USEK is committed to providing students with an excellent learning experience by focusing on teaching and learning, quality assurance, research, campus life, and facilities. Continuous improvement and excellence are the key points of its current activities and strategic planning. Having incorporated e-learning to support student learning and provided its faculty with professional certification in teaching and learning from reputable international institutions, USEK has also created a center of teaching excellence for the continuous development of faculty qualifications and the sharing of best practices in teaching and learning. Moreover, the University has adopted a new program framework based on learning outcomes defined in collaboration with local and international employers with the aim of enhancing student employability. USEK voluntary sought international external evaluation and accreditation. After a long process of evaluation and enhancement, it obtained in 2012 the European institutional accreditation from evalag for five years and was reaccredited in 2017 for an additional five-year period.
NECHE Candidacy
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.). Candidacy for Accreditation is a status of affiliation with the Commission which indicates that the institution has achieved initial recognition and is progressing toward accreditation.
Candidacy is not accreditation nor does it assure eventual accreditation.
Inquiries regarding the status of an institution affiliated with the Commission should be directed to the administrative staff of USEK. Individuals may also contact:
New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514
(781) 425 7785
E-Mail:
info@neche.org
In September 2009, USEK has completed an Institutional Evaluation Program conducted by the European Association of Universities (EUA) and became the first university in the Middle East that conducts such an evaluation programme.
The Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) is an independent membership service of the European University Association (EUA), the representative organization of universities and national rectors’ conferences in 47 European countries. IEP is a full member of ENQA (the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) and is listed in EQAR (the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education). Created in 1994, IEP ensures that higher education institutions gain maximum benefit from a comprehensive evaluation conducted by a team of experienced higher education leaders. To date, IEP evaluation teams have carried out nearly to 400 evaluations and follow-up evaluations of diverse higher education institutions in 45 countries worldwide.
This evaluation programme conducted lasted for an entire year. Following the auto-evaluation phase which extended over more than 6 months, USEK hosted, twice, a team of 5 experts from the EUA. The experts did not only evaluate the action plan and the applied practices inside the university, but they have also met the majority of officials, a group of students, as well as different stakeholders involved in the university community (Director of Higher Education in Lebanon, representatives of NGOs and associations, entrepreneurs, etc.).
See more:
Press conference
Conducting a European Institutional Accreditation at USEK was to assure that the university is in a continuous process of improvement and that strategic vision and practices meet the European standards.
The European Institutional Accreditation was initially granted to USEK in December 2012 for a five-year period. Re-accreditation visits were conducted in 2017 and 2023, thus re-awarding the evalag international label for Institutional Accreditation until 2029.
The German institution, evalag EVALUATIONSAGENTUR BADEN – WÜRTTEMBERG. evalag is an active member of ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register), CEENQA (Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education), DeGEval (Gesellschaft für Evaluation e.V., German Evaluation Society), and INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education).
evalag is known as a centre of competence for quality assurance and enhancement and a source of support for higher education institutions and other scientific institutions, with commitment for good quality in teaching and learning, research and other services.
See more:
Institutional Reaccreditation Assessment Report
In 2015, USEK became the first university in Lebanon and the region to gain accreditation for its student support services, highlighting its commitment to offer high quality services to its students in support of their welfare on campus and, ultimately, of their learning, career, and life goals.
USEK’s student support services have successfully gained the matrix accreditation, confirming that all services provided by the following offices have met
the matrix standard and recognizing the University’s commitment to 360-degree student services and support:
- Admissions Office
- Office of the Registrar
- Student Affairs Office
- Financial Aid Office
- International Affairs Office (international students’ services)
- Career Services Office
- Counseling and Accessibility Office
- Student Success and Retention Office
- Institutional Research and Assessment Office
Moreover, USEK boasts well-established effective partnerships and networks of tremendous added value, empowered by the commitment of staff who provide impartial and relevant services to students.
The matrix standard is a unique quality standard established in the UK as a means for organizations to assess and measure their advice and support services, which ultimately sustain individuals in their choice of career, learning, work, and life goals.
The accreditation was initially obtained in July 2015 and renewed in 2018, 2021, and 2024. Initial accreditation and re-accreditation reviews consisted of 3-day visits undertaken by
Assessment Services Ltd, during which the matrix assessor held individual and group meetings with the University administration, directors, and staff of the offices concerned, in addition to students and external partners, such as schools and employers. Annual Continuous Improvement Checks are conducted to confirm that the University is successfully maintaining the matrix accreditation.
