Université Saint-Joseph

Saint Joseph University of Beirut ( French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', abbreviated to and commonly known as "USJ") is a private Catholic research university located in Beirut, Lebanon, which was founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries. It is regarded among the top and most reputable academic institutions in Lebanon and the Middle East. Its alumni include numerous Lebanese presidents, ministers, judges, lawyers, philosophers, writers, scientists, intellectuals, artists, clerics and beyond. As Lebanon's oldest and main French university, it promotes Lebanese culture while openly disregarding ethno-religious affiliations during admissions and encourages a trilingual teaching of French, Arabic and English. Additionally, it is known in Lebanon and the Middle East for its university hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu de France, and for its prestigious and historical Faculty of Law, modern Lebanon's oldest law school and the first law school in Lebanon since the ancient Roman law school of Berytus, which itself was one of the world's first law schools.

The 12,000-student enrollment is served by an academic staff of 2,000 and a support staff of 540, distributed over its 12 faculties, 24 institutes and schools across five campuses in Beirut, with regional university centres in Sidon, Tripoli and Zahlé, as well as one foreign center situated in Dubai, UAE.

USJ is the only university in the Middle East to adhere to the European ECTS university academic credits system, while also being officially recognised by and in accord with the higher education law of Lebanon. It maintains some 150 various international agreements.

History

In 1839, French Jesuit missionaries came to Beirut and established a modest catholic school. Later, in 1855, the Jesuits founded a bigger school in Ghazir, which would later be moved to Beirut in 1875 to merge with the first school. Legal authorities quickly graced the new school with the title of "university", which allowed it to grant academic degrees, mainly doctoral degrees in philosophy and theology.

The creation of faculties and institutes followed the establishment of the university. For instance, the Institute of Medicine founded in 1883, became the Faculty of Medicine in 1888 and later the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1889. A maternity clinic opened in 1896, followed by the Oriental College in 1902. The university has since been noted for establishing a continuous French presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

The School for French law was founded in 1913 and later became the Faculty of Law of Saint Joseph University in 1946. To this day, the Faculty of Law still teaches both French and Lebanese laws in a comparative approach with most of its major law classes being taught in French. The Faculty of Law enjoys a strong reputation in family law and private international law as well as in other areas of international law. Current law faculty members have contributed to the development of the law in France, Lebanon and Gulf countries and other regions of the world. The Institute for Political Sciences was first established in 1920.

The French School of Engineering also founded in 1913 became the Higher Institute for Engineering in 1948. The university launched Berytech, a business development center, in 2008. In 2012, the Faculty of Economics launched a new master's degree in web science and digital economy, the first of its kind in the Middle East region.

The university ranks very high for the quality of its publications.

Academics

Saint Joseph University currently ranks as the second best university in Lebanon, rivaling the nation's top English speaking American university, the American University of Beirut, as the nation's foremost French university, and among the top academic institutions in all of the Middle East.

University departments include: French Letters, Sociology and Anthropology (sociology, human resources management, information and communication), History (history, archeology, comparative studies and strategic research), Geography (tourist organization, environmental organization), Philosophy, and Psychology (psychology, education sciences). The University also has an Institute of Oriental Letters ( Arabic and oriental letters, Arabic philosophy and history, islamology, education in Arab countries) and a Linguistics and Translation Institute. The degrees the university awards are: bachelor's ( BA, BS, LLB, BEng, BBA, BTheol, BCS, B.Ed, BSA, BM, B.Phil among many others), master's, post-graduate, and doctorate. The University is also home to the Lebanese School of Social Formation, the Institute of Scenic, Audiovisual and Cinematographic Studies (IESAV), and the Lebanese Institute of Educators. The university has faculties of law, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and agronomy. The Social Sciences Campus (commonly known as "Huvelin" after its founder Paul-Louis Huvelin) is known for its competitive bachelor programs that prepare students to pursue advanced master's degrees in top business and law schools in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, other member States of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada.

Additionally, it is known for its institutions such as CEDRAC and the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory. The university is host to a valuable library of Oriental manuscripts. The business school has received an "excellent" ranking from Eduniversal.

