Lebanese American University - Accreditation

Accreditation

Since 1949, the university has operated under a charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. USNY is a purely administrative body which, among other functions, accredits colleges and universities in the state. On September 21, 2007, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) granted candidacy status to the university. According to President Joseph G. Jabbra, he said he felt "very strongly" that the university would receive full accreditation in 2009. In 2010 the university received full NEASC accreditation as per a letter sent to President Jabbra.

The university's five-year Bachelor in Architecture program is accredited by the French government, which allows the graduates to practice in France and the European Union.

The School of Pharmacy is a full member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Currently, the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the university is the only one outside the United States of America that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).The initial accreditation review took place in 2002, when full accreditation was granted. Hence, the university's Pharm.D graduates are eligible for licensure to work as Pharmacists in most US states and provinces.

The Department of Computer Science and Mathematics is ABET accredited, and is the first and only ABET-accredited Computer Science program in Lebanon.

All of LAU's School of Engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). In the academic year 2006-2007, the school started laying out the groundwork for a self-study required by ABET. Full ABET accreditation was received during the Fall semester of 2011. In addition, the university plans to seek European accreditation for its engineering programs to expand the recognition of its degrees to a global level.

The School of Business is currently pursuing accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest and largest business accreditation association in the world. In light of the time frame involved in AACSB accreditation, the school is in the interim exploring the option of accreditation from the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), a leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration. The School of Business is a member of EFMD which is recognized globally as an accreditation body of quality in management education and has established accreditation services for business schools and business school programs, corporate universities and technology-enhanced learning programs.

The Alice Ramez Chaghoury School of Nursing plans to seek accreditation for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in the near future.

LAU and Partners Harvard Medical International have signed an innovative 10-year collaboration agreement that will significantly reinforce LAU's Medical School standing. Rizk Hospital allows students to practice in the clinical element of the program.