American University of Beirut

​​​​​​​Officers of the Faculty

Faculty Administrative Support

Historical Background

As early as 1913, the university recognized the need for engineering education and training in the Middle East, and courses in this field were offered in the School of Arts and Sciences. By 1944, sufficient additional courses had been added to permit the granting of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. The last class in this program graduated in June 1954. In 1951, a separate School of Engineering was established and curricula were initiated in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and architectural engineering. The years from 1951 to 1954 were a transitional period of continuous development toward the new curricula, which were established in 1954. In 1963, a program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Architecture was introduced, replacing the Bachelor of Architectural Engineering program, the last class of which graduated in June 1966. In that year, the school was renamed the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Since then, curricula have been under constant review with changes introduced as necessary to keep pace with modern technology, conform to sound developments in engineering and architecture education, and meet the evolving needs of the region. In 1986, a new undergraduate major in computer and communications engineering was added within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 1992, a new major in graphic design was added within the Department of Architecture and Design leading to a Bachelor of Graphic Design. In 2006, the name of the degree was changed to Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, and the name of the Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering degree was changed to Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2009, two Bachelor of Science programs were introduced, the first in construction engineering, housed in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the second in chemical engineering, housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. A Bachelor of Engineering program in chemical engineering was simultaneously launched in 2009 with the Bachelor of Science program. In 2014, a Bachelor of Engineering program in industrial engineering was introduced. The chemical engineering programs are now housed in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, while the industrial engineering program is housed in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management. The faculty was renamed Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture in 2017.

In 2019, a Bachelor of Engineering program in computer science and engineering was started in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The program of Landscape Architecture previously at FAFS, was transferred to MSFEA starting July 2024.​

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Engineering programs in chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer and communications engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering, and the Bachelor of Science program in chemical engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Mission

We offer world-class educational programs that prepare students for the engineering, architecture and design professions. Rooted in the liberal education model, our programs also prepare students to be engaged citizens and leaders, entrepreneurs and researchers who deploy their skills with ingenuity, integrity and a sense of responsibility towards future generations. Our faculty produces transformative knowledge and technology through internationally-recognized research and design, and seeks to leverage the special contexts of Lebanon and the region to define highly novel and relevant research programs. We impact policy and practice through our alumni and by directly engaging industry, government and the public at large.

Undergraduate Programs

The Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture offers programs of study leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design and Bachelor of Engineering (BE), with majors in chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer and communications engineering, computer science and engineering, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering; and Bachelor of Science (BS) with majors in chemical engineering and construction engineering. The curriculum of the BArch degree extends over 14 terms (ten 16-week terms 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 BFA degree are divided into 11 terms (eight 16-week terms 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. The curriculum of the BS degree extends over eight or nine terms (six 16-week terms and two or three eight-week summer terms).

The faculty reserves the right to make changes to the curriculum, course content, and regulations as it deems appropriate and without prior notice.

Admissions

Admission to F​irst Year

Admission is by selection of a limited number of the most promising, eligible applicants. All candidates for admission to the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture must have completed the pre-professional educational requirements of the candidate’s country and the approved freshman program in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of this university as described in this catalogue, or a program recognized as equivalent. The certificates, recognized for admission to the first year in the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, are listed in the Admissions section of this catalogue. Holders of the technical baccalaureate (BT) are only eligible for admission to the same major as that of their BT.

Admission of T​​ransfer Students

Students attending recognized institutions of higher learning, including AUB, may apply for transfer to any of the undergraduate majors in the MSFEA, depending on availability of places and subject to the following conditions. Students admitted to the Architecture or Graphic Design programs can start in the Fall term only. Applicants must have:

• completed the equivalent of the sophomore class at the college or university from which they are transferring,
• attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3,
• taken at least 12 credits of math and basic science courses at the sophomore level or higher and attained a total average in these courses of at least 3.0. This requirement does not apply to applicants to the Architecture and Graphic Design programs,
• and have satisfied the university English requirements for admission.

Applications of transfer students are evaluated and approved by the departments and the Undergraduate Admissions Committee of the faculty. The term in which the student is placed and the complete program of study in the major in which the student is admitted, are determined by the department concerned.

Residency Requirements

Students of the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture must meet the following minimum residence requirements:

• Engineering, Graph​​​​​ic Design, or Landscape Architecture Majors: A student must register in residence at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture for the last four regular terms and should complete at least 50 credits during this period.
• Architecture Major: A student must register in residence at the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture for the last five regular terms and should complete at least 65 credits during this period.

Academic Rules and Regulations

University regulations apply with the following additional provisions:

• Students returning from an exchange program must have obtained a minimum grade of C+ on a course taken during the exchange in order to transfer it. For more information regarding credit transfer for students returning from study abroad, refer to the general university academic information section of the catalogue
• Transfer students must have obtained a minimum grade of B to transfer a technical, math or science course or a minimum grade of C+ to transfer other types of courses.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for graduation with the bachelor’s degree, a student must have passed all the required courses and must have:

• attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3,
• attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in major courses as specified by the department,
• met the residency requirements,
• and satisfied the faculty with respect to the student’s professional development and conduct.
• student must apply for graduation online​
  

Class Status

The class status of students is as follows:

A student’s status is changed to that of a higher year if her/his cumulative number of failed, withdrawn or unregistered credits from the regular credit hour requirements does not exceed seven. 

