For Graduate Students

Graduate Student Guide

1. Academic Regulations

  1. Registration
    Registration is required of all students in accordance with the university’s procedures and regulations. Late registration requires payment of an additional late registration fee. Students will not be permitted to register after the late registration period. Course changes after registration are permitted and must be made during the Drop/Add period.
     
  2. Advising
    Upon admission, students will be assigned academic advisors who will assist them in planning an appropriate course of study. At a later date, students choosing to undertake a project or a thesis will be assigned a thesis/project advisor.
     
  3. Attendance Regulations
    Regular attendance is required of all graduate students. A student who misses more than the equivalent of two weeks of instruction in a particular course in a regular semester, or one week in a summer session, excused and otherwise, for any reason, is advised to withdraw from the course within the official withdrawal deadline. Otherwise, a grade of F will be assigned.
     
  4. Residency Requirement
    As required by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), the minimum residency requirement for graduate programs is 2 academic years. For 5-years BE holders, the residency requirement can be met in one year.
     
  5. Application for Graduation
    Students shall apply for graduation at the beginning of the semester in which they expect to graduate. They shall fill out the appropriate form at the Registrar’s Office. Candidates for graduation will be officially notified of any requirements that they have not completed.
     
  6. Time Limit
    • Students must complete all requirements for a master’s degree within six years from their first registration in graduate courses.
    • Students who exceed this time limit must submit a petition to request extension.
      • In such a case, their program of study must be revalidated.
      • Revalidating a program may involve taking additional courses and/or repeating outdated ones.
      • Revalidation is granted for one time only and the new requirements must be completed according to a prorated time period.
      • Under no circumstances may the extension time exceed one year.
      • Once a student’s program is revalidated, the student and the academic advisor must prepare a course completion plan that must be reviewed for approval by the department. The Registrar must be notified about the revalidation and completion plan in writing.
         
  7. Academic Standing

    Good Academic Standing

    Graduate students are considered to be in good academic standing if they maintain a minimum cumulative GPA (CGPA) of 3.00 on all graduate coursework.

    Probation

    • Students whose CGPA falls below 3.00 at any time after the first nine credits will be placed on First Graduate Probation. The student may register a maximum of six credits after First Graduate Probation.
    • At any time after First-Graduate Probation, the student will be placed in Good Standing After Probation if the CGPA exceeds 3.00.
    • If CGPA is still below 3.00 after completion of six credits, the student will be placed on Second Graduate Probation.
    • To proceed with the program, the student must submit a petition to the University Graduate & Research Council (UGRC) for approval.

    Dismissal

    • The student may register a maximum of six additional credits after Second Graduate Probation upon approval of UGRC.
    • At any time after Second Graduate Probation, if the CGPA exceeds 3.00, the student will be placed in Good Standing After Probation.
    • If the CGPA is still below 3.00, the student will be dismissed.
       
  8. Academic Integrity
    The university fosters an atmosphere of high integrity by maintaining an ongoing dedication to honesty and responsibility. Any act of lying, cheating, plagiarism, deliberate misrepresentation, theft, scientific fraud, dishonesty or ill use of other human beings is a blatant violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will be treated as such.
    • Plagiarism and falsification of Research Material: Plagiarism and falsification or forging of research material or data are serious academic offenses subject to disciplinary action by the faculty and the department concerned.
    • Cheating: Students caught cheating on an exam receive a score of zero on the exam in their first cheating attempt in the course and receive a warning from the department concerned at the request of the faculty. Students caught cheating for the second time in the same course will receive a grade of F in the course. The act of cheating will be recorded and included in the student’s file.

2. Course regulations

  1. Student Course Load
    The normal course load for a full-time graduate student is 9 credit hours per semester and 6 credits during the summer term. Exceptionally, a graduate student who fulfills the residency requirement can register 12 credits during a regular semester through a request to the Registrar’s office. Graduate students with full- or part-time employment are strongly advised to take a reduced load.
     
  2. Transfer of Credits
    Students with a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) may transfer up to 18 credits from their undergraduate BE program. Transferred credits apply only to courses with a grade of B or above. The maximum time limit of transferrable graduate courses is six years. A request for transfer of credits shall be submitted to the Registrar’s Office during the student’s first semester of residence. The request shall be reviewed by the department concerned, and the decision communicated to the Registrar’s Office.
     
