Chapter One

General Provisions

Article 1:

The Doctoral School of Law, Political, Administrative and Economic Sciences, created at the Lebanese University under Decree No. 74 dated 22 February 2007, is an independent academic faculty designated below by “DSLPAES”.

Article 2:  DSLPAES Mission

1.      Form and consolidate scientific philosophy, culture and behaviors based on innovation, creativity, excellence and quality assurance, adhere to the principles of scientific integrity, and respect intellectual property in the production, update and dissemination of knowledge, within the specializations of DSLPAES.

2.      Form research expertise in the scientific fields and develop competencies in the management of scientific research to meet the needs of public and private higher education in the Lebanese society.

3.      Develop teaching and learning methods by correlating teaching, learning and scientific research for DSLPAES students, and exploit modern techniques to refine researchers' knowledge, competence and abilities.

4.      Establish a structure for research and scientific studies, publish innovative scientific studies and articles of quality and modernity, and issue scientific journals in various fields to ensure a prominent presence of the Lebanese University in scientific forums.

5.      Provide scientific dynamism for researchers to contribute and participate in the diagnosis and analysis of Lebanese society structures, and build development strategies in the fields of law, politics, business, economy and tourism.

6.      Secure scientific communication, exchange of expertise and knowledge, and intellectual openness to universities and research centers locally and internationally, in order to enhance the scientific status of the Lebanese University as a cultural and scientific attraction in light of transformations and contemporary challenges.

Article 3: DSLPAES Objectives

1.      Prepare students to obtain the Lebanese PhD in law, political, administrative, touristic, and economic sciences and supervise studies and dissertations.

2.      Develop research methods and methodologies according to a vision that determines the priorities and their relevance to the actual needs of the educational and research institutions of the labor market and the Lebanese society.

3.      Prepare a detailed program to qualify university researchers to manage scientific research efficiently and with a high degree of quality, and grant them the “Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches” (HDR) diploma.

4.      Establish and manage research and development labs, form research teams for topics related to the priorities of the scientific needs of the Lebanese society, and evaluate periodically their performance and supervise their activities while securing academic possibilities and technical assistance.

5.      Provide a network of communication and cooperation with regional and international organizations to facilitate the provision of DSLPAES students and researchers scientific consultations in Lebanon and abroad, including the Lebanese state and people of public law.

6.      Conclude agreements with public and private institutions of higher education and scientific research, and institutions of production and services in order to cooperate and exchange expertise, ensure the functional integration of graduates, and grant scholarships to PhD students.

7.      Conclude agreements with sponsoring and donor institutions, UN programs and regional and international organizations concerned with financing and supporting research and scientific studies and securing their appropriate mechanisms.

8.      Organize scientific conferences and seminars.

9.      Provide scientific references, library and IT services, and issue an annual guide for DSLPAES scientific production.

Chapter Two

DSLPAES Structure

Article 4:

The DSLPAES operates under the management of a Dean and a Council in accordance with the functions stipulated in the regulations concerning the authorities of the Lebanese University deans and Faculty councils.

Article 5:

The DSLPAES scientific council is comprised of the following members:

1.      The Dean, as chairperson.

2.   The professors with a rank of “Professor of Higher Education” representing the various disciplines of the DSLPAES, assigned by a decision of the University President upon the proposal of the Dean.

Article 6:

The members of the Scientific Council shall deal with the affairs of the DSLPAES, in accordance with their competence.

Article 7:

The Scientific Council shall determine the needs of the DSLPAES within the administrative and technical staff.

Article 8:

The DSLPAES includes the following specializations:

1.      Law

2.      Political Sciences

3.      Business

4.      Economic Sciences

5.      Tourism

Article 9:

In addition to the functions applicable at the Lebanese University, the DSLPAES Council endorses the various related scientific and research affairs, and shall:

1.      Create, organize, cancel or integrate research projects and develop their programs according to the DSLPAES research needs and concerned faculties.

2.      Develop programs and scientific research plans at the DSLPAES, and establish the priorities and needs in each specialization.

3.      Support the specialization and training grants according to the DSLPAES needs.

4.      Conduct an annual performance evaluation of the DSLPAES activities.

5.      Determine the number of dissertations that can be supervised by the professor and endorse what is necessary, as need be.

6.      Inform and provide guidance to students in all scientific matters and research projects in the various DSLPAES scientific departments, specializations and labs.

