General University
General University
General University
General University
Academic Information
For incoming students starting Fall 2019-20, please visit the below link for more
information about general university academic information
https://aub.edu.lb/Registrar/Documents/academic-info-newstudents2019.pdf
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. 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 a majorless advisor. Names of
advisees and their respective advisors are available through the Student Information
System (SIS).
Attendance
See Withdrawal from Courses.
Categories of Students
Full-Time Students
To be considered full-time, a student must carry a minimum load of 12 credits per term.
For the required number of credits for full-time summer, refer to the summer session
section for each faculty.
Non-Degree Students
The category of non-degree students is restricted to those students who are not working
for a degree.
Part-Time Students
The category of part-time students is restricted to the following students:
• AUB staff members who are working toward a degree
• Those who need fewer than 12 credits to complete work for an undergraduate degree
– Those who are granted permission by the appropriate faculty committee for one of
the following reasons which include: health-related issues or
– family problems that may influence the academic performance of the student.
Auditing Courses
Those who wish to attend individual classes without receiving credit may apply as
auditors. Applications to audit courses are available at the Office of the Registrar.
The applicant should do the following:
• An applicant should secure eligibility from the Office of Admissions. S/he is eligible
to audit a course if s/he meets the following requirements which include Bacc. II,
• or the equivalent, to audit an undergraduate course.
• An applicant should have a bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent, from a recognized
academic institution to audit a graduate course.
• Applicant should secure approval from the instructor of the course.
• Applicant should receive approval from the dean of the faculty/school offering the
course.
• Applicant should pay the tuition charge at the Comptroller’s Office (student accounts
section).
• Applicant should register 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. Audit credits do not appear
on transcripts.
We believe that a student who has chosen to follow a course of study at AUB leading to a
degree in a professional field such as engineering should be exposed to the humanities
and social sciences. By the same token, a student who plans to major in history should
have the opportunity to take science courses.
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). 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.
Humanities and Social Sciences courses are divided into two lists which are List I and
List II within each domain. Students are required to select their courses as follows:
• Two Humanities courses from Humanities List I (FAS students are required to select
CVSP courses.)
• Two Humanities courses from either of the Humanities lists (I or II)
• One Social Sciences course from Social Sciences List I
• One Social Sciences course from either of the Social Sciences lists (I or II)
In addition, no more than two courses from the student’s major may fulfill the Humanities
requirement, no more than one course from the student’s major may fulfill the Social
Sciences requirement, and no more than one course from the student’s major may fulfill
the Natural Science requirement.
FAS requires that a minimum of 6 credits in Humanities be taken from CVSP courses 201-
208. FAS students must complete one course from each of the two CVSP sequences, that
is, one course from Sequence I followed by one course from Sequence II (see Civilization
Studies Program in this catalogue).
A comprehensive list of approved General Education courses can be found on the General
Education Program website, http://www.aub.edu.lb/units/general-education/Pages/
index.aspx 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.
English Proficiency
AUB students must demonstrate English language proficiency in order to graduate.
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 Internet-
based 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
the level of English needed to carry a full load of courses in the regular program. Such
courses are restricted to Arabic and mathematics/statistics/computer literacy courses
(maximum 6 credits) in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and equivalent courses in
mathematics and statistics in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, the School
of Business, and the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Students usually complete the IEC in one or two terms. A student who fails to pass the
IEC by the end of the second term loses her/his admission to 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.
Premedical Requirements
Students seeking eligibility for admission to the Faculty of Medicine must complete the
premedical requirements detailed on page 509 in the 2019-2020 Graduate Catalogue.
Double Major/Concentration
(within the same faculty and degree structure)
Students may, upon approval of the relevant faculty/school, earn one degree with a
double major within the same faculty so 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 on good academic standing (not be on probation).
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.