Applied and Natural Sciences
One Science Program is accredited by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of ABET,
http://www.abet.org, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
The program is listed as follows:
Faculty of Arts and Sciences:
Computing Programs
Two Computing Programs are accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET,
http://www.abet.org,the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
These programs are listed as follows:
Faculty of Arts and Sciences:
Engineering Programs
All the Engineering undergraduate programs at USEK are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
These programs are listed as follows:
School of Engineering:
To know more about ABET, please click on the following link:
Why Accreditation Matters
USEK WINS THE #ABETCONFIDENT VIDEO CONTEST 2018
Based on the initiative of the ABET Accreditation Committee at the University, USEK students and graduates from 9 computing and engineering programs have participated in #ABETconfident video competition that aims to capture the confidence that students have in their ABET-accredited education. On February 23, 2018, the students submitted their video #USEK_ABETconfident.
ABET congratulated USEK for winning the contest and expressed the jury’s appreciation for preparing a great video and for involving students from different programs who have successfully shown their #ABETconfident perspectives.
On March 8, 2018, USEK celebrated this achievement in the presence of the Vice-President for Community Life, the Provost (Head of the ABET Accreditation Committee at USEK), the deans of concerned academic units, members of ABET Accreditation Committee, students, faculty and staff.
By winning this contest, the #USEK_ABETconfident video was displayed at the 2018 ABET Symposium held on April 12 and 13, 2018 in San Diego, in the presence of hundreds of participants from around the world, including 4 student representatives and a faculty member from USEK.
In June 2017, eight Social Sciences and Humanities programs received the International Accreditation by the Accreditation Commission of evalag, EVALUATIONSAGENTUR BADEN–WÜRTTEMBERG
This recognition was renewed in June 2023 for seven programs for a period of six years.
evalag, known as a center of competence for quality assurance and enhancement and a source of support for higher education institutions and other scientific institutions, with commitment for good quality in teaching and learning, research and other services.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences:
See more:
Social Sciences and Humanities Assessment Report
Master OF ARCHITECTURE - 2019
The term “International Certification” identifies a program as comparable in educational outcomes in all significant aspects to a program accredited by the NAAB in the United States and indicates that it provides an educational experience meeting acceptable standards, even though such program may differ in format or method of delivery. The designation is valid for six years beginning 1 January of the year in which the final visit (Visit 3) took place. In order to maintain the designation, the program must be visited again in the sixth year of the designation.
Schools with programs identified as holding NAAB International Certification are not formally “accredited” as that term is used with reference to programs in the United States and may not refer to their programs as “accredited” by the NAAB. However, students who graduate from internationally certified programs are able to apply for individualized review of their credentials on an expedited basis for purposes of the Educational Evaluation Services for Architects program administered by the NAAB on behalf of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, School of Architecture and Design has received the International Certification designation from the
National Architectural Accrediting Board for the following professional degree program:
Master of Architecture degree (193 semester credit hours) – 2019
SEE MORE:
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Decision Letter
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USEK Architecture Program Report (APR) for Visit Three
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NAAB Visiting Team Report (VTR) for USEK Visit Three
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NAAB 2012 Conditions for Substantial Equivalency
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NAAB 2013 Procedures for Substantial EquivalencyBy decision of the French Minister of Culture on April 24, 2018, the Diploma of Master of Architecture awarded by USEK’s School of Architecture and Design is recognized as being equivalent to the French Diploma in Architecture. This recognition, effective starting the academic year 2015-2016, was renewed on April 14, 2021, for a period of five years until 2024-2025.
The French Diploma in Architecture allows its holder to practice as a salaried architect in France and offers the opportunity to enroll in the training course for “the training of the graduate architect to provide services in person”. This training provides those who undergo it with the opportunity to be enrolled in the registry for exercising the profession as an independent architect.
Ongoing Accreditation – Business Programs
USEK BUSINESS SCHOOL IS CURRENTLY ENGAGED WITH THE AACSB accreditation process UNDER THE UNIVERSITY’S MISSION TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGHOUT ALL ITS PROGRAMS. .
AACSB stands for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - the global association of leaders in education and business, dedicated to supporting and advancing quality business education worldwide.
In 2019, the Undergraduate Medical Education Program Offered by the School of Medicine and Medical Sciences was granted full accreditation for six years, effective from January 2019 until December 2024, after being successfully evaluated by the Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs (TEPDAD).
This recent success follows the Basic Medical Education: World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) Global Standards for Quality Improvement awarded in 2015.