Director
| Sabra, Ahmad |
The freshman program requires the completion of 30 credits, regardless of the student’s target major. Out of these 30 credits, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education requires that:
-
For arts majors:
- At least 9 credits must be in the humanities and social sciences (with at least 3 credits in each of these two areas).
- At least 3 credits must be in the natural sciences.
- At least 3 credits must be in mathematics.
- 15 credits may be in elective courses.
-
For science majors:
- At least 9 credits must be in the humanities and social sciences (with at least 3 credits in each of these two areas).
- At least 12 credits must be in the natural sciences and mathematics (with at least 3 credits in mathematics and 6 credits in natural sciences).
- 9 credits may be in elective courses.
In addition, the university requires that 3 credits are taken as ENGL 203. If students are placed in ENGL 102, it may be considered an elective. These students are still required to take ENGL 203 after ENGL 102 to complete their freshman year requirements. Accordingly, ENGL 203 completed within the Freshman Program must be replaced in the undergraduate curriculum by a 3-credit course at the 200 level.
Finally, specific departments may have additional transfer requirements depending on the student’s target major of study. These requirements are listed in Table 1 for majors at FAS and in Table 2 for majors in other faculties. A checklist for each major is provided on the website of the freshman program to assist students in meeting the ministry requirements, university requirements, and departmental transfer requirements.
Freshman students must complete all the 30 freshman credits before they can enroll in courses that count towards their sophomore class. Exceptionally, students who have completed at least 26 freshman credits and have at most 4 freshman credits remaining may enroll in courses that count towards their sophomore class for a single term only, typically their third regular term. If students fail their final freshman course, then in the following semester they are only allowed to register the remaining freshman course and must petition for course underload. Students must also satisfy the requirements listed under the Admissions section of this catalogue and the undergraduate General University Academic Information section of the catalogue in order for their freshman year to be granted the equivalency of the Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II.
Advisers
Each freshman student is assigned an adviser who provides support in academic planning, program requirements, and navigating university policies. Students continue working with their advisers until they have completed all their freshman requirements and submitted their freshman equivalence regardless of whether they have been admitted to a major.
Transfer to a Major
Students in the freshman year who are not on probation at the time of application may join a major upon completing at least 26 credits and meeting the major’s transfer requirements.
Freshman students who wish to join a major within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences must meet the departmental requirements shown in Table 1. To join a major in FAS, students must submit a “Change of Major” petition to the FAS Undergraduate Admission Committee, provided that they meet the requirements for admission. At FAS, students who remain in the Freshman Program beyond the first year are considered freshman students for transfer purposes until the end of their third regular term. This period may be extended to the end of their fourth regular term if they have not completed more than 45 credits.
Freshman students who wish to transfer to a major in another faculty must meet the faculty requirements shown in Table 2.
Freshman students who do not successfully join a major are redesignated as FAS majorless students after they complete at least 30 credits and at least 4 regular terms.
Premedical Students
Students who wish to follow the premedical track must still declare and complete a major at the undergraduate level. The requirements for premedical students are detailed in the Faculty of Medicine section of the Graduate Catalogue. In addition to the requirements of their intended major, students pursuing the premedical track must complete CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, and either PHYS 103 or PHYS 101, and are advised to take BIOL 101, BIOL 102 during their freshman year.
Freshman Courses
Freshman students must take all their credits as 100-level courses except for ENGL 203. Some of these courses are listed below, arranged according to the areas of study.
Humanities: AHIS 150, ARAB 101, ARAB 102, AROL 101, CHLA 110, CHLA 111, CHLA 112, ENGL 101, ENGL 103, ENGL 104, ENGL 105, ENGL 106, ENGL 107, ENGL 108, HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 103, HIST 104, MCOM 101, MUSC 150, PHIL 101, PHIL 102, SART 150, SOAN 103, THTR 100, AGSC 105 (from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences), LDEM 107 and LDEM 108 (from the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture).
Social Sciences: ECON 101, ECON 102, PSPA 101, SOAN 101, PSYC 101.
