in the first example. At AUB, GPAs are capped at 4.0.

Calculation of GPA in Tabular form:

For students registered at the University prior to fall semester 2019–20, AUB uses a numeric system with an Equivalent Grade Point Average according to the following table.

All final grades are expressed in multiples of one.

Change of Grade Policy

After grades are posted on the AUB Student Information System (AUBSIS), a change of grade is not allowed unless a demonstrable mistake was made in the correction of the final examination or in the calculation of the grade. In such a case, the instructor must initiate e a Change of Grade form and submit it to the chairperson of the department for approva lin which the course is offered with supporting evidence for the mistake warranting the change of grade. If the chairperson of the department approves the change of grade he/she will forward to the dean for final approval.

No change of grade will be accepted and processed after the lapse of one semester.

Students have the right to access their corrected exams, including final exams, without penalty, and to request review of their exams in case mistakes have been made in calculating grades or in corrections. The student’s request to review the course grade should be made to the course instructor within one week of the posting of course grades. In case the review by the instructor results in a change of course grade, the instructor shall complete the Change of Grade form in accordance with the procedure outlined by the faculty in which the course is offered.

If a dispute regarding the change of a grade continues, the student must discuss the issue with the chair of the department. If the student is still not satisfied, s/he must submit a petition to the faculty Academic and Curriculum Committee requesting further consideration.

Incompletes

A student who receives an incomplete grade for a course must complete the course work within one month of the start of the next regularterm. In the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, a student who has received incomplete grades will not be permitted to register for more than 16 credits.

Incomplete coursework is reported as “I” followed by a letter grade or a numeric grade reflecting the evaluation of the student based on the grade calculated as per the course syllabus where a grade of zero is computed for all missed work. If the work is not completed within the period specified, the “I” is dropped and the grade becomes the final grade.

A grade of “I” may be assigned by the appropriate faculty committee in cases where they extend the incomplete beyond the normal reporting period based on an approved petition.

Credit Transfer

For students returning from study abroad

www.aub.edu.lb/registrar/Documents/studyabroad-undergraduate-policies-procedures.pdf.

Upon completion of the Study Abroad Program, students must make sure that the earned credits are transferred toward their degree requirements as follows:

• The relevant academic departments at AUB have pre-approved the courses through the study abroad online petition system
• Approval of credit transfer is contingent upon achieving a minimum passing grade equivalent to the required AUB grade in each of the courses as accepted by the student’s Faculty.
• Credits received on study abroad and exchange programs are considered to be transfer credits and will show as pass/fail on the AUB transcript. These credits will not be part of the calculation of the GPA.
• The host university provides an official transcript of record directly to the Office of International Programs.
• An official transcript from the host institution must be received by AUB in order for credits to be successfully transferred.
• None of the courses taken is online but up to 25% taken may be hybrid
• Certificate of Physical attendance is required
• The Office of the Registrar can act directly if a similar course equivalence has already been approved by a Curriculum Committee. As each course is approved for equivalence, the Office of the Registrar dates the decision and ensures that all courses are re-evaluated after five years. Re-evaluation to determine whether a transfer course continues to meet AUB requirements in terms of content and credit hours includes assessment of course learning outcomes.

For students admitted as transfer students from other institutions

Upon completion of registration for their first term at AUB, students must make sure credits earned at other institutions that count toward program requirements at AUB are transferred as follows:

• Students must submit the following to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee of the relevant faculty for final approval of credits earned: They must submit the syllabi (including course learning outcomes if available) of all courses completed at the other institution, the official transcript of the courses issued by the institution, and a course equivalence form signed by the chair of the department offering the equivalent course. Students are strongly encouraged to seek approval of credit transfer within one month of the start of their first term or as soon as possible thereafter.
• Approval of credit transfer is contingent upon achieving a minimum passing grade equivalent to AUB’s grade of 2.3 in each course as determined by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee of the relevant faculty.
• The Office of the Registrar can receive direct requests from students and can act directly if similar course equivalence has already been approved by a Curriculum Committee. As each course is approved for equivalence, the Office of the Registrar dates the decision and ensures that all courses are re-evaluated after five years. Re-evaluation to determine whether a transfer course continues to meet AUB requirements in terms of content and credit hours includes assessment of course learning outcomes.
• Credits transferred from other institutions will show as ‘P’ only on the AUB transcript and will not be part of the calculation of the GPA.
• Transferred major credits may not exceed 50% of the total major requirements.
• The database listing courses equivalencies that have been accepted by the University is available online at the Office of the Registrar’s website: https://www.aub.edu.lb/registrar/Documents/aubcourse-equivalence-otheruniversities.pdf).