Minors

For all minors please refer to the general university academic information section of this catalogue.

Courses

• Engineering Electives​

Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program

Minor in Bioengineering Design (18 Credits)

The minor in Bioengineering Design aims at preparing students for design and innovation in the field of bioengineering. The minor will educate students on the process of designing engineering solutions with focus on biomedical and healthcare applications.

The minor in Bioengineering Design is open to AUB students from all majors who have completed their first academic year (non-engineering students) or their first two academic years (engineering students) and who have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or more. The minor will be indicated on the transcript of the student who completes all the requirements described below. To graduate with a minor, a student must attain a minor GPA of 2.3 or more to satisfy its requirement. 

The minor requirements are divided into a set of core courses and a set of elective courses with a total of 18 credits, as follows:

• BIOL 210 [3 cr.] (can be replaced by BIOL 202 or PHYL 246) 
• BMEN 501 [3 cr.] 
• BMEN 502 [3 cr.]
• BMEN 600 [3 cr.]
• One biomedical engineering advanced topics course from List A below [3 cr.]
• One elective course from either List A or List B below [3 cr.] ​

Elective Courses

• List A: BMEN 603/CHEN 675, BMEN 606, BMEN 609, BMEN 611.
• List B: INDE 412, BMEN 601/MECH 635, BMEN 602, BMEN 604/CHEN 673, BMEN 605, BMEN 607/MECH 633, BMEN 608/MECH 634, BMEN 610, EECE 601, EECE 602, EECE 603, EECE 605, MECH 607, MECH 631, MECH 705, BIOC 321 and BIOC 322 and 1 credit biomedical course (e.g., HUMR 310A lab), BIOC 326A and BIOC 326B and 1 credit biomedical course (e.g., HUMR 310A lab), BIOL 251, BIOL 310, EPHD 310.
  

Minor in Humanitarian Engineering

The Minor in Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations is offered jointly by the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture.

The minor is open to undergraduate students from all majors. It is a multidisciplinary offering that provides undergraduate students with the knowledge of the humanitarian engineering field, and equips them with the skills required to find innovative design solutions for challenges faced by disadvantaged populations taking into consideration two complementary perspectives; public health perspective and engineering perspective.

Students who complete the minor will be able to:

1. Apply participatory needs assessment tools and analyze the different dimensions of a public health problem. 
2. Apply formal design methods to develop practical, feasible, scalable, and sustainable humanitarian engineering and public health innovations and interventions.
3. Apply skills required to manage complex projects while working in multidisciplinary teams.
4. Demonstrate entrepreneurial skills to take a solution/intervention from prototype to product.
5. Articulate and adhere to ethical standards in the process followed and in the intervention designed.
6. Present and document a problem and its solution to a diverse target audience.
   

To graduate with the minor, a student must attain a minor GPA of 2.3 or more to satisfy its requirements.

The minor in Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations consists of 15 credits, according to the following requirements:

• HEHI 201, “Foundations of Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations”
• HEHI 202, “Capstone: Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations”
• One design course from the following list: AGSC 330, ARCH 039, ARCH 061, ARCH 064, ARCH 344, BMEN 501, CHEN 471/571, CHEN 619, CHEN 798A, CIVE 552, CIVE 601, CIVE 628, CIVE 686, EECE 461, EECE 560, EECE 675, ENMG 663, ENMG 698E, ENSC 633, ENST 300, FSEC 310, FSEC 315, HPCH 204, HPCH 212, HPCH 237, INFO 205, LDEM 254, LDEM 633, MECH 530, MKTG 234, PBHL 303, URDS 664, URPL 641
• One ethics course from the following list: BUSS 215, INDE 410, MCOM 215, MHRM 304, PHIL 205, PHIL 209, PSYC 305
  
• One social entrepreneurship course from the following list: AGBU 229, ARCH 068, ENMG 654, ENTM 240, ENTM 320, INDE 412, MFIN 359

Students interested to enroll in the minor are encouraged to inform the coordinators of the program at healthengineering@aub.edu.lb to benefit from adequate advising on study plans and ensure completion of all requirements.

• HEHI Minor Courses​

Upon prior approval of the students’ advisor and the coordinators of the Humanitarian Engineering Initiative, students who are required, as part of their degree requirement, to complete a capstone or final year project, can count that experience towards fulfilling the capstone requirement for the minor.

​Certificate Option

Students can opt for a certificate in Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations. 

The “Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations” certificate requirements are:

• HEHI 201, “Foundations of Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations”
• HEHI 202, “Capstone: Humanitarian Engineering and Public Health Innovations Capstone” 
• An internship approved by the Humanitarian Engineering Initiative of at least 8 weeks full-time

Students should declare the certificate before completing the requirements. 

Upon prior approval of the students’ advisor and the coordinators of the Humanitarian Engineering Initiative, students who are required, as part of their degree requirement, to complete an internship or practicum, can als​o count that experience towards fulfilling the internship requirement for the certificate.​