  3. Course Substitution
    A student may substitute up to 6 graduate credits for an equal number of credits. A request for approval of such substitution shall be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. The request shall be reviewed by the department concerned and the decision communicated to the Registrar’s Office.
     
  4. Withdrawal from Courses
    If a student withdraws officially from a course before the withdrawal deadline set for the semester, a grade of WI, WP, or WF is assigned. The student must submit a withdrawal form within the set deadline.
     
  5. Repeating Courses
    Graduate courses with grades lower than C cannot be used toward graduation. Any required course with a grade below C must be repeated. Any elective course with a grade below C should either be repeated or alternatively another elective course must be registered; both grades received for the elective courses will be counted in the determination of the cumulative grade point average. During their course of study, students may optionally repeat a maximum of six credits of graduate courses. The latest grade will be counted in the determination of the grade point average.
     
  6. Incomplete Grade on Courses
    In order to have a grade of I changed to a regular grade, the student must complete all requirements within eight weeks of the following semester in which he/ she is enrolled. If the requirements are not duly completed by that deadline announced in the academic calendar, the grade of I will turn into F. This rule excludes Incomplete grades for Project/Thesis courses.

3. Thesis and Project

  1. Definitions

    The thesis is based on original research work carried out in the basic and/or applied field of study.
    The project is based on substantial applied work, involving, for example, critical literature review, experimental or analytical studies, development of kits/systems, empirical testing of theories, etc.

  2. Thesis/Project Registration
    • Students may register for the thesis/project at any time after completion of 12 credits.
    • Before registration, the student should have secured the consent of a faculty member to serve as thesis/project advisor.
    • Once registered for the thesis/project, a student must complete a thesis within two calendar years, and a project within three regular semesters.
    • Throughout their work on the thesis/project, students may petition to shift to from the thesis option to the project option, or vice vera. This change shall be made at least one semester before graduation and shall carry the approval of the department.
    • The grade for a thesis/project can be Pass, or No Pass (P or NP). The grade does not contribute to the GPA.
       
  3. Thesis/Project Guidelines

    Selection of advisor

    • A student seeks a faculty member’s consent to serve as the thesis/project advisor. The advisor should be a full-time faculty member at the professorial rank in the concerned department. The dean approves the selection of the advisor, based upon the recommendation of the department chair.
    • The role of the thesis/project advisor is to guide the student’s work until the completion of thesis/project.
    • Regular meetings should be held between a student and his/her thesis/project advisor.

    Formation of thesis/project committee

    • The thesis/project advisor and student jointly form the thesis/project committee.
      • The advisor chairs the thesis/project committee.
      • A thesis committee shall be made up of three members including the student’s advisor. At least one member of the thesis committee (besides the advisor) must be a full-time faculty in the department/school concerned.
      • A project committee shall be made up of two members including the student’s advisor.
    • The role of the thesis/project committee is to review and assess the student’s work. The committee members shall be kept informed of the progress of the thesis/project.

    Thesis proposal

    • Students must successfully defend their thesis proposal before the members of their thesis committee normally within the first semester in which they register for the thesis.
    • Once the proposal is approved, the thesis advisor notifies the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies/dean of school concerned using the Thesis Proposal Form.

    Preparation and Submission of Thesis/Project Reports

    Thesis Defense/Project Presentation

    • The thesis/project advisor sets the date of the defense/presentation in consultation with the student and the committee members. The advisor then notifies the department chair and school dean about the details relevant to the announcement of the defense/presentation.
    • The thesis defense and project presentation should be public and the date shall be announced by the concerned school dean at least two weeks in advance.
    • The defense/presentation session shall start by the candidate giving a public presentation. This will be followed by an open question/answer/debate session.
    • The committee will then deliberate in private in the absence of the candidate to reach a final decision.
    • Once the committee approves the thesis/project, members should sign the Thesis-Approval-Form/Project-Approval-Form that should be submitted to the school dean and included in the final report.
    • The Candidate must provide the Library Archives with one soft copy of the final approved manuscript of the thesis for format verification and archiving. Each copy should include the three completed and signed forms: “Thesis Approval Form”, “Plagiarism Policy Form” and “Thesis Copyright Form” available at: https://libraries.lau.edu.lb/files/Thesis_Guidelines_02112022.pdf.