Campuses

Saint Joseph University of Beirut campuses include:
* Campus of Medical and Infirmary Sciences, Damascus Street
* Campus of Science and Technology, Mar Roukouz
* Campus of Social Sciences, Huvelin Street, Rue Monnot
* Campus of Human Sciences, Damascus Street
* Campus of Innovation and Sports, Damascus Street

The three regional centers are located in Sidon (Southern Lebanon), Zahlé ( Beqaa Valley), and Tripoli ( Northern Lebanon). In addition, the university operates 12 facilities and 22 specialized schools and institutes, including the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory on Université Saint-Joseph Street. It also hosts a center for banking and business studies and three centers for dental care, speech therapy, and psycho-motility.

In 2008, Saint Joseph University opened a branch in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Saint Joseph University - Dubai offers a bachelor's degree in law ( LLB) and a Master of Arts in translation. The campus is located in Dubai International Academic City. The university is accredited by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai.

International cooperation

USJ has more than 350 conventions with foreign universities, most notably with Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. It also has more than 200 professors on missions abroad and an administrative office in Paris, France.

The university belongs to the following associations and is linked to over 100 Arab, European, American, and Canadian universities through accords of cooperation.
* International Association of Universities
* International Federation of Catholic Universities (European Federation of Catholic Universities)
* Association of Jesuit Institutions of Higher Learning in Europe and Lebanon
* Association of French speaking universities
* Réseau d'excellence des sciences de l'ingénieur de la francophonie
* Association of Arab Universities

Notable alumni and academics

;Lebanese Presidents:
* Camille Chamoun
* Charles Helou
* Elias Sarkis
* Amine Gemayel
* Rene Moawad
* Bachir Gemayel
* Elias Hrawi
;Lebanese Ministers:
* Ziad Baroud
* Adnan Mansour
* Ibrahim Najjar
* Marie-Claude Najm
* Abdallah Victor Farhat
* Michel Murr
* Nicholas Nahhas
* Tarek Mitri
* Khatchig Babikian
* Shakib Qortbawi
* Leila Al Solh
* Walid Daouk
* Marwan Hamadeh
* Salim Jreissati
;Lebanese Politicians:
* Raymond Edde
* Pierre Gemayel
* Samy Gemayel
* Michel Chiha
* Kamal Jumblatt
* Michel Pharaon
* Antoine Ghanem
* Fouad Abou Nader
* Nayla Moawad
* Karim Pakradouni
* Antoine Andraos
* Eddy Abillammaa
* Adnan Kassar
, valign=top,
;Foreign Politicians:
* Mohammad Habash
* Aram Karamanoukian
* Ahmad Mirfendereski
* Eliyahu Sasson
* Izzat Traboulsi
;Religious leaders:
* Anthony Peter Khoraish
* Peter-Hans Kolvenbach
* George Riashi
* Wladyslaw Rubin
* Michel Sabbah
* Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir
;Theologians and philosophers:
* Louis Cheikho
* Jad Hatem
* Samir Khalil Samir
;Ambassadors
* Farid Abboud
* Tawfiq Yusuf Awwad
* George Ghanem
;Academics:
* Aya Chacar
;Architects:
* Joseph Philippe Karam
;International lawyers:
* Assad Kotaite
;Poets:
* Bashir Copti
* Mansour Eid
* Nadia Tueni

;Linguists:
* Joseph E. Aoun
;Musicians:
* Marie Keyrouz
* Joelle KhouryJoelle Khoury listed as having attended Saint Joseph University on page at brunel.ac.uk
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* Gabriel Yared
;Directors:
* Nadine Labaki
* Hiba Tawaji
;Historians
* Jean Maurice Fiey
* Henri Fleisch
* Paul Huvelin
* Henri Lammens
;Columnists:
* Georges Corm
* Randa Habib
* Peter Scholl-Latour
* Pierre-Luc Séguillon
;Writers:
* Charles Corm
* Hassan Kobeissi
* Amin Maalouf
* Wajdi Mallat
* Thurayyā Malḥas
* Youakim Moubarac
* Ghassan Salamé
* Salah Stétié

See also

* List of universities in Lebanon
* Paul Huvelin
* Rue Huvelin
* Education in the Ottoman Empire
* List of Jesuit sites
* Law school of Berytus
* Christianity in Lebanon

References

External links

Official Saint Joseph University websiteInstagram accountTwitter accountFacebook account

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Catholic universities and colleges in Lebanon
Catholicism in Beirut
Jesuit universities and colleges
Schools in Beirut
Saint-Joseph, Universite
1875 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
19th-century establishments in Ottoman Syria
Organisations based in Beirut