Transfer within the University

Transfer within the same faculty – intra-faculty transfer

Students who wish to transfer from one major to another in the same faculty may do so only after completion of at least 24 credits taken within two full terms of work in their current major.. They must complete the petition on the online petition system.

Transfer from one faculty to another – inter-faculty transfer

Students who wish to transfer from one major to another in a different faculty may do so only after completion of at least 24 credits taken within two full terms of work in their current major.

Students must complete the “program transfer” form available on AUBSIS, and must apply within deadlines specified in the university calendar.

Refer to the appropriate program section in the catalogue for more information on relevant transfer requirements.

Students will be required to follow the program requirements in force at the transfer effective term.

Dean’s Honor List

To be placed on the dean’s honor list at the end of the term, a student must

• be carrying at least 12 credits,
• not be on probation,
• have passed all courses and attained an overall average of GPA 3.7 or be ranked in the top 10 percent of the class and have an overall average of GPA 3.3
• not have been subjected to any disciplinary action within the university during the term,
• be deemed worthy by the dean to be on the honor list.
• No student will be placed on the Dean’s Honor List retroactively.

Probation

Placement on Academic Probation

A student is placed on academic probation if the student’s overall average is less than GPA: 2.1 at the end of the second regular term, if the term average is less than GPA: 2.2 at the end of the third or fourth regular term, or if the term average is less than GPA: 2.3 in any subsequent term, excluding the summer term.

It is to be understood that the term in which the student is considered to be ‘on probation’ is the term that immediately follows the term in which the student has earned the grades leading to that placement.

For evaluation purposes, the minimum number of credits at the end of the second regular term at the university should be 24, including all repeated courses, and 12 in each subsequent fall or spring term, including all repeated courses.

Courses/credits taken during a summer term are counted towards the term average of the next regular term. If the number of credits taken in any one regular term is less than 12 (for approved reasons), courses/credits taken during that term are counted toward the term average of the next regular term.

Credit for incomplete courses will be included in the term in which the incomplete courses were taken. The evaluation for that term will be carried out as soon as the grades for the incomplete courses have been finalized.

For implementation purposes, the academic standing of a student is represented by two attributes (a, b).

• The first attribute (a) represents the student’s current academic status as follows: 0: clear status 1: student is currently on probation but was not on probation in the immediately preceding regular term 2: student is currently on probation and was on probation in the immediately preceding regular term.
• The second attribute (b) represents the probation history of a student, i.e., the number of times the student has been placed on probation.

Students who are placed on probation are not eligible to receive financial aid.

Students who are placed on second continuous probation or third non-continuous probation will have their credit load dropped down to 13 credits in a regular term and 6 credits in summer term

Removal of Probation

Probation is removed when the student attains a term average of GPA 2.2 or more in the third or fourth regular term or a term average of GPA: 2.3 or more in any subsequent regular term. The student is off probation during the term following the one in which such grades are earned.

Probation should be removed within two regular terms, excluding summer, after the student is placed on probation or when the student completes her/his graduation requirements (see Graduation Requirements).

Dismissal and Readmission

A student may be dismissed from the University for any of the following reasons:

• if the student’s overall average is less than 1.0 at the end of the second regular term
• if the student fails to clear academic probation within two regular terms, excluding the summer term, i.e., the student’s academic status is (2,2) or (2,3), and the student has failed to remove the probation
• if the student is placed on academic probation for a total of four regular terms (a student can be dismissed for this reason even if s/he is in the final year at AUB); i.e., the student’s academic status is (0,3) or (1,3), and the student is again placed on probation
• if the student is deemed unworthy by the faculty to continue for professional or ethical reasons

A student is normally considered for readmission only if, after spending a year at another recognized institution of higher education, the student is able to present a satisfactory record and recommendation through an online reactivation petition. Exceptions may be made for students who left the university for personal or health reasons. Transfer of credit is considered after departmental evaluation of a student’s coursework.