Dual Degree
(from two different faculties/schools or two different degree structures in the same faculty)
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
at the same time at graduation, in other words, a separate diploma for each degree
program they complete. If tuition differs, students pay the higher of the tuitions. To be
eligible to apply for a dual degree, the applicant must:
• have completed at least 24 sophomore credits,
• be on good academic standing (not be on probation),
• and have achieved a minimum overall cumulative average as required by the faculty/
school concerned.
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, but the student must complete the application form. Students should refer
to the university calendar for further information on deadlines. Information about
deadlines and applications are available through the following link: www.aub.edu.lb/
REGISTRAR/Pages/forms.aspx.
Faculties/Schools that grant dual degrees are FAFS, FAS, MSFEA, FHS, HSON and OSB.
Once a student is accepted for a second simultaneous degree, the Registrar informs the
current and second degree faculty/department by giving a copy to the current degree
advisor.
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 should satisfy the General Education
requirements of one major. Students may withdraw from either degree before
graduation.
Second Degree
(from same or different faculties/schools)
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 www.aub.edu.lb/registrar. 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 complete a minimum of 30 credit hours
and meet all faculty and departmental requirements for the degree. Students should
satisfy the General Education requirements of one major.
Note that all faculties admit students for a second degree. Specific faculty requirements
for a second degree can be found in the faculty-specific section of the catalogue.
Minor
(within or from different faculties)
Various 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 various faculties/schools).
• At least 9 credit hours of coursework must be completed at AUB.
• No more than 9 credit hours taken in the major field of study may be used to satisfy a
requirement for another minor.
Minor courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis at AUB.
Students should refer to the catalogue of the concerned faculties/schools for further
information on the requirements of each minor. To graduate with a minor, a student must
attain an average of 70 or more in courses taken to satisfy the requirements of that
minor. Faculties/Schools may enforce stricter requirements for minor grade average.
The minor will appear in the student’s transcript but will not be stated on the degree.
Faculties, departments and programs can have additional requirements for minors over
and above the university requirements stated in the policy.
Directed Study
(Faculty of Arts and Sciences only)
Students with averages of at least 85 in their major at the beginning of the senior year
may elect to pursue a course of directed study. Students with averages below 85 may be
admitted to directed study at the discretion of the department.
Students who elect a course of directed study choose their courses in consultation with a
faculty member selected by the student with the department’s approval. These courses
may include a 3- or 6-credit course directed by the faculty member. This course may
consist of independent research, original creative compositions or directed reading, and
include the presentation of a report or thesis.
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.
Registration
Requirements
Before proceeding to register, new students must ensure that all requirements for
registration have been met, particularly conditions detailed in the admission letter
from the director of admissions. These conditions include meeting the Readiness for
University Studies in English (see page 36) and providing evidence that the student
received the diploma, certificate, degree or level of university education on the basis of
which s/he applied for and received admission to AUB (see Requirements of Admitted
Students for Registration on page 41).
The registration guide is posted on the web and is included in the admissions package
sent to students. Subsequent to confirmation that all conditions have been met,
students should follow the steps in this guide.
Students can introduce final adjustments to their schedules during the add/drop period.
The add/drop period normally extends for one week starting the second day of classes.
Courses
Course Loads
To be considered a full-time student, s/he must carry a minimum load of 12 credits per
term (see the required number of credits for summer full-time status under summer term
for each faculty). If a full-time student wishes or is forced to reduce her/his load to fewer
than 12 credits, the issue must first be referred to the appropriate faculty committee.
Students can normally register for up to 17 credits per term and 9 credits during the
summer term. Students in the following categories must petition the appropriate faculty
committee but are normally granted permission to register for more than 17 credits:
• Freshman students intending to go into medicine or engineering, and who have an
average of at least 80 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).
In all other cases, students who wish to register for more than 17 credits must petition
the appropriate faculty committee for permission to do so. Their requests are handled
on a case-by-case basis.
The credit load in a regular term of a student who continues to be on probation beyond
one term or is placed on three non-consecutive probations shall neither be fewer than
12 nor more than 13 credit hours.
Repeating Courses
A student who fails a required course must repeat the course at the earliest opportunity.
