School of Engineering of Beirut

In 1910, the Rector of the Académie de Lyon (France), Mr. Paul JOUBIN, reported to the Council of the University of Lyon the potential benefits of establishing an academic presence in the Middle East. A commission was formed and undertook several missions to Lebanon and the Middle East to bring this idea to life.

On November 14, 1913, the French School of Engineering of Beirut (EFIB) was inaugurated alongside the French School of Law. An admission test to EFIB took place on October 17, 1913, and 19 candidates were admitted. By the end of the first preparatory year, 14 students were considered suitable for the second year of study.

Due to World War I, on November 2, 1914, diplomatic relations between France and the Ottoman Empire were severed, and the school buildings were requisitioned on November 14. An armistice was signed on the island of Moudros on October 30, 1918, allowing plans for the school’s reopening to be set in motion once again.

After an agreement was signed on January 27, 1919, between the Lyon Association for the Development of Higher and Technical Education Abroad and the Society of Jesus, the EFIB officially opened on November 10, 1919. The program duration was initially set at three years, then extended to four years starting in 1936.

The model for the School of Engineering of Beirut was undoubtedly Ecole Centrale de Lyon, emphasizing a general training for polyvalent civil engineers with potential for further specialization. This program was simply altered to adapt it to Lebanese requirements. As a result of this similarity, the engineering degree awarded to EFIB students held the same value as that of the Ecole Centrale de Lyon. EFIB students could therefore attend specialization courses at Ecole Centrale de Lyon without an entrance exam. The first engineering degree (called Diplôme in the French system) was awarded to Mr. Gabriel Rezkallah ARACTINGI in 1922.

Initially, courses focused on civil engineering, mechanics, and electricity. Over time, civil construction, public works, and hydraulics gained importance. In 1942, alongside the Civil Engineering program, an Industry program was introduced to train engineers in utilizing local industrial resources during the war. At the same time, the “National Committee of Fighting France” also authorized the school to offer science courses during the war. In 1945, the Industry program was replaced by an Architecture program, better suited to the country’s needs.

On November 1, 1948, EFIB was renamed the “School of Engineering of Beirut” (ESIB). For 40 years, EFIB and then ESIB remained the first and only School of Engineering in Lebanon and the Middle East, training the region’s first engineers from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Iran, Turkey, and other countries.

In 1959, the Electromechanical Engineering program was introduced.

In 1963, the study duration was extended to 5 years after the Lebanese Baccalaureate (freshman year in the US System), and in October 1971, the School relocated to its current premises in Mar Roukoz. During this time, new concentrations were introduced. Notably, in the academic years 1968-1969 and 1972-1973, the School trained geographic engineers for the Lebanese Ministry of National Defense.

The events of 1975 forced the school, completely plundered, to close its doors again in March 1976, but courses resumed in December 1976. ESIB became part of the new Faculty of Engineering of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ). Significant efforts have been made since 1977 to equip the laboratories with modern, high-performance equipment. In 1978, the programs were restructured, and the third-year concentrations were adapted to meet the new needs of the market.

In 1979, the engineering preparatory classes (first two years) were restructured, with the creation of the Higher and Special Mathematics classes preparing students for the admission tests of the French Grandes Ecoles (Ecole Polytechnique, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, CentraleSupélec, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Ecole des Mines, Télécom Paris), held in Lebanon under the responsibility of the French Embassy.

Between 1978 and 1980, ESIB relocated six times due to the Lebanese war, resuming activities in its Mar Roukoz premises in October 1980.

Since 1993, the normalization of the situation allowed the gradual establishment of postgraduate programs (Master and PhD). The renewed partnership with France, from 1996 to 2000, accelerated this process. In 1998, the Faculty of Engineering founded its teaching and testing laboratories as research centers. ESIB includes five research centers: The Wajdi Najem Regional Center for Water and the Environment, the Lebanese Center for Construction Studies and Research, the Center for Electrical Industries and Telecommunications, the Center for Computer Science, Modeling and Information Technology, and the Center for Physics and Chemistry.

Starting October 2001, ESIB adopted a new admission system based on a selection by one of the following three methods: early admission through the study of school records, an entrance exam, or achieving the Mention Very Good and above on the Lebanese or French Baccalaureate. The objective of this system is to allow the best students to be admitted to ESIB very early.

In 2003, ESIB, within the framework of the Faculty of Engineering, adopted the “European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System” (ECTS). At the same time, it signed co-graduation agreements with several major schools of engineering in France. In September 2005, it restructured its Master’s degrees.

In September 2013, recognizing the strategic importance of the Oil and Gas sector, ESIB launched its first Master in Oil and Gas: Exploration, Production and Management (Upstream and Downstream), in collaboration with the “Institut Français du Pétrole” (IFP School), making it the first ESIB program fully taught in English.

In 2015, ESIB began the process of accrediting its engineering programs. At the same time, the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering program was divided into two programs: The Electrical Engineering (EE) program with concentrations in Electromechanical Engineering and Industrial Systems, and the Computer and Communications Engineering (CCE) program with concentrations in Software Engineering and in Telecommunication Networks.

In 2017, a Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering program and a Master in Data Science were created in collaboration with the Faculty of Science of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut. In 2020, the Mechanical Engineering program was launched at ESIB. In 2022, a section of the Computer and Communications Engineering program entirely taught in English opened at ESIB. In 2024, ESIB launched the Industrial Engineering program.

 

 

Established in
01/01/1913

Director
M. Wassim RAPHAEL

Address
Science and Technology Campus

Telephone : +961 (1) 421 317
Fax : +961 (4) 532 645
Email : Secretariat.esib@usj.edu.lb;Secretariat2.esib@usj.edu.lb

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Program (Details In French) 2025 - 2026