Academic Catalog 2024–2025

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Freshman Program

Overview

The Freshman Program at LAU consists of 30 credits taken over one year. Prior to advancing to their sophomore year, students must complete various courses and fulfill specific requirements.

Upon successfully meeting all the freshman program requirements, students become eligible to declare their major.

  • Students admitted to the “Freshman Arts” program can pursue any Bachelor of Arts degree, Bachelor of Science in Business, Interior Design, and Graphic Design.
  • Students admitted to the “Freshman Science” program can pursue any Bachelor’s degree.

Admission to any field of study will involve an evaluation of the applicant’s eligibility and academic background, in addition to considering the specific requirements for each major/department.

Program Objective

The freshman year prepares students to pursue higher education within the requirements defined by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

Curriculum

Freshman Arts (30 required credits in total)

Required Core Courses (10 credits)

  • ENG101 Academic English I (3 cr.)1
  • ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.)1
  • BUS105 Business Mathematics (3 cr.) or MTH101 Calculus I (3 cr.) or STA102 Basic Mathematical Statistics (3 cr.)2
  • POL230 Citizenship (1 cr.)

1 Placement in an English course is dependent on English entrance exam results (SAT, TOEFL, etc.). Once placement is determined:
Students placed into ENG009 must take all other English courses listed in this program.
Students placed into ENG102 compensate for credits by taking an additional course from the Humanities and Social Sciences Courses or from the Elective Courses listed below.
Students placed into upper-level English courses compensate for credits by taking two additional courses from the Humanities/Social Sciences courses listed below or by taking one course from the Humanities/Social Sciences courses list and another from the Elective Courses listed below or STA102.

2 BUS105 is required for students planning to join the School of Business. If a student has already taken and passed MTH101, he or she will be exempted from BUS105. Taking both of these courses is not advised as students will receive credit for only one of them.
Freshman arts students who plan to join any School other than the School of Business can take STA102 to fulfill the math core requirement.
Students can take STA102 in addition to BUS105 or MTH101, the former will be considered Elective and the latter math core requirement.

Science Courses (minimum 3 credits)

  • BIO101 Introduction to Biological Science (4 cr.)
  • PHY101 Introduction to Physical Science (4 cr.)
  • CHM101 General Chemistry (4 cr.)

Humanities and Social Sciences Courses (minimum 9 credits)

Humanities (minimum 3 cr.)

  • ARA101 Arabic Essay Reading and Writing I (3 cr.)
  • HST101 20th Century History of Lebanon and the Region (3 cr.)
  • PHL101 Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.)

Social Sciences (minimum 3 cr.)

  • ECO101 Survey of Economics (3 cr.)
  • BUS101 Introduction to Business (3 cr.)
  • POL101 Introduction to Politics (3 cr.)
  • PSY101 Psychology for All (3 cr.)
  • SOC101 Sociology and Society (3 cr.)

Elective Courses (0 to 7 credits)

  • ART102 Art Appreciation (3 cr.) or  PFA101 Appreciation of Performing Arts (3 cr.)
  • PFA102 Music History (3 cr.)
  • POL235 Basics of Conflict Resolution and Transformation (1 cr.)
  • POL237 Basics of Leadership (1 cr.)

Freshman Science (30 required credits in total)

Required Core Courses (12 credits)

  • ENG101 Academic English I (3 cr.)1
  • ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.)1
  • MTH101 Calculus I (3 cr.)
  • MTH102 Calculus II (3 cr.)

1 Placement in an English course is dependent on an English entrance exam results (SAT, TOEFL, etc.). Once placement is determined:
Students placed into ENG009 must take all other English courses listed in this program.
Students placed into ENG102 compensate for credits by taking an additional course from the Humanities and Social Sciences Courses or the Elective Courses listed below.
Students placed into upper level English courses compensate for credits by taking two additional courses from the Humanities/Social Sciences courses listed below or by taking one course from the Humanities/Social Sciences courses list and another from the Elective Courses listed below.

Required Science Core Courses (minimum 11 credits)

  • PHY111 Mechanics (4 cr.)
  • CHM101 General Chemistry (4 cr.)
  • BIO101 Introduction to Biological Sciences (4 cr.)

Humanities and Social Sciences Courses (minimum 6 credits)

Humanities (minimum 3 cr.)

  • ARA101 Arabic Essay Reading and Writing I (3 cr.)
  • HST101 20th Century History of Lebanon and the Region (3 cr.)
  • PHL101 Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.)

Social Sciences (minimum 3 cr.)

  • ECO101 Survey of Economics (3 cr.)
  • BUS101 Introduction to Business (3 cr.)
  • POL101 Introduction to Politics (3 cr.)
  • PSY101 Psychology for All (3 cr.)
  • SOC101 Sociology and Society (3 cr.)

Elective Courses (0 to 4 credits)

  • PFA102 Music History (3 cr.)
  • ART102 Art Appreciation (3 cr.) or  PFA101 Appreciation of Performing Arts (3 cr.)
  • POL230 Citizenship (1 cr.)
  • POL235 Basics of Conflict Resolution and Transformation (1 cr.)
  • POL237 Basic of Leadership (1 cr.)
  • STA102 Basic Mathematical Statistics (3 cr.)

Freshman Workshop Series

This mandatory workshop series will provide students with contemporary skills and knowledge within the framework of Liberal Education learning outcomes. The series focus on activities that will aid students discover their own talent and potential for a successful university life and future careers. 

  • WRK101 Skills for the Future (0 cr.)
  • WRK102 Your Inquisitive Mind (0 cr.)
  • WRK103 Sneak Peek @ LAU & Beyond (0 cr.)

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