Overview

1. Who can be admitted to the Freshman Program?
Students who can be admitted to the Freshman Program in Lebanon are Lebanese or non-Lebanese nationals who have/are holders of:

• the permission to continue studying the foreign curriculum (from the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education);
• a high-school diploma or school-leaving certificate;
• SAT - Valid for 5 years.

2. Who is entitled to do Freshman equivalence?
Students who are entitled to Freshman equivalence in order to qualify for the sophomore year must have:

• fulfilled 30 Freshman credits during the Fall and Spring Semesters at USEK (the Freshman programs, whether Arts or Sciences, comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education) with a GPA of 70/100.
• scored a minimum of 870 on SAT for Freshman Arts.
• scored a minimum of 950 on SAT for Freshman Sciences.
• requested a transcript from USEK certifying that they meet all the requirements.

Note: Freshman students cannot be promoted to the sophomore year unless they meet, in addition to the program course requirements, the minimum total score for the SAT Test. It is the applicant’s responsibility to register for and take the required SAT Test.

3. What is the Freshman credit load at USEK?
Freshman students are allowed to enroll in a maximum of 17 credits per semester. The 30 credits must be completed during the Fall and Spring Semesters. There is no Summer Session in the Freshman Program.

4. What are the program requirements?
The Freshman programs at USEK comply with the requirements of the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Therefore, the courses are designed and chosen in accordance with the regulations and rules set by the Ministry. The selected courses include the following subject fields recognized by the Ministry:

• Humanities
• Social sciences
• Natural sciences
• Mathematics

5. What are the University requirements?

• A photocopy of the national identity card or of a valid passport (for international students);
• Recent passport-size photo;
• Permission to continue studying the foreign curriculum (granted by the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education);
• A high-school diploma or school-leaving certificate;
• The applicant’s SAT score.

Administration and Full-time Faculty

Dr. Rabih Nabhan, Associate Professor, Director of the Freshman Programs

Freshman Programs

Freshman Arts – 30 credits
• Required Core Courses – 12 credits
- FELL121 – English Literature 3 credits
- FENG140 – English Communication Skills 3 credits
- FSOC101 – Introduction to Sociology 3 credits
- FMAT100 – Basic Mathematics 3 credits
• Science Courses – 3 to 6 credits
- FCHM101 – Introduction to Chemistry 3 credits
- FBIO101 – Fundamentals of Biology 3 credits
- FPHY101 – Fundamentals of Physics 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved science course 3 credits
• Humanities Courses – 3 to 6 credits
- FHUM101 History of Civilizations 3 credits
- FPHI101 – Introduction to Philosophy 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved humanities course 3 credits
• Social Science Courses – 3 to 6 credits
- FPSY101 – Introduction to Psychology 3 credits
- FECO101 – Introduction to Economics 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved social science course 3 credits
• Mathematics Courses – 0 to 3 credits
- FSTA101 – Basic Statistics 3 credits
- FMAT101 – Mathematics I 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved mathematics course 3 credits

Freshman Sciences – 30 credits
• Required Core Courses – 15 credits
- FELL121 – English Literature 3 credits
- FENG140 – English Communication Skills 3 credits
- FMAT101 – Mathematics I 3 credits
- FMAT102 – Mathematics II 3 credits
- FSTA101 – Basic Statistics 3 credits
• Science Courses – 6 to 9 credits
- FCHM101 – Introduction to Chemistry 3 credits
- FBIO101 – Fundamentals of Biology 3 credits
- FPHY101 – Fundamentals of Physics 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved science course 3 credits
• Humanities Courses – 3 to 6 credits
- FHUM101 – History of Civilizations 3 credits
- FPHI101 – Introduction to Philosophy 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved humanities course 3 credits
• Social Science Courses – 3 to 6 credits
- FPSY101 – Introduction to Psychology 3 credits
- FECO101 – Introduction to Economics 3 credits
- FSOC101 – Introduction to Sociology 3 credits
- Any 100-level pre-approved social science course 3 credits

Note: Students will be advised to choose their courses according to the BA/BS programs they wish to pursue.

*Check conditions for mandatory courses at your Faculty/School.