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Universities in Lebanon

Haigazian University

Riad El Solh, Lebanon
Haigazian University was founded on October 17, 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon by two groups of American organizations. The school follows an American system of University education with the primary goal of imparting sound knowledge into individuals in several fields of life and making them useful to their individual societies. The school collaborates with over 15 other universities worldwide, boasting of a good international reputation with improved learning environment and fully fitted classrooms. Haigazian University houses advanced laboratories and the faculties (undergraduate and... See full description.

Universities in Lebanon by City:

BeirutChouranRiad El SolhZouk Mosbeh

About universities in Lebanon

Higher education in Lebanon is governed by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The higher education system in the country consists of 40 private institutions. The Lebanese University is the only public university in the country. More than 190,000 students get admission in higher education institutions in Lebanon every year. More than 40 percent of them are enrolled at the public university in Lebanon.

There are primarily two kinds of institutions that offer higher education in Lebanon:
  • Universities in Lebanon offer all levels of degree programs, namely, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees
  • Institutes of technology or university colleges in Lebanon usually provide only bachelor’s degree courses. However, a few colleges do offer higher degrees as well.
Higher education in the country consists of three stages, which are the bachelor ’s degree (BA or BSC), master ’s degree (MA or MSC), and PhD.

Arabic, French, and English are the main languages of instructions in Lebanese higher education institutions.

First Stage of University Level Education- Bachelor’s Degree in Lebanon

Admission to the bachelor’s degree courses that are offered by colleges and universities in Lebanon is primarily dependent on a student’s performance at the Baccalaureate Libanais (Lebanese General Secondary Certificate). However, some faculties like medical science, public health and engineering also require an entrance examination.  The academic year for a bachelor’s degree in Lebanon typically starts from October and ends in June.

The students can obtain their bachelor’s degree after three years of study. Medical and engineering degrees, however, take longer to obtain.  The course length for a Bachelor in Engineering degree lasts for five years. A degree in dentistry and pharmacy also takes five years to complete. In order to get an MD in medicine, the students need to complete 7 years of study. The minimum duration of study is 4 years for bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy.

Students, who have successfully completed American style high school program, qualify for admission into a bachelor’s degree program in Lebanon. However, they need to submit their scores in SAT I and SAT II (subject tests) for applying to colleges in Lebanon.

Second Stage- Master’s Degree in Lebanon

Universities offer master’s degree programs in Lebanon.  Obtaining a master’s degree involves more specialized work in the chosen area of specialization. Students need to complete one or two years of study following the bachelor’s degree to be awarded a master’s degree in Lebanon.

Third Stage- Doctorate Degree in Lebanon

Upon having earned a master’s degree, students are eligible to get admitted into a doctoral program. Doctorate degree involves extensive research, as well as, thesis writing. At French medium universities in Lebanon, the doctorate is awarded after three years of study.

The higher education system in Lebanon generally adopts this three tier system. However, some efforts are essential to harmonize the implementation of this system. In Lebanese higher education, various credit systems are adopted. Many institutions have started using ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) to compare the performance and study attainment of Lebanese students with that of students in European Union and other collaborating European countries.