7.      Organize the supplementary education programs in the various specializations.

8.      Propose programs of annual activities.

9.      Propose committees to follow up and organize dissertations.

10.  Assist students to engage in the labor market, and follow up the professional development of graduates.

11.  Recommend nomination to contract with researchers and technicians at the DSLPAES.

12.  Conduct studies and research in the fields and projects of the DSLPAES specializations.

13.  Prepare studies to obtain funded research projects.

14.  Cooperate with local and international research laboratories.

15.  Organize periodic seminars to follow up the various research activities in all specializations.

16.  Carry out research services and studies funded by the public and private sectors.

Article 10:

Create and organize DSLPAES laboratories.

Chapter Four

PhD Diplomas & Regulations

Article 11:

The DSLPAES grants a PhD in the following specializations:

1.      Law

2.      Political Sciences

3.      Economic Sciences

4.      Business and Tourism

The PhD degree is based on scientific research and the principle of innovation in a particular field of the DSLPAES specializations, and aims at preparing university professors who are highly qualified researchers and professionals.

Article 12:

The duration of the PhD is not less than three years and not more than five years. In exceptional cases, the student may enroll in one additional year upon the approval of the University President, the recommendation of the Scientific Council and the proposal of the Dean.

Article 13:

The DSLPAES PhD degree at the Lebanese University is equivalent to a total of 180 (ECTS), in order to ensure that it is internationally equivalent with the Bachelor-Masters-Doctoral (BMD) system; of which 140 credits are allocated for research findings and the final dissertation. The remaining 40 credits shall be distributed to scientific and research activities, periodic progress presented by the student, and attendance of the DSLPAES activities and participation in conferences as required by the nature of the dissertation subject, in accordance with the regulations of the DSLPAES adopted by its Scientific Council.

Article 14:

To accept the registration of a candidate for the preparation of the PhD, he/she must:

1.      Be holder of a Research Master's degree or its equivalent within the DSLPAES specializations as long as the specialization is complementary to the Bachelor's degree and the dissertation subject, in accordance with the regulations adopted at the Lebanese University.

2.      Obtain approval of the supervisor and the competent committee on the subject and draft dissertation, on condition that the supervisor has a rank of “Professor” or holds the HDR diploma.

3.      In addition to the above requirements, students who wish to register for a PhD shall secure documents identified by the DSLPAES Council following the approval of the University Council. Reports on the committee's decision shall be submitted to the Dean for deliberation in the Scientific Council, and the results thereof shall be issued and announced by the Dean.

Article 15: Admission of students at the DSLPAES

The DSLPAES selects and admits the highly qualified students to prepare their dissertations according to three stages, as follows:

1.      File study: An announcement organized by the Scientific Council is published at the beginning of each academic year and directed to students. It shall include the entrance conditions and required documents, and specify the average score required to allow the student to sit for the written and oral subjects (provided that it is not less than 12/20), in addition to the distinction of “Good” and above. After the deadline for acceptance of the candidates' applications, the Scientific Council shall examine the applications and allow candidates fulfilling the conditions to move on to the next stage, which is the evaluation test.

2.      Evaluation test: It includes the student participation in a mandatory written test in general culture in the required specialization (law, politics, business, economy, tourism). The test is written in either French or English with a summarized translation of the answers to Arabic, to determine the acquired level of the student’s writing and written expression and his/her ability to write the dissertation, build the problem, and identify the research methodology, etc. After the announcement of the evaluation results, the accepted students are allowed to move on to the third stage.

3.      Preparation and discussion of the draft dissertation before a specialized Scientific Committee: The student is given a period not less than one month to prepare a draft dissertation to be discussed before a specialized Scientific Committee, which prepares a summary report and submits a recommendation to the Dean, to approve or reject the draft or request some corrections thereto. The period of one month given to the student allows him/her to submit a thoughtful research and consult various competent professors.

4.      Student participation in scientific seminars, lectures and conferences organized by DSLPAES: The student's dissertation is only discussed if he/she is annually participating in a number of the activities identified by the Scientific Council with the approval of the Dean.

5.      Requiring the student to provide an annual summary of the dissertation work progress to follow up the work and the efforts of the student in pursuing the dissertation.

6.      Upon the recommendation of the Scientific Council, the Dean shall exclude the students who have failed to follow up or attend after the deadline set out in Decree No. 900 concerning the general law of the Lebanese doctorate, in order to maintain the DSLPAES capacity and provide follow-up opportunities for new generations.

7.      A student who wishes to enroll is not entitled to submit his/her application to the DSLPAES more than twice.

Article 16:

The administrative and academic registration is incorporated by a decision of the Dean based on the recommendation of the competent Scientific Committee. The student may not register more than one PhD dissertation at the DSLPAES.

