Civil Engineering

About the Civil Engineering Department

History

The civil engineering department traces its origin to a dual-degree engineering program launched in 1978 in collaboration with a number of American institutions. In 1993, the LAU Board of Trustees approved the addition of Bachelor of Engineering (BE) programs at the Byblos campus—including a BE in Civil Engineering. The department was established in 1995 as part of the then School of Engineering and Architecture. On July 24, 1996 the Lebanese government approved the BE Civil Engineering program. In 2006, the department started offering a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering (MSCEE) with an emphasis on Engineering Mechanics. In 2008, the MSCEE was expanded to include three emphasis areas:  Engineering Mechanics; Environmental Science, Engineering and Management; and Infrastructure and Construction Management.

In 2009, the school split into a School of Engineering and a School of Architecture and Design. In 2010, the Department of Civil Engineering started offering a minor in environmental science. The Department of Civil Engineering received accreditation for its BE in Civil Engineering program by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET for the first time starting fall 2009 (notification was issued in September 2011). The BE Civil Engineering program was re-accredited by the same entity in 2017. In 2016, the Department of Civil Engineering started offering a minor in construction management. In 2019, both the BE in Civil Engineering and MSCEE degree programs were expanded to include five emphasis areas:

  1. Construction Engineering and Management

  2. Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

  3. Geotechnical Engineering

  4. Structural Engineering

  5. Transportation Engineering

Mission

The mission of Civil Engineering Department at LAU is to:

  1. Provide students with a quality and challenging undergraduate education, through innovative teaching, professional practice and community service, enabling the students to enrich their lives and make valuable contributions to their communities.

  2. Provide graduate students with a well-rounded set of career skills that empowers them to address a wide range of problems through exposure to an advanced body of knowledge and scholarly endeavors.