4. Graduate Assistantship

  1. Objectives

    Graduate assistantships (GAs) cover students’ tuition fees in exchange for academic work. Highly qualified students may be rewarded full tuition waiver. A graduate assistantship is intended to enhance students’ educational experiences, through providing academic services to their department/school, such as teaching and research. Teaching assistants (TAs) are assigned teaching duties by the chairperson and supervised by the course coordinator. Research assistants (RAs) are predominantly involved in academic research that is supervised by faculty in the department; mainly the thesis/project advisor.

  2. Graduate Assistantship: Applying and Renewal
    • After submitting the online graduate admission application, students can apply for GA online through their activated portal. Further details on the GA application are available at: Scholarship and Financial Support for Graduate Students | Need-Based Financial Aid | Apply to LAU.
    • Decisions on GA applications are made by the department/school taking into consideration the allocated budget. GAs are awarded competitively based on GPA, entrance exam scores, and alignment of student skills with departmental needs.
    • GA contracts are to be signed by the department chair and the dean, as well as by the student.
    • To renew their graduate assistantship, students must maintain good academic standing, and must have performed assigned duties satisfactorily in the preceding semesters. Students who have at any time two repeats OR more than two grades lower than B will not be eligible for GA renewal.
       
  3. Rights and Obligations
    • To be eligible for graduate assistantship:
      • Regular fall and spring semesters: the student shall take a minimum of 6 credits and a maximum of 9 credits.
      • Regular summer semesters: the student shall take a minimum of 3 credits and a maximum of 6 credits.
      • Registering the thesis: students taking 6 credits + thesis (total of 12 credits) are also eligible for GA, but this is a privilege to be enjoyed for one semester only.
      • Last semester: Students who are left with one course to graduate and students registered for 12 credits in their last semester may be granted assistantship.
    • Working hours:
      • Graduate students granted full assistantship (100%) are entitled to a 100% tuition waiver. In return, the student is required to provide 20 working hours per week.
      • For partial assistantship grants, the percentage of tuition waiver and the number of weekly work hours are prorated.
    • Restrictions:
      • Graduate assistants are not entitled to the benefits granted to university faculty and staff members according to the Personnel Policy.
      • The tuition waiver does not cover any repeated course, irrespective of the reason for repeating it, including withdrawal.
      • Only graduate courses are covered by the assistantship tuition waiver.
      • Undergraduate courses taken as prerequisite, remedial or complementary courses are not eligible for the assistantship tuition waiver, except in cases to be approved by the department/school.

5. Graduate Research Scholarship

  1. Objectives
    The Graduate Research Scholarship (GRS) offers distinguished students a unique opportunity to pursue a master’s degree with tuition fully waived and a monthly stipend allocated for the duration of the program. GRS is offered for research-oriented applicants who are committed to conduct and publish research projects, in line with the university’s goal of enhancing the build-up of intellectual capital.
     
  2. Eligibility and Application
    • Eligibility Requirements:
      • Have a minimum CGPA of 3.50/4.00 – or equivalent.
      • Be admitted to the program without remedial courses.
      • Submit proof of English proficiency if the undergraduate degree is not from an English-based institution.
    • Application:
  3. Conditions
    Students must respect the following conditions:
    • Be enrolled in the graduate program on a full-time basis. The student should not hold any part-time/full-time job for the duration of the scholarship. Exceptions can be made if the work falls under research and/or research assistantship related to the field of study.
    • Pursue a publishable thesis or project.
    • Submit at least one research paper to a peer-reviewed journal.
    • Complete the program within two academic years.
    • Maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.50 and/or notable research activity. The CGPA and research activity will be reviewed for renewal or scholarship termination at the end of the Spring semester of the first academic year.
    • Withdrawal from the scholarship or the program is not permitted. Non-authorized withdrawal will result in the financial obligation to pay the full amount of the tuition fees covered by the scholarship.
    • Remedial courses or courses outside the program’s requirements are not covered by the scholarship.

6. Research KPIs

  1. Research Output and Quality
    • Average number of publications submitted/accepted per graduate student.
    • Percentage of student publications in top-tier journals or conferences.
    • Number of interdisciplinary/collaborative research projects involving graduate students.
       
  2. Program Efficiency and Student Success
    • Graduation/attrition rates.
    • Average Time to Degree.
    • Professional placement rates.
    • Percentage of graduates pursuing PhD programs.
    • Employer satisfaction.