Article 17:

Each PhD student shall adhere with his/her supervisor to the following conditions:

1.      The dissertation is monitored by a primary supervisor and a co-supervisor in the same specialization or a specialization complementary to the dissertation subject, in case of a double major.

2.      The DSLPAES Council shall determine the number of dissertations to be monitored by the supervisor, in a manner not inconsistent with the decisions of the University President and Council and in accordance with a mechanism established by the DSLPAES Council.

3.      The PhD student undergoes a continuous evaluation process during the dissertation preparation period according to detailed conditions determined by the DSLPAES Council (periodic presentation of the work progress before the Scientific Committee, publication of research, participation in the DSLPAES activities...).

Article 18:

The DSLPAES can hold Doctoral Cotutelle/Joint PhD agreements with national and international scientific research institutions qualified to manage the researches. The official agreements are approved and signed by the participating institutions and the Lebanese University.

Article 19:

1.      The dissertation is defended after fulfilling the requirements of the conditions stipulated in Article 14.

2.      The student shall submit to the DSLPAES administration the complete file of the dissertation. The file shall include:

-          Request for permission to defend the dissertation approved by the supervisor (and co-supervisor, if any);

-          Two copies of the dissertation to be sent to the rapporteurs;

-          Statement on the complementary scientific and research activities approved by the DSLPAES, attached therewith the scientific publications or documents accepted for publication, if any (40 credits);

-          Copy of the student ID card;

-          Decision of the Dean stating that the student has fulfilled the required credit conditions.

3.      The dissertation is evaluated by two rapporteurs holding the rank of “Professor” or an HDR diploma, assigned by the Dean upon the proposal of the DSLPAES Council.

4.      Based on the reports of the rapporteurs, the Dean shall make the appropriate decision on the defense of the dissertation. If there is any discrepancy between the evaluations of the rapporteurs, the Dean shall assign a third rapporteur for final evaluation.

5.      An Examination Board shall be established to assess the dissertation by a decision of the University President, following the approval of the Council and the proposal of the Dean. In this decision, the Chairman of the Board shall be selected as long as he/she is not the supervisor (and co-supervisor, if any).

6.      The Examination Board shall consist of a maximum of four to six members, including the supervisor (and co-supervisor, if any) and rapporteurs, with half of the members at least having the rank of Professor or holding an HDR diploma.

7.      When a PhD is awarded by several universities, the Examination Board shall be composed of the relevant universities.

Article 20:

1.      After the end of the supervision phase, the student delivers two paper copies of the dissertation and one electronic copy on a CD (as Word Document) attached therewith a positive report of the supervisor declaring the end of the supervision.

2.      The copy on the CD is forwarded to the competent authority to test for plagiarism.

3.      The two paper copies are submitted to the first and second reviewers.

4.      If the first or the second reviewer requests that the student perform corrections on the dissertation, the student shall deliver two paper copies of the corrected dissertation and a corrected electronic copy on a CD (as Word Document) to the DSLPAES. In addition, the student shall deliver a printed copy identifying thereon the corrections and their locations to facilitate the task for the reviewers who will issue the second report announcing therein that the student complied with the notes and their recommendation to approve the defense of the dissertation.

5.      The supervisor and the first and second reviewers shall have full freedom and authority to perform their academic task. The work of the rapporteurs remains governed by reservation, and they shall operate in absolute secrecy away from interventions in order to preserve the confidentiality of reports and prevent favoritism and dispensing of influence.

6.      After receiving the results of the electronic examination, and the positive reports from the first and second reviewers, the DSLPAES Deanship announces the readiness of the dissertation for defense, and the Dean gives permission to print.     

7.      Before receiving the permission to print, the student signs a written undertaking that includes the following text: “This dissertation is an authentic work, not transcribed or copied, and I hereby assume the full responsibilities arising from its content, and any claims filed by others and related to its subject matter. If I receive my PhD, I shall not have any acquired right in case of any fraud, copying or quotation that exceeds the limit.”

8.      The academic hierarchy is based on the rank and seniority when writing the names of the members of the Defense Jury on the dissertation cover. The name and rank of the supervisor shall be mentioned first, followed by the names of the members of the Examination Board in sequence according to the academic rank and seniority, regardless of whether the member of the Board has the status of first or second reviewer or otherwise.

9.      The Dean shall determine the date and location of the defense after completion of the communication.

Article 21:

1.      The defense session shall be public.

2.      On the basis of the Board deliberations and the assessment process, the student shall receive one of the following grades:

-          Acceptable

-          Good

-          Very Good

-          With honors

The Examination Board can mention the dissertation and recommend it for publication.

