Points of Pride
About LAU
LAU is a nationally and internationally recognized not-for-profit, private American university established in 1924. The university maintains an enrollment of 8,000+ students, 1,200+ faculty and staff, two campuses in Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon, an academic center and headquarters in New York City, and two major teaching hospitals, namely LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, in the heart of Beirut, and LAU Medical Center-St John’s Hospital in the city of Jounieh.
The university comprises seven schools serving undergraduate, graduate and doctoral/professional practice students across 55 degree programs.
LAU strives to deliver a high-quality liberal arts education to the broadest possible spectrum of Lebanese society and the MENA region as whole, and, in so doing, to be an agent in making our world fair, equal and free.
LAU operates under a charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
LAU’s Impact on the Local Economy
LAU contributes more than $890 million yearly to the Lebanese economy, ensuring its position as one of the most successful and influential institutions of higher education in the country and the Middle East.
LAU for All
LAU is committed to ensuring every deserving student has access to higher education, across all national, sectarian, social and economic backgrounds and regardless of financial means. To that end, the university offers substantial financial aid packages to students who require assistance.
LAU’s current financial aid budget is $80 million per year, covering 75 percent of the student body. The aid ranges between 10 to 100 percent of tuition and includes merit scholarships, financial assistance, as well as student employment and graduate assistantships.
Student-Centered for Student Success
LAU’s transformative education serves as a launchpad for students. Prior to the current national economic challenges, and thanks to the career preparedness integrated in the curriculum and the university’s strong reputation with industry, 82 percent of LAU graduates found employment in the first year after their graduation. LAU’s employability edge was recognized in the 2018 QS Graduate Employability ranking, where the university placed second in Lebanon.
LAU on the Move
New schools – including the Gilbert and Rose-Marie School of Medicine, the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing and the School of Pharmacy – and aggressive expansion on both the Beirut and Byblos campuses reinforce LAU’s reputation as a dynamic university on a strong trajectory.
LAU’s human capital is also increasing significantly with major funding for faculty recruitment and new curricula development specifically to meet the challenge of equipping our students with the new skills and knowledge demanded by economies transformed by new technologies.
Students regularly cite LAU’s dynamism and growth as a major reason they chose to enroll.
Rankings
LAU is regularly ranked in the leading positions of universities in Lebanon and in the top 20 of Arab universities according to major ranking institutions such as Times Higher Education and QS. Main drivers of our ranking performance include academic reputation, research impact and citations and the profile of our faculty and student body. More detailed information can be found in our rankings page.
Adnan Kassar School of Business
AKSOB is one of the oldest, largest and most prominent business schools in the Middle East. It is one of a select five percent of business schools worldwide accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AKSOB’s Business and Economics programs are ranked first in Lebanon according to the Times Higher Education Subject Rankings, reflecting the quality and impact of the school’s research and caliber of its academic staff. The school has played an integral role in shaping LAU’s reputation for curriculum innovation and engaging learning methods that leverage active participation.
The school offers bachelor of science degrees in business (with seven emphases, including Accounting, Banking and Finance, Family and Entrepreneurial Business Management, Information Technology Management, International Business, Management, and Marketing), Economics, and Hospitality and Tourism Management. Its MBA and EMBA are among the most renowned in the country. The school also offers an MA in Applied Economics and an LLM in Business Law. It has recently launched a master’s in HR management.
The school’s dean is Dr. Wassim Shahin
Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing
LAU’s nursing school is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Nurses who graduate are eligible to practice or continue their nursing education in the United States. The school prides itself on intensive, hands-on learning that takes students into the community to put their clinical education into practice. The school has multiple national affiliation agreements with established hospitals and with community health sites.
The school’s interim dean is Dr. Costantine Daher
Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine
The Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine is the youngest school at LAU, and already one of the best-of-its-kind in the region. Through the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, the recently inaugurated LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital, and numerous affiliated hospitals, the school provides first-class clinical experience for students and residents. It also boasts a faculty composed of top international and national physicians.
LAU’s medical program was the first in the nation to integrate clinical and basic sciences beginning with the Med-I year, the first to successfully introduce problem-based learning and the first to use simulation as an integral part of teaching and assessment. The Board of Trustees approved a major investment program to expand the facilities at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital to further enhance its capabilities as a teaching hospital.
The school’s Office of Continuing Medical Education plans educational activities in accordance with the criteria and standards of the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education.
The school’s dean is Dr. Sola Aoun Bahous
School of Architecture and Design
The School of Architecture and Design (SArD) has emerged as a national and regional role model thanks to its high educational standards and tireless efforts to foster a creative, open, multidisciplinary and proactive design culture. These efforts have culminated in the school’s accreditation by the American National Architectural Accrediting Board and LAU’s success in becoming an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
In addition to drawing on a large pool of local talent to serve as faculty for its various programs, SArD regularly welcomes visiting professors from abroad and actively promotes international exchange opportunities for its students and faculty.
The result is a school rooted in its local context and culture with an international outlook — one that is committed to bringing about a better world through transformative design.
The school offers a Bachelor of Architecture; Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Fashion Design (in collaboration with renowned international fashion group ELIE SAAB and London College of Fashion) Fine Arts, Interior Design, and Graphic Design; a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture; and a Master of Arts in Islamic Art.
The school’s dean is Dr. Elie Haddad
School of Arts and Sciences
Firmly rooted in LAU’s historical origins as a liberal arts college, the School of Arts and Sciences (SoAS) provides its students with a world-class education in liberal arts and science, prioritizing critical inquiry, creativity, and research. SoAS is committed to student centeredness, academic excellence and the dissemination of knowledge with the purpose of positively impacting the world.
The school offers 22 undergraduate programs in a variety of fields, including Communication Arts, Political Science, Computer Science (accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), Biology (pre-med program), and Chemistry (pre-med program). SoAS also offers nine graduate programs, including International Affairs, Computer Science, Molecular Biology, and Nutrition.
The school’s dean is Dr. Cathia Jenainati
School of Engineering
Since its founding days, the LAU School of Engineering (SOE) has provided students with the skills necessary to succeed both as engineers and as citizens. The school’s small class sizes, innovative curricula, and cutting-edge computer facilities and laboratories nurture intellectual excitement and curiosity, inspiring future engineering leaders who will be equipped to take on both local and global challenges.
Most of its programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The school offers seven different engineering programs, three master’s programs, and a Pro-Green post-graduate program offered in partnership with universities in Lebanon and Egypt.
The school’s dean is Dr. Michel Khoury
School of Pharmacy
The LAU School of Pharmacy (SOP) is recognized as a national and regional trailblazer in first-rate pharmacy education, as well as a pioneering force in practice and research. In line with its commitment to outstanding patient care, improving human health, serving the community and advancing scientific knowledge, the SOP launched its 2018-2023 strategic plan, called Leading the Way. It outlines how the school prepares its students to become leaders in the pharmacy profession, instilling in them the highest possible academic, professional and ethical standards via its three pillars of education, research and practice.
The school’s PharmD program is the only one outside the United States to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
The school’s dean is Dr. Naser Alsharif.