Plagiarism

Students who fail to properly credit ideas or materials taken from another commit plagiarism. Putting your name on a piece of work—any part of which is not yours— constitutes plagiarism, unless that piece is clearly marked and the work from which you have borrowed it is fully identified. Plagiarism is a violation of the university’s academic regulations and is subject to disciplinary action.

Correct Use of Language

English is the language of instruction at the University.

Papers (term papers, essays or examinations) that are ill-written, no matter what the course, may receive a lower grade for the quality of writing alone.

The final grade in any course may be lowered for consistently substandard written or oral expression. In extreme cases, a failing grade may be given for this reason alone.

See the section on English Proficiency above.

Disclosure of Student Records

Information about notification of rights under FERPA can be found on the following link:

http://www.aub.edu.lb/Registrar/Documents/ferpa.pdf

Graduation

Requirements

Students are strongly advised to prepare their registration schedules with their advisors to ensure graduation requirements are fulfilled. Failure to do so may mean a student has to spend an additional term or more at AUB to complete graduation requirements.

A student is considered a candidate for graduation after fulfilling the following criteria:

• applied for graduation online
• completed all the program requirements
• achieved the minimum major GPA as per the concerned faculty
• met the AUB residency requirements, refer to the residency section
• attained a cumulative GPA of GPA 2.3

AUB graduates students who complete graduation requirements at the end of Fall (February), Spring (June) and Summer (October) terms. Students who complete their graduation requirements in the Winter session are considered Spring graduates.

Graduation with Distinction and High Distinction

For graduating students with distinction and high distinction the University uses the GPA of the last academic terms summing up to at least 60 GPA hours, no partial counting of GPA hours is allowed.

To graduate with distinction, a student must:

• have a GPA of 3.7 or higher
• and be recommended by her/his department for distinction

To graduate with high distinction, a student must:

• have a GPA: 4.0 or higher in all work of her/his final academic terms, including summers: (two summer sessions are equivalent to one term) during which 60 credits or more have been completed at AUB
• and be recommended by her/his department for high distinction.

For purposes of graduation with distinction or high distinction, when a student repeats a course, all course attempts are included in the computation. For transfer students, if the number of credits completed at AUB is less than 60, then the student will not be considered for graduation with distinction.

The above applies to students working for one or double majors.

Graduation with Distinction and High Distinction for a Double Major

Refer to the previous section.

Graduation with Distinction and High Distinction for a Dual Degree

For each program in a dual degree, the last 60 GPA hours that apply separately to fulfill the degree requirements are considered for computation of GPA.

Names on Diplomas and Degrees

Names on diplomas and degrees are spelled exactly as they appear on passports or official identity cards. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education, names of Lebanese students should include first name, father’s name and family name. Names on AUB diplomas and degrees appear both in Arabic and English. If a name on a passport or official identity card does not appear in both languages, then the name that does not appear in one language will be spelled on AUB diplomas and degrees according to the personal preference of the student.

Commencement Exercises

Commencement exercises are held once per year at the end of the Spring term Students who graduate in Spring or in the immidiatly previous Summer and Fall terms may participate in the commencement exercises.

Students who lack three credits or fewer for graduation and are registered for them in the summer term are eligible to march in the yearly commencement exercises provided that they apply online and get approval. The online petition type is “Intention to March in the Commencement Ceremony.”.

Students are allowed to march in the commencement exercises only once per degree.

Recognition of AUB Degrees by the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE)

The Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) recognizes 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 and Higher Education.

The MEHE requires a minimum number of credits at or beyond the sophomore level. This number is determined by subtracting 30 required freshman or articulated credits from the total required credits.

The MEHE does not yet recognize online degrees/diplomas.

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 students to ensure the degrees they receive from AUB are duly evaluated by their respective governments.

Medical Record

All new students* are required to submit a complete medical record form online, including vaccination records, to the University Health Services (UHS) before the period of registration.