Mathematics: MATH 100, MATH 101, MATH 101I, MATH 102.
Natural Sciences: BIOL 101, BIOL 102, BIOL 104, BIOL 105, BIOL 106, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, CHEM 102, CHEM 102L, GEOL101, GEOL 102, GEOL 103, GEOL 104, GEOL 105, GEOL 106, PHYS 101, PHYS 101L, PHYS 103, PHYS 103L, NFSC 123 (from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences), and ENHL 105 (from the Faculty of Health Sciences).
Electives: Any of the courses listed above may be counted as elective courses. In addition, some additional freshman courses that do not fall into any of the above categories and that may be counted as elective courses include: BUSS 101 (from the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business), CMPS 101, ENGL 102.
Math Placement
By default, freshman students are placed in the appropriate math course based on their Math SAT score as follows:
- Students with a Math SAT score of at least 700 will be placed in Math 101.
- Students with a Math SAT score between 570 and 690 will be placed in MATH 101 Intensive.
- Students with a Math SAT score of at most 560, or without a Math SAT score, will be placed in MATH 100.
The Math Placement Test (MPT) is an optional test for students who wish to improve their initial placement. If students opt to take the MPT, they will be placed according to their result in the test as follows:
- Students with a score of at least 70 percent will be placed in MATH 101.
- Students with a score between 60 percent and 70 percent will be placed in MATH 101 Intensive.
- Students with a score below 60 percent will be placed in MATH 100.
Students placed in MATH 101 intensive must register for both MATH 101 and MATH 101i simultaneously.
Students placed in MATH 101 still have the option to take Math 100 or Math 101 Intensive if they choose to do so. Some target majors may only require MATH 100.
Equivalence to Advanced Placement (AP) Courses
Freshman students can receive equivalence to up to 15 credits of AP courses, provided they have a grade of 4 or 5 in these courses. The list of AP subjects and equivalent freshman courses at AUB is shown in Table 3.
Table 1: Requirements to Join a Major in FAS from the Freshman Class
|
Department |
Requirements |
Some Useful Electives |
| Applied Mathematics | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and 102; a minimum grade of C+ in MATH 102. | |
Arabic | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in ARAB 101 (and 102 if taken). | |
Archaeology | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | AROL 101 |
Art History | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | AHIS 150 and SART 150 |
Biology | A minimum grade of B in each of the following: BIOL 101 and BIOL 102, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, PHYS101 or PHYS 103; completion of MATH 101; a minimum overall GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | |
Chemistry |
A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, CHEM 102, and CHEM 102L; a minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and 102; completion of PHYS 101 and PHYS 101L. | |
Computer Science | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and 102; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in all courses taken. | |
Earth Sciences | Completion of MATH 101, MATH 102, CHEM 101 and CHEM 101L or PHYS 101, and 5 additional credits of natural sciences excluding BIOL 104, BIOL 105, BIOL 106, and NFSC 123; CHEM 101 and CHEM 101L are mandatory for the Petroleum Geoscience track, and PHYS 101 is mandatory for the Engineering Earth Sciences track. | |
Economics | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and MATH 102; a minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | ECON 101, 102 |
Education | A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | |
| English Language | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English Language courses taken in the freshman year. | ENG 107, ENG 108 |
| English Literature | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English literature courses taken in freshman year. | ENGL 101, 103, 104, 105, and 106 |
History | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | HIST 101, 102, 103, and 104 |
Mathematics | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and 102, and a minimum grade of C+ in MATH 102. | |
Media and Communication | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | |
Philosophy | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | PHIL 101, 102 |
Physics | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in PHYS 101 and 101L; a minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and 102. | |
