What Should Prospective Students Know About Graduate Studies at AUB?

Updated

Graduate study at the American University of Beirut (AUB) means pursuing a master's, MD, or PhD within one of six faculties at a teaching-centered research university founded in 1866. AUB offers more than 130 programs leading to bachelor's, master's, MD, and PhD degrees, and the main language of instruction is English. If you are considering graduate work there, the practical starting points are the Majors and Programs search, the Graduate Council, and the admissions pages covering requirements, financial aid, scholarships, and the tuition and fees calculator.

What graduate degrees does AUB offer?

AUB's program portfolio spans bachelor's through doctoral study, so graduate applicants should look specifically for master's, MD, and PhD offerings rather than the full list of 130-plus programs. The university is accredited in the US by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Graduate degrees are distributed across six faculties:

Faculty Graduate study relevance
Arts and Sciences Hosts disciplinary master's and PhD programs
Medicine Home of the MD program and related graduate work
Engineering and Architecture Graduate programs in engineering and architecture fields
Agricultural and Food Sciences Graduate study in agriculture and food sciences
Health Sciences Graduate programs in health-related fields
Business Graduate management study, including the MBA

The source material confirms the degree levels and the six faculties but does not list every individual graduate program. To see what is actually available, use the Majors and Programs search and the departments and centers pages under Academics.

How do you find the right program?

Work from the faculty level down to the program, then to the specific requirements:

  1. Start with Majors and Programs. This is the university's own search entry point for its program list. Filter for graduate-level offerings in the faculty you are targeting.
  2. Check the faculty and department pages. Each of the six faculties lists its departments and centers, which is where program-specific detail usually sits.
  3. Confirm the degree type. A program may exist at master's level but not at PhD level, or the reverse. The MD is a distinct professional degree, not a research doctorate.
  4. Use the Graduate Council as a structural reference. The council appears under Academics and is the university body associated with graduate matters; it is a useful signal of how graduate study is governed, though program requirements come from the program itself.
  5. Search for a course if you want to inspect the curriculum before applying.

A concrete example: if you are weighing a graduate degree in business against one in engineering, the Majors and Programs search lets you compare what each faculty actually lists before you invest time in an application.

What does AUB expect from graduate applicants?

AUB states that it seeks applicants with a proven record of academic excellence, intellectual vitality, and civic responsibility. Its equal opportunity policy means admission is regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or nationality.

The source material does not specify graduate-specific requirements such as test scores, letters of recommendation, or deadlines. Those details belong to the individual program and to the admissions pages, so treat the university-level statement as the baseline expectation and confirm the rest with the program you are applying to.

How do funding and costs work?

AUB's admissions section points to several cost and funding resources:

  • Financial Aid — the university's aid entry point.
  • Scholarships — listed alongside financial aid, including LEAD scholarship opportunities.
  • Tuition and Fees Calculator — a tool for estimating costs rather than a published price list.
  • Visiting Student — relevant if you are considering study before or outside a full degree.

The source material does not publish tuition figures or state whether graduate programs carry specific fees, so use the calculator and the financial aid pages for actual numbers. Do not assume any program is funded; confirm assistantships or scholarships directly with the program and the aid office.

Which offices and resources matter once you are in?

Several units appear repeatedly across AUB's academic and admissions pages and are worth knowing before you arrive:

  • Graduate Council — the graduate-focused body listed under both Academics and Admissions.
  • Office of the Registrar — registration, records, and course enrollment.
  • Office of International Programs — relevant for international students and exchange.
  • Office of the Provost — academic administration.
  • Libraries — research support across disciplines.
  • Office of Research and Interfaculty Research Centers — for graduate students whose work is research-intensive; AUB describes a vibrant research environment that enhances the educational experience.
  • Human Research Protection Program / Institutional Review Board — required if your thesis or dissertation involves human subjects.
  • Office of Student Affairs — student services and support.

What should you do next?

If you are seriously considering AUB for graduate study, the sequence is: browse Majors and Programs to identify a master's, MD, or PhD in one of the six faculties; read that faculty's department pages for program structure; go to Admissions for the application process and to Financial Aid, Scholarships, and the Tuition and Fees Calculator for costs; and, once admitted, orient yourself around the Graduate Council, Registrar, and Libraries. The university's stated aim—graduating men and women committed to creative and critical thinking, lifelong learning, personal integrity, civic responsibility, and leadership—is a reasonable lens for judging whether a particular program fits what you want from graduate school.