Chapter One: Faculty Mission & Objectives

Article 1

The mission of the Faculty is to:

-             Provide all enrolled students with the educational and knowledge achievement and prepare them on the higher education and professional levels in all sciences related to agricultural engineering and veterinary medicine;

-             Provide the students with the scientific, methodological and technical expertise to assume the scientific and professional responsibility in approaching agricultural and veterinary problems in the public institutions and the productive sectors;

-             Contribute to the comprehensive and integrated development of the Lebanese society and enhance its cultural openness;

-             Expand the scientific and cultural cooperation on the international level.

Article 2

The Faculty aims to achieve the following objectives:

1.     Providing the students with fundamental and applied education while ensuring respect for ethical standards, professional ethics and commitment to environmental issues, and providing them with the necessary training through the adoption of typical production process in the training centers of the Faculty.

2.     Conducting theoretical and field research addressing the community problems in the field of agricultural engineering and veterinary medicine, and encouraging Teaching Staff members and postgraduate students to carry out these researches and publish them.

3.     Holding seminars and scientific conferences on social issues in the Faculty specializations, and participating in workshops to transfer expertise, and in local, regional and international seminars and conferences.

4.     Providing scientific consultancy and carrying out field studies, for the benefit of the public and private administrations and institutions, in accordance with the applicable regulations. Cooperating and discussing with such institutions in order for the teaching to become compatible with the actual needs of the labor market and the development of those needs, and to secure employment opportunities for graduates.

5.     Conducting training courses for institutions in the public and private sectors in the Faculty specializations, thus contributing to the development of startups specialized in agriculture and veterinary medicine.

6.     Cooperating with university institutions and research centers operating in the agricultural and veterinary medicine sectors in Lebanon and/or abroad, in accordance with the cooperation agreements duly concluded in the Lebanese University to exchange professors and students and establish joint masters.

Chapter Two: Diplomas, Specializations & Departments

Article 3

The Faculty grants the students the following diplomas:

1.     Diploma of Agricultural engineer, equivalent to a Professional Master in Agricultural Engineering, the preparation period of which shall not be less than five years and not exceed seven years;

2.     Diploma of Veterinary Medicine, equivalent to a Professional Master in Veterinary Medicine, the preparation period of which shall not be less than six years and not exceed eight years;

3.     Research Master in Agricultural Engineering or Veterinary Sciences.

Article 4

The Faculty includes the following specializations:

1.     Agricultural Engineering

2.     Veterinary Medicine

The University Council may propose the addition of new specializations in accordance with the regulations in force.

Article 5

The Faculty specialization is composed of the following tracks:

1.     Agricultural Engineering

-             Plant Production

-             Plant Protection

-             Animal Science and Technology

-             Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources

-             Food Science and Technology

-             Landscaping

-             Agroeconomy and Rural Development

2.     Veterinary Sciences

-             Domestic Animals

-             Horses and Domestic Farm Animals

-             Food and Abattoir Control

The University Council may propose the addition of new tracks or cancel some of them in accordance with the regulations in force.

Article 6

The first and second years are taught in two separate sections (English and French). In the third year, the teaching language becomes the same for all students, i.e. the language of the lecturer (English, French and / or Arabic).

Article 7

The Faculty Council distributes students on specialized tracks within the same specialization after the issuance of the results of the second session of Semester 4 in Agricultural Engineering and Semester 6 in Veterinary Medicine based on:

a)     Student rank in the total years of study

b)     Student choice

Article 8

The Diploma curriculum (Agricultural Engineering or Veterinary Medicine) and the research master diploma includes a field study in the field of specialization for at least 250 working hours, finalized with a thesis prepared by the student and equal to 30 credits.

Article 9

In cooperation with the institution concerned with the internship referred to in the abovementioned article, the Faculty shall determine the content of such internship, and the duties of the advisor and the person in charge in the institution. The student is not entitled to join any center, company or institution for training as a student from the Faculty of Agriculture except under an official convention addressed to the concerned authority and signed by the Faculty Dean and the head of the concerned department.

Article 10

The University President appoints a committee to discuss the thesis of the Diploma and the Research Master on the proposal of the Dean based on the recommendation of the Faculty Council.