Political Studies | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | PSPA 101 and PSYC 101 |
Psychology | A minimum grade of B in PSYC 101; a minimum grade of B in ENGL 203, a minimum grade of B in ENGL 204 (if taken); a minimum overall GPA of 3.0. | PSPA 101 |
Public Administration | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | PSPA 101 and PSYC 101 |
Sociology Anthropology | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | SOAN 101, 103, PSPA 101, HIST 101-104, A RAB 101, 102, ENGL 101-109 and PHIL 101, 102 |
Statistics | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in MATH 101 and 102, and a minimum grade of C+ in MATH 102. | |
Studio Arts | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year. | AHIS 150 and SART 150 |
Table 2: Requirements to Join a Major in another Faculty from the Freshman Class
|
Major/Faculty |
Requirements |
Some Useful Electives |
| Agribusiness | Completion of MATH 101; any combination of natural science courses totaling 9 credits; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | Courses in the humanities |
| Agriculture | Completion of MATH 101, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, and BIOL 101; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | Courses in the humanities |
| Architecture | Completion of MATH 101 and 102, any combination of science courses totaling 9 credits, and minimum overall GPA of 3.3 in the freshman year. | An elective in the humanities or social sciences |
| Business | A minimum grade of B in any one of the following courses: MATH 100, MATH 101, MATH 102; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in at least 26 credits taken during the freshman year. | ECON 101, 102 |
| Chemical Engineering | A cumulative average of at least 3.3 in MATH 101, MATH 102, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, CHEM 102, CHEM 102L, PHYS 101, and PHYS 101L; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 in the freshman year. | An elective in the social sciences |
| Engineering | A cumulative average of at least 3.3 in MATH 101, MATH 102, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, PHYS 101, and PHYS 101L; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 in the freshman year. | An elective in the humanities or social sciences |
| Environmental Health | Completion of MATH 101, CHEM 101 and CHEM 101L. | ENHL 105, PHYS 101/103, and BIOL 101 |
| Food Science and Management | Completion of MATH 101, CHEM 101, 101L, and BIOL 101; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 - in the freshman year. | Courses in the humanities |
| Graphic Design | Completion of the freshman program; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 in the freshman year. | |
| Health Communication | A minimum cumulative average of 2.3 in English courses taken in the freshman year; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | |
| Landscape Architecture | Any combination of natural science courses totaling 9 credits; a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 in the freshman year. | An elective in each of geology, chemistry, and biology |
| Medical Imaging Sciences | Completion of PHYS 103 and 103L, MATH 101, MATH 102, and BIOL 101. | CHEM 101 and CHEM 101L |
| Medical Laboratory Sciences | Completion of MATH 101 and 102, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L, CHEM 102, CHEM 102L, and BIOL 101. | PHYS 103 or PHYS 101 |
| Nursing |
Completion of BIOL 101, CHEM 101, CHEM 101L,
MATH 100, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7. | Courses open to freshman students, except SOAN 101 and PSYC 101 |
| Nutrition and Dietetics | Completion of CHEM 101,101L, and BIOL 101; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the freshman year. Admission is by selection of the most promising eligible applicants. | Courses in the humanities |
Table 3: AP Subjects and Equivalent Freshman Courses
|
Subjects
|
AUB Equivalent Freshman Courses
|
| AP - Biology | BIOL 101(3cr) or BIOL 105 (4cr) or BIOL 106 (3cr) |
| AP - Precalculus | MATH 100 (3cr) |
| AP - Calculus (AB) | MATH 101 (3cr) |
| AP - Calculus (BC) | MATH 101 (3cr) & MATH 102 (3cr) |
| AP - Chemistry | CHEM 101 (3cr), CHEM 101L (1cr) & CHEM 102 (3cr), CHEM 102L (1cr) |
| AP - Economics (Mac) | ECON 102 (3cr) |
| AP - Economics (Mic) | ECON 101 (3cr) |
| AP - English Language & Composition | ENGL 203 (3cr) |
| AP - English Literature & Composition | ENGL 203 (3cr) |
| AP - Environmental Science | GEOL 102 (3cr) |
| AP - History of Art (0319) | AHIS 150 (3cr) |
| AP - Physics 1 | PHYS 103 (3cr) |
| AP - Physics B | PHYS 103 (3cr) |
| AP - Physics C | PHYS 101 (4cr) |
| AP - Psychology | PSYC 101 (3cr) |
| AP - World History | HIST 101 (3cr) |