Established in 1962, the Faculty of Letters developed progressively in keeping with the University’s ever-increasing growth. The Faculty broadened its academic achievements by founding the following divisions: the Institute of History (1971); the Language Centre (1970); the Department of Interpretation and Translation (1993) ; the Department of French Language and Literature (1997) ; the Department of English Language and Literature (2001), the Department of Arab Language and Literature (2002), the Department of Applied Modern Languages with an option in Business and Trade (2002); and the Department of Journalism and Communication(2007).

The Faculty of Letters aims to train professionals in fields for which there is much demand nowadays in Lebanon. These include multilingual operators in companies, translators in media and publishing institutions among others, interpreters in international conferences and forums, and Arabic, French or English literature and language teachers, as well as high-school history teachers. The Faculty also trains written press specialists.

The Language Centre meets the needs of executives and employees in Lebanese companies by providing them with a thorough formation and training in the main modern languages, namely English, German, Italian, Spanish and French. Moreover, this centre gives students of the Interpretation and Translation Department the advantage of on-the-spot courses to consolidate their knowledge of several modern languages.

The degrees delivered by the Faculty are all acknowledged by the Lebanese State.

While aiming to satisfy its students’ literary ambitions, the Faculty of Letters takes particular interest in providing them with general and art knowledge in all fields, developing their critical thinking and their sense of the truth, and granting them the vocational competences that serve the purpose of human openness and intercultural dialogue in Lebanon and the modern world.

In keeping with the university’s new orientations, the curricula underwent reform in 1999 and the annual system was replaced by the credit system while the content of subject matters was, for the most part, preserved. The objective of this reform was to grant the students additional mobility and flexibility in choosing their courses at the university in keeping with international standards.

• Licence (B.A.) (3 years) in: Modern Languages and Translation; French Language and Literature; English Language and Literature; Arabic Language and Literature; Applied Modern Languages – Option in Business and Trade; Journalism and Communication.
• Maîtrise (Master I - 1 year) in: Modern Languages – Option in Translation; French Language and Literature; English Language and Literature; Arabic Language and Literature; Applied Modern Languages – Option in Business and Trade; Journalism and Communication.
• DEA (Master II - 1 year) in: French Language and Literature; English Language and Literature; Arabic Language and Literature.
• Translator’s degree, which is equivalent to a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies Post Graduate Diploma (DEA - Master II) allowing its holder to apply for a Ph.D. in Translation Sciences.
• Interpreter’s degree, which is equivalent to a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies Post Graduate Diploma (DEA - Master II) allowing its holder to apply for a Ph.D. in Translation Sciences.
• Ph.D. (3 to 5 years) in: Translation Sciences; French Language and Literature; English Language and Literature; Arabic Language and Literature.

• Meet the general criteria for admission at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK);
• Be a holder of the Lebanese baccalaureate or any other foreign high-school degree acknowledged by the Ministry of National Education;
• Pass the language proficiency test successfully;
• Based on the results of the language proficiency test, the candidate will be:
  • Successful;
  • Successful on condition of enrolling in and successfully completing language training courses;
  • Turned down.

Admission is only valid for the academic year in progress. Any student who omits to register during any semester in the year of his acceptance loses his/her registration right and has to sit for the test again.

The candidacy file remains the property of the Admission Office. The candidate cannot retrieve it in any case, but he/she can request a copy of it.

Students who are certified to have completed the Faculty’s undergraduate program with a minimum GPA of 70/100 are allowed to register in the Maîtrise (Master I).

Students who have earned their Master I with a minimum GPA of 75/100 are allowed to register in the DEA (Master II) whereas those who have earned their DEA (Master II) with a minimum GPA of 85/100 are allowed to register for the Ph.D.