Article 11

The student may transfer from one specialization or track to another in the same specialization two semesters after the start of the study in the specialization or track in which he/she began the study. The transfer shall be subject to the availability of vacant places in the specialization or track requested for transfer and the approval of the Faculty Council following the study of the student academic file by a committee assigned by the Faculty Dean. The transfer request shall be submitted at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. In case of approval, the student shall keep the courses and credits that he/she has obtained if they are accredited in the new specialization or track.

Article 12

The student, who has completed the diploma or research master degree in one of the specializations or tracks adopted by the Faculty, may register in a second track in the same specialization, to obtain a second diploma or master’s degree. The Faculty Council shall determine the approval conditions and courses required for each case in accordance with the Faculty Statutes and the chosen degree.

Article 13

The Faculty consists of the following academic departments:

1.     Department of Plant Protection

2.     Department of Plant Production

3.     Department of Animal Science & Technology

4.     Department of Landscaping

5.     Department of Food Science & Technology

6.     Department of Agroeconomy

7.     Department of Environmental Engineering & Natural Resources

8.     Department of Fundamental Sciences

Chapter Three: Student Admission & Enrollment

Article 14

In order to be admitted to prepare the diploma in Agricultural Engineering or Veterinary Medicine, the student shall:

a)     Be holder of a Lebanese Baccalaureate or its official equivalent.

b)     Have succeeded in the Competitive Entrance Examination (CEE) organized by a decision of the University Council upon the proposal of the Faculty Council, in which the maximum number of students who may be admitted is identified based on the examination result in each specialization.

Article 15

The CEE referred to above includes the followings written exams:

Article 16

The conditions of student admission and the CEE subjects may be modified by a decision of the University Council upon the proposal of the Faculty Council.

Article 17

The student, who obtains a total average in the CEE of at least 11/20 in Agricultural Engineering and 12/20 in Veterinary Medicine, is considered to have passed the exam. An eliminatory mark is each mark less than 5/20 in the CEE subjects.

Article 18

The enrollment of passing students shall be accepted according to the sequence of their total scores in the CEE and within the limits determined in Article 13. A waiting list of names of successful candidates who are not accepted for enrollment shall be placed in accordance with the above sequence.

Article 19

Candidates accepted for enrollment shall complete their registration within the deadline identified thereto by the Administration, under the loss of their right to enrollment and their replacement with other candidates according to the waiting list sequence rule referred to above.

Article 20

The new students enrolled in the Faculty shall sit for a foreign language test conducted by the Office of Foreign Language Coordination at the Lebanese University in coordination with the Faculty Council.

Article 21

The student receiving a score less than 10/20 in the foreign language test (French and English), shall be subject to pursue an intensive course in this language in the month of September of every year. The student shall sit for an exam at the end of the course and succeed as a prerequisite for the academic registration in the foreign language courses adopted in the Faculty curricula.

Article 22

Students admitted for a diploma in Agricultural Engineering or Veterinary Medicine and who have studied in a university similar to the Lebanese University or other universities, may request the equivalence of some courses they have previously obtained. This request is based on the equivalency system identifying the terms for recognition of credits received outside the Faculty and issued by a decision of the Faculty Dean. This equivalency system shall not contradict with the general equivalency system at the Lebanese University, and the total balance shall not exceed (60) credits as per the LU credit system.

Article 23

If the number of students enrolled in the Semester 5 in each of the specializations falls below the number approved by the University Council decision referred to in Article 14, the Faculty may receive students from the faculties of the Lebanese University or private universities holding bachelors or their official equivalent in the following specializations:

Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Nutrition and Agriculture. The relevant departmental councils should consider the applications and determine the courses to be registered for the accepted students, provided that the total balance of the courses subject registered does not exceed 120 credits.

Chapter Four: Registration & Attendance

Article 24

The students shall complete two types of enrollment:

-             An administrative enrollment done at the beginning of the academic year;

-             An academic enrollment done at the beginning of each semester. In this enrollment, the student identifies the courses to be taken during the relevant semester with the help of the academic guidance team, provided that the student completes his / her academic enrollment at least one week prior to the commencement of teaching in the semester.

Article 25

The student has the right to reconsider his/her academic registration within one week at the latest from the commencement of teaching in the semester. He/she may also cancel the registration in some courses within a month at most from the beginning of the semester.

