Established in 1962, the Faculty of Letters developed progressively in keeping with the University’s ever-increasing growth. The Faculty broadened its academic achievements by founding the following divisions: the Institute of History (1971); the Language Centre (1970); the Department of Interpretation and Translation (1993); the Department of French Language and Literature (1997); the Department of English Language and Literature (2001), the Department of Arab Language and Literature (2002), the Department of Applied Modern Languages with an option in Business and Trade (2002); and the Department of Journalism and Communication(2007).

The Faculty of Letters aims to train professionals in fields for which there is much demand nowadays in Lebanon. These include multilingual operators in companies, translators in media and publishing institutions among others, interpreters in international conferences and forums, and Arabic, French or English literature and language teachers, as well as high-school history teachers. The Faculty also trains written press specialists.

The Language Centre meets the needs of executives and employees in Lebanese companies by providing them with a thorough formation and training in the main modern languages, namely English, German, Italian, Spanish and French. Moreover, this centre gives students of the Interpretation and Translation Department the advantage of on-the-spot courses to consolidate their knowledge of several modern languages. The degrees delivered by the Faculty are all acknowledged by the Lebanese State.

While aiming to satisfy its students’ literary ambitions, the Faculty of Letters takes particular interest in providing them with general and art knowledge in all fields, developing their critical thinking and their sense of the truth, and granting them the vocational competences that serve the purpose of human openness and intercultural dialogue in Lebanon and the modern world.

In keeping with the university’s new orientations, the curricula underwent reform in 1999 and the annual system was replaced by the credit system while the content of subject matters was, for the most part, preserved. The objective of this reform was to grant the students additional mobility and flexibility in choosing their courses at the university in keeping with international standards.

Mission:
In line with the vocation the Founding Fathers assigned to USEK, we, as the Faculty of Letters, continue to be Loyal to the authenticity of the Lebanese, oriental and humanist heritages. We are committed to providing our students with the latest techniques and strategies that enable them to communicate successfully in Arabic, French and English in multicultural contexts. We aim to activate innovative research and teaching methods in the fields of linguistics, literature, culture, civilization, translation and media. Thus, our mission is to accomplish, in harmony with our vision of man and education, the success for our students who leave us equipped with lifelong learning habits.

The Faculty of Letters consists of the following departments/programs:

Department of French Language and Literature

• Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Literature
  Emphasis: French Language and Literature
• Master of Arts in French Language and Literature
• Ph.D. in French Language and Literature

Department of English Language and Literature

• Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Literature
  Emphasis: English Language and Literature
• Master of Arts in English Language and Literature
• Ph.D. in English Language and Literature

Department of Arabic Language and Literature

• Bachelor of Arts in Languages and Literature
Emphasis: Arabic Language and Literature
• Master of Arts in Arabic Language and Literature
• Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Literature

Department of Interpretation and Translation

• Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Translation
• Master of Arts in Translation
• Diploma in Interpretation
• Ph.D. in Language Sciences and Traductology

Department of Journalism and Communication

• Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication
• Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication
• Master of Arts in E-Journalism and E-Communication