Online submission of the medical record process is as follows:

1. Please DOWNLOAD the Entrance Student Medical Record Form
2. The form should be completed by your personal physician or a physician at the Family Medicine clinics**. Remember to take your vaccination record with you to the physician’s visit.
3. Activate your AUB net account. Complete the necessary information including immunization and other medical history filled by your physician using the link: http://uhs.aub.edu.lb and upload the form. You can scan or take a snapshot of the filled form using your phone. Make sure the document is readable.
4. If the submitted form is declined by UHS, an automatic email will be sent to the concerned student. The student will be responsible for updating the vaccination with the personal physician and resubmitting it.
5. For more information, please contact the University Health Services at 01350000 ext. 3015 or 7822 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm– Monday to Friday.

   Students may use UHS for all their health concerns (sickness, medical conditions, immunization, medical advice etc.)

National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Medical Branch

Paid NSSF membership is mandatory by law for all Lebanese and French students excluding freshmen, non-degree students, graduate students, and students who are 30 years and older.

The NSSF application form is available at the Office of the Registrar.

Students must bring the following items when registering:

Students who already benefit from NSSF

Students who benefit from NSSF through one of their parents or any other relative and students who are working and have their own NSSF number must provide AUB with a certificate showing the NSSF number of the parent or theirs. The deducted fee will accordingly be refunded if the above is declared before the deadline.

Students who do NOT benefit from NSSF

Students who don’t benefit from the NSSF must complete the NSSF application at the Office of the Registrar and provide AUB with a family registration form (إخراج قيد عائلي) or copy of the Identity Card in order to enroll in NSSF medical branch.

NSSF declaration deadlines

For students who join AUB in the fall term, NSSF declaration deadline is during September of each year.

For students who join AUB in the spring term, NSSF declaration deadline is during February of each year.

Relevant instructions are normally sent by email to students at the beginning of each term.

Health Insurance Plan (HIP)

The Health Insurance Plan (HIP) provides medical and hospital coverage to the AUB community, namely academic and non-academic staff, retirees, students, and IC staff and their families.

• Health insurance coverage is mandatory for all students, at second-class health care coverage, during their years of study at AUB; therefore, a student, new or continuing, registered for at least 6 credit hours, is automatically enrolled under the Health Insurance Plan (HIP). However, a student may be exempted from enrolling in HIP if s/he presents proof that s/he is covered by another healthcare insurance provider.
• HIP members are required to use exclusively the medical services of the AUB Medical Center (AUBMC). HIP coverage of students is limited to medical care inside Lebanon only.
• ‘Student’ means a person registered for a course of study at the university, whether working or not working for a degree, on a full-time or part-time basis. Auditors are not considered students.
• PhD students - while registered - are eligible for HIP until they achieve their degree.
• Graduate students registered for a thesis are eligible to continue HIP coverage for a period of two consecutive years only.
• Students who register at the beginning of the first term are covered by HIP for twelve months, provided they do not graduate or withdraw or are not suspended and/or dropped from the university. HIP fee charges per term are announced each year by the AUB Benefits office.
• Students who register at the beginning of the second term are covered until September 30 of the same year, provided they do not graduate or withdraw or are not suspended and/or dropped from the university.
• Students who register at the beginning of the summer session are covered until September 30 of the same year. Student coverage during the summer is strictly limited to use of the AUB Medical Center (AUBMC) services.
• In case of emergency during the fall and spring terms only, and if students are not on campus or within the vicinity of the AUB Medical Center, students can report to the nearest medical service provider and get the needed care. Reimbursement of the bill cannot exceed 80 percent of AUBMC rates.
• Eligible married students may enroll their spouse and children who are living with them in Lebanon at the regular second-class rate as long as they remain duly registered at the university and are HIP members.
• Unlike other HIP members, students are not charged co-payment or cost sharing for outpatient services.
• A student will be covered by HIP from the beginning of a specific term provided he/she registers and pays his/her fees and coverage is up to 48 hours after graduation or leaving the University (due to withdrawal, or being dropped from the University).

These guidelines are meant to be a mere summary of the provisions of the plan and are provided solely as a matter of convenience and in no way define or limit the scope or intent of any provision of the plan.

Payment of Fees

All students must finalize registration, including payment of tuition and other charges, by the announced deadlines. For full instructions on payment of fees, see the Fees and Expenses section.

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