Beirut, Beirut Governorate
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the largest academic unit within the American University of Beirut (AUB), located in Beirut, Lebanon. Established in 1866 as the core of the Syrian Protestant College, which later became the American University of Beirut, the faculty serves as the foundational pillar of the institution’s liberal arts curriculum. It operates under the charter granted by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. The faculty is situated on the AUB campus, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and occupies a significant portion of the Ras Beirut district.
The academic structure of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences encompasses a broad range of disciplines organized into three main divisions: the Division of Arts and Humanities, the Division of Social Sciences, and the Division of Science and Quantitative Thought. These divisions house over 20 departments and programs, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in subjects such as Arabic, English, History, Philosophy, Economics, Political Studies, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. The faculty also hosts several interdisciplinary programs, including Environmental Policy Planning, Media Studies, and American Studies, designed to integrate knowledge across traditional departmental boundaries.
Educational facilities within the faculty include specialized laboratories for the physical and life sciences, computer science centers, and access to the Jafet Memorial Library. The library serves as a central resource for research and academic study, providing access to extensive digital and physical archives. Students within the faculty are also provided access to various specialized research centers, such as the Center for Behavioral Research and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, which facilitate empirical research and field studies. These facilities support the faculty's commitment to inquiry-based learning and the systematic exploration of regional and global issues.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences adheres to the academic standards established by the American University of Beirut, which is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) in the United States. This accreditation ensures that the degrees conferred by the faculty meet international benchmarks for higher education. The curriculum is structured around a general education program that requires students to complete coursework in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and quantitative reasoning, regardless of their specific major. This core requirement is intended to provide students with a foundational understanding of multiple academic fields.
Research activity is a primary function of the faculty, with members of the academic staff regularly contributing to peer-reviewed journals and participating in international academic conferences. The faculty supports various research initiatives focused on topics relevant to the Middle East and North Africa, including regional history, socioeconomic development, public health policy, and environmental conservation. Graduate programs, including Master’s and PhD degrees in select disciplines, are designed to train students in advanced research methodologies and independent analytical work, further contributing to the institution’s output of academic literature.
The faculty maintains a diverse student body and a multi-national teaching staff, reflecting the institution's historical commitment to an internationalized academic environment. Admissions processes are centralized through the American University of Beirut, and the faculty operates according to the academic calendar and administrative policies of the university. Financial aid, scholarship programs, and student support services are coordinated at the university level to assist students within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in meeting the requirements of their degree programs.
As an essential component of the American University of Beirut, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences serves as the primary provider of the university's core liberal arts education. By balancing specialized disciplinary training with broad-based intellectual requirements, the faculty provides a structured environment for academic study. Its integration of research, teaching, and service reflects the standard operational model of a comprehensive faculty within a research-oriented university, focusing on the dissemination of knowledge across the arts, social sciences, and natural sciences.