Article 22: The main objectives of the defense

The main objective of the defense is to investigate the following issues:

1.      Verify that the dissertation submitted for defense is an authentic work of the student.

2.      Verify that the student has full knowledge of the dissertation and the ability to defend it and its content.

3.      Verify that the student respected the aspects of analysis, authentication and modernity required in the scientific research.

4.      Highlight the student's ability to participate in academic discussions with academics about the subject of the dissertation.

5.      Verify that the student demonstrated the research and scientific value of the dissertation in the relevant field, in a manner qualifying him/her to obtain the PhD.

Article 23: Submission of the dissertation to the members of the Defense Jury

1.      It is prohibited for the student to submit the dissertation copy to the members of the Defense Jury directly. The student is obliged to submit the dissertation copies to the DSLPAES, which in turn sends these copies to the members of the Defense Jury.

2.      The DSLPAES sends hard copies of the dissertation to the members of the Defense Jury, unless a member requests an electronic copy, or both.

3.      The dissertation is defended only upon approval of the supervisor and the first and second reviewers who send a written report to the DSLPAES, including their explicit approval and all their observations.

4.      Copies of the dissertation shall be sent to the members of the Defense Jury at least three weeks prior to the defense session.

5.      The regulations of the DSLPAES require that the initial version, which will be sent to the members of the Defense Jury, is a copy enclosed in soft cover envelope, and that the names of the members of the Defense Jury are not written on the cover page.

6.      The DSLPAES shall coordinate with the members of the Defense Jury to schedule the defense session in a manner consistent with the obligations of all members.

7.      If a member of the Defense Jury finds out while reading the dissertation that the student has committed a breach of the rules of the scientific integrity, he/she may issue a report of the breach and hands it over to the DSLPAES Dean. The latter shall initiate the procedures of referring the student to the University Disciplinary Board.

8.      If a member of the Defense Jury finds out that the dissertation submitted by the student is relevant to a scientific work previously submitted to any scientific, administrative or other body, whether inside or outside the country, for any reason whatsoever, the student shall provide the DSLPAES with the relevant details to take appropriate measures.

Article 24: The supervisor's role in the defense

1.      The Dean forwards to the University Council a draft proposing the members of the Defense Jury for approval.

2.      The role of the supervisor, who is not allowed to vote or to be present during the deliberations, is limited to attending the defense session and participating in the jury.

3.      The supervisor will continue to supervise the student after the defense to complete the corrections that may be decided by the Defense Jury.

4.      Public defense:

-          The defense shall be public and not in a closed session.

-          Attendees may not participate in the defense, such as participation by asking questions or other interventions. In all cases, the Chair of the Jury shall be entitled to ask the concerned persons to expel any of the violators from the defense hall in the event of breaching the proper course of the defense.

5.      Course of the defense:

-          The Chair of the Defense Jury shall open the session with a simple introduction that does not exceed five minutes. After welcoming the participants in the defense room, he/she refers to the student name, the enrolled program and the dissertation title (without including the curriculum vitae of the student or members of the Defense Jury). The sequence of members is mentioned in the process of initiating the defense. The Defense Jury member selected by the Chairman shall then be the first to open the defense and then the other members shall follow until all members of the Jury discuss the student’s dissertation.

-          The DSLPAES regulations include a paragraph to initiate the defense by a presentation of the dissertation before the Defense Jury allocated to the student in a maximum duration of 20 minutes to introduce the research.

-          The period allocated to each member of the Defense Jury ranges between 15-45 minutes.

-          If the student does not attend the defense, the chair of the Defense Jury shall issue a report thereof and deliver it to the DSLPAES.

-          If the student violates the defense system, the Chair of the Defense Jury may suspend the session and provide the DSLPAES with an explanation report, constituting thereof a serious violation.

-          Dissertation evaluation: Evaluation of the dissertation is subject to the rules of approval and rejection.

Article 25:

1.      The student shall deposit to the DSLPAES administration two copies of the dissertation corrected according to the Jury’s observations and signed by the supervisor, within a maximum of three months after defending the dissertation.

2.      The dissertation is transferred to the University library and may be printed according to the regulations of the Lebanese University.

Article 26:

1.      The financial support is necessary for the completion of the dissertation. In case of non-availability, the DSLPAES shall secure the necessary funding internally and externally in accordance with the scholarship system in force at the University.

2.      The DSLPAES may provide scholarships for outstanding students within agreements concluded for this purpose. The DSLPAES may also assist the student to obtain scholarships from other sources.

Article 27:

This decision shall be implemented as soon as it is promulgated and shall be notified as necessary.