The USEK School of Law and Political Sciences was inaugurated on November 10, 1988, symbolically on the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From its inception, it has offered its students an exceptional education that consolidates the strength of tradition with the dynamism of the modern world.

The School of Law and Political Sciences is indeed the heir of a long history. The Lebanese Maronite Order (OLM), since its foundation, has provided its monks with a solid education in canon law, progressively extending its teaching to all legal disciplines for its monks and the Lebanese public. This diversification, based on the educational needs of Lebanese society, has allowed the School of Law and Political Sciences to build on past experiences while opening up to modernity.

Initially based in Jbeil, the School of Law and Political Sciences relocated to the Kaslik campus in the 1999-2000 Fall Semester to accommodate the growing number of students and to allow them to integrate with other University students and experience campus life to the full. The school is also open in USEK’s Regional University Center (RUC) of Zahle. Since 2016, it has hosted the Higher Institute of Political and Administrative Sciences, for students preparing themselves for management careers in government, public service, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

The School of Law and Political Sciences proposes a full offering of legal education that includes a Law Degree and several bachelor’s degrees, many master’s degrees, and a doctoral degree, with programs offered in both French and English. Faculty members include highly knowledgeable law professors and renowned professionals, such as prominent judges, lawyers, and civil servants practicing in several administrations.

In addition to providing a learning experience, the School of Law and Political Sciences aims to develop the personal qualities of its students through its many extra-curricular activities, such as mock trials, international pleading competitions, vis moot competitions in international arbitration, and clinical trainings. Most importantly, these experiences are designed to provide students with knowledge and skills to prepare them for the job market, locally and internationally.

In this era of global legal practice, the USEK School of Law and Political Sciences is committed to fully preparing its students by offering several opportunities for transnational experiences, actively recruiting international scholars (from France, Italy, the USA, and Canada), developing its students’ options for studying abroad within the Erasmus+ program (mostly in Greece, France, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, and the USA), and building partnerships with reputable foreign universities, such as the Robert McKinney School of Law of Indiana-Purdue University to deliver a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International and Comparative law, and more recently, with the Syracuse University School of Law in New York.

Moreover, the School of Law and Political Sciences offers, through programs implemented in Lebanon, double master’s degrees from France and Lebanon, such as the Master 2 in International Contracts offered in conjunction with the University of Montpellier I, awarding students a Master 2 degree from both universities, and a Master 2 in Business Law (Juriste d’affaires) in conjunction with the University of Poitiers, whereby students also earn a Master 2 degree from both institutions.

Affiliated with the School of Law and Political Science, the Higher Institute of Political and Administrative Sciences was created in February 2006 (decree n° 16410) to train future officials in public administration and civil society who are mindful of community spirit and ethics. The Institute provides quality education in the multidisciplinary educational fields of political sciences, international relations, and public administration with a view to:

• providing students with a specialized education in political sciences, giving them access to a professional career.
• developing the students’ systemic and analytical thinking, enabling them to understand national and international issues.
• preparing students to follow a specialized higher education curriculum.

MISSION

The mission of the School of Law and Political Sciences is to provide students with the opportunity to develop specialized knowledge in all areas of law by offering high quality programs that comply with national and international standards. In an era of global legal practice, the USEK School of Law and Political Sciences offers its students several opportunities for transnational experiences, by actively recruiting international scholars and building partnerships with reputable foreign universities.
The School of Law and Political Sciences consists of the following departments/programs:

Law

• Law Degree
• Minor in Human Rights
• Minor in Public Administration: Public Law and Administrative Organizations of Lebanon
• Master of Arts in Criminology
• Master of Laws in Private Law
• Master of Laws in Public Law
• Master of Laws in Business Law
• Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law
• Master of Laws in International Contracts
• PhD in Law

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES

• Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences
• Bachelor of Arts in International Relations
• Minor in Middle Eastern Studies
• Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Security
• Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies
• Master of Arts in Political Sciences
• Master of Arts in Political Sciences – International Relations