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 a student’s permanent record.
Residence Requirements
Students transferring to AUB 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.
Grades
Grading System
For incoming students starting Fall 2019-20, please visit the below link for more
information about general university academic information
https://aub.edu.lb/Registrar/Documents/academic-info-newstudents2019.pdf
In the faculties of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and
Architecture, Health Sciences, the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business and the Rafic
Hariri School of Nursing, the following grading system is used.
Incompletes
A student who receives an incomplete grade for a course must petition or submit a valid
reason for missing the work to the appropriate faculty committee within two weeks
of the date of the scheduled final exam in order to obtain permission to complete the
course. Coursework must be completed within one month of the start of the next regular
term. In exceptional circumstances, the appropriate faculty committee may decide to
give the student additional time to complete a course. 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”. Normally, “I” is followed by a numerical grade
reflecting the evaluation of the student available at the end of the term. This evaluation
is based on a grade of zero on all missed work and is reported in units of five. If the work
is not completed within the period specified, the “I” is dropped and the numerical grade
becomes the final grade.
Credit Transfer
For students returning from study abroad
Students who go abroad for study are required to get pre-approval for the courses they
plan to register at the host institution. Refer to the policy and guidelines posted on the
Office of the Registrar home page:
w w w.aub.edu.lb/registrar/Documents/studyabroad-undergraduate -policies-
procedures.pdf.
Upon completion of the Study Abroad Program, students should make sure that the
earned credits are transferred toward their degree requirements as follows:
• Students should submit the syllabi (including course learning outcomes if available)
of all pre-approved courses that they completed abroad, along with the ‘Study Abroad’
transcript from the host university, to the relevant faculty Undergraduate Curriculum
Committee for final approval of credits earned.
• Approval of credit transfer is contingent upon achieving a minimum passing grade at
the study abroad university.
• 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.
• Credits received through Study Abroad Programs will show as pass only on the AUB
transcript.
Probation
Placement on Academic Probation
A student is placed on academic probation if the student’s overall average is less than
68 at the end of the second regular term, if the term average is less than 69 at the end of
the third or fourth regular term, or if the term average is less than 70 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.
Removal of Probation
Probation is removed when the student attains a term average of 69 or more in the third
or fourth regular term or a term average of 70 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).
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.
Commencement Exercises
Commencement exercises are held at the end of the academic year. Students who
graduate in October or February may participate in the commencement exercises.
October or February graduates who wish to participate in the June commencement
exercises should notify the Office of the Registrar of their intention by completing Form
CE1 and submitting it to the Office of the Registrar.
Students who graduate in May have places reserved for them in the May commencement
exercises. June graduates who opt not to participate in the commencement exercises
should complete Form CE2 and submit it to the Office of the Registrar. May graduates
who do not receive their degrees during the commencement exercises and who have
submitted Form CE2 within the above-indicated deadline can receive their diplomas at
the Office of the Registrar at a date subsequent to commencement.
Medical Record
An entrance medical record form is sent to all admitted students who have committed to
enroll at AUB. It is to be completed by the student’s family physician and mailed as soon
as possible, before the period of registration, in the pre-addressed envelope provided
by AUB. Alternatively, the completed medical record form can be delivered by hand to
the Office of Admissions.
All new students must have a tuberculin test at the time of the preliminary medical
check held during registration and must report 48 hours later for a check on the test.
Upon clearing the medical test, the student is issued a clearance slip to proceed with
registration. Students are not registered unless they obtain this clearance slip. Students
who report late for the medical check are charged a late fee.
Medical checks may be completed in advance of registration provided the student
reports to the University Health Services on campus, and brings the letter of acceptance
and the entrance medical record.
Returning students are not required to complete any medical forms. Important changes
in the student’s medical condition and/or updating immunizations should be reported
to a university physician by appointment at the Health Services Center early in the first
term. Information is kept confidential.
• 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.
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 Tuition
Fees section on page 67.