Article 26

If the student failed in or dropped some courses, he/she has to re-register in such courses and then completes the registration in the remaining courses provided that the total balance of the courses shall not exceed 36 credits for one semester, starting from Semester 3 of the diploma.

Article 27

Attendance is mandatory in all fundamental and applied courses and in the scientific trips for all the Faculty students. If the student's attendance is less than 80% in the fundamental courses or 100% in the tutorials, practical works and scientific trips, he/she shall be prohibited to sit for the final tutorials and written exams unless he/she provides an acceptable excuse (death of a family member, emergency hospitalization, accident) within a week of the first day of absence. The Faculty Council shall decide upon the legitimacy of such excuse.

Chapter Five: Evaluation & Examination

Article 28

The system of continuous assessment and final examinations is adopted in all courses of each semester, and the duration of the final examination shall not exceed two hours.

Article 29

The final exams for each course shall be held at the end of the semester, provided that the failing students in the first session benefit from a second session determined by a decision of the Faculty Dean, excluding the tutorials and internship.

Article 30

The final score of each course comprising fundamental lessons consists of the continuous assessment and the final exam scores as follows:

Article 31

In the continuous assessment, various evaluation methods are used such as written tests, partial exam, preparation of reports, researches, tutorials (as per the course nature), provided that the number of activities, subject of the continuous assessment, is not less than two per semester in each course.

Article 32

A continuous assessment score consists of a total divided between the scores of the partial exam, student participation assessment and tutorials, as follows:

Article 33

The final score allocated for the tutorial courses consists of the total number of scores of the activities and tests carried out by the student during the semester, as follows: 10% student participation, 30% weekly report, 20% final written exam, 40% final tutorial exam. The internship score shall be determined by the training officer according to a schedule set by each department according to the training, follow-up criteria and the special evaluation methods after approval of the Faculty Council. The internship score is approved only after approval by the head of department.

Article 34

If the student fails to submit the partial exam in the semester for reasons of coercion or force majeure (death of a family member, hospitalization), he/she must submit the documents that justify the absence within one week from the date of the examination. The Faculty Council shall have the right to decide thereupon, and shall receive a zero if he/she is absent for any other reason.

Article 35

The student, who did not sit for the final exam of a course in the first session, receives a zero regardless of the excuses and reasons. If he/she does not sit for this exam in the second session for reasons of coercion or force majeure (death of a family member, hospitalization), a re-sit exam may be held by a decision of the University President on the proposal of the Faculty Council.

Article 36

If a student fails to attend the partial and final exams of the first session of a course, he/she shall not benefit from the second session of this course except in cases of illness that require discontinuation of study for more than two months, on to the decision of the Faculty Council.

Article 37

If a student fails in one or more courses on the first session exams, only the continuous assessment score for these courses is transferred to the second session of the same university year. If the course consists of tutorials, the student maintains the tutorial score if it was 50/100 and above.

Article 38

The student may not appear before the examining committee to discuss the graduation thesis (Diploma or Research Master) only after he/she has successfully completed all the required courses and obtained a total of 270 credits in Agricultural Sciences or 330 credits in Veterinary Sciences.

Article 39

The late student is not entitled to enter the examination room if the delay exceeds a quarter of an hour. No student is allowed to leave the examination room before thirty minutes have elapsed.

Article 40

Any student caught cheating or attempting to cheat in a session, shall be deprived of all the exams of the session, subject to the provisions of the laws in force.

Article 41

The failing student has the right to submit an application to ensure that there is no material error in a course score, within three days at most from the date of announcing the result of this course. The examining committee shall inspect the student exam under the supervision of the Faculty Dean and the head of the concerned department. If there is a material error, the score shall be amended by consensus of the attendees.

Chapter Six: General Provisions

Article 42

A student may be considered as administratively enrolled in the second academic year if he/she has obtained at least 36 credits, in the third academic year if he/she has obtained at least 96 credits, and in the fourth academic year if he/she has obtained at least 156 credits, and so on.

Article 43

The curricula for the diploma and research master's degrees in all tracks of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine shall be determined in accordance with attached tables and shall be amended upon the proposal of the Faculty Council and the approval of the University Council.

Article 44

The laws and regulations in force at the Lebanese University shall apply in all matters not mentioned in the above articles.

Article 45

This decision shall be effective from the academic year 2019-2020 and shall be communicated as required.