The curriculum in force at USEK is based on the modular system of unites capitalized per semester or “credits”.

Studies structure

Each course is presented as a coherent collection of educational materials and activities, organized by a department inside a Faculty or an Institute. These educational materials include magisterial courses, directed activities, practical activities, personal activities (projects, term papers, training, etc.), or group activities, which are adapted to meet the needs of each group.
Each course has a certain number of credits and lasts for one semester. A student must register for these courses at the beginning of every semester and the course is either validated or not, according to the student’s exam results at the end of the semester.

Faculty, Institute and Related Department

According to his/her individual program, every student relates to a Faculty/Institute, namely a Department which manages their academic process, from registration to graduation. The Head of Department ensures that the relevant academic regulations are applied and guarantees the smooth running of courses and practical work, offered by the department, from course offering to final exams. In addition, the Head of Department controls the academic level of the students, gives advice about petitions, requests to revise a certain grade, and notifies about probationary situations leading to obligatory repetitions of a course.

For Faculties/Institutes which are not divided into departments, the Academic Secretary is in charge of the Head of Department’s duties. 

Educational Advisor

Upon registration and for the duration of their enrolment, students can refer to their assigned Educational Advisor. This Advisor is appointed by the Dean/Director and is chosen by the Department’s (or unit’s) faculty members, according to the student’s program. The period of the academic orientation is fixed during each semester in the Academic Calendar.

The Educational Advisor guides the student’s choices and informs him/her about the current regulations.

When the student changes his/her academic cycle or program, he/she refers to the new Educational Advisor assigned by the Dean/Head of the relevant new academic unit.

Educational Contract

All required courses necessary for obtaining the diploma are specified in an Educational Contract, which defines the following:

• The prerequisites and corequisites;
• The modules specified by the Faculty/Institute for the concerned specialization and according to the prepared degree (specializations can be proposed in every curriculum as options);

The Faculty/Institute defines and organizes the various curricula proposed to students. It identifies the constitutive educational units, their credit hours, contents and arrangements within the chosen program and ensures training and educational follow-up.

The student, if he/she wishes to, can get his/her department’s approval to comply with a more recent Educational Contract. In such a case, the concerned student will have to fully respect the requirements and directions of his/her new Educational Contract.

If the student changes his/her program or stream, he/she will have to comply with the Educational Contract of the new chosen specialization.

The Credit

The biannual credit is the measuring unit of the number of hours per semester.

In the system adopted by the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, one credit represents one teaching hour (50 minute course) per week during a 15 week semester (including exams and tests). Therefore, a three credit course generally represents 45 hours of attendance, including exams. As for practical activities, tutorials, group work or laboratory activities, they represent 30 hours of attendance for every credit.

In short: 1 credit = 15 teaching hours / semester.
1 credit = 30 hours of practical, directed or laboratory activities / semester.
Trainings in companies and hospitals, as well as projects are subject to specific regulations.
Every diploma/degree has a specific number of credits. Credits facilitate flexibility among various university programs, as well as the mobility of students. Acquired credits are capitalized and can sometimes be transferred from one Faculty/Institute to another; or even from one university to another.

The Course

A course is composed of one or more credits and is academically managed by the Faculty/Institute that determines its contents according to the objectives defined by the program of studies. Every course has its own requirements and the student cannot be registered for a course without the valid prerequisite/s, if it/they exist(s).

The student’s freedom to choose his/her courses is conditioned by the criteria of prerequisites and corequisites and also by the approval of his/her Educational Advisor who, in certain cases, must take into account the candidate’s academic credentials.

Credit Hours

The minimum and maximum number of credits, per semester, for a full-time registered student
The minimum number of credits is 2 per student per semester (without the dissertation) and the maximum is 10.
A student can increase this number to reach 12 credits per semester following the signed approval of his/her Educational Advisor and the Academic Secretary of the Head of the Department he/she is affiliated to. It is noteworthy that specific regulations can impose, according to the Faculty/Institute, and in some cases, exceptions thereto (examples: registration for seminars – special topics – dissertation, etc.).

A student on probation can only register for courses that he/she should repeat and for a maximum of 6 credits. He/she is advised to register in the course that he/she has to repeat in order to get out of the probation status.

Academic Status

• Master of 36 or 39 credits:
  A student is considered as having finished his/her first Master year once he/she has validated 15 credits of their academic program. Once having validated more than 15 credits, the student is considered in his/her second year.
• Master of 48 credits:
  A student is considered as having finished his/her first Master year once he/she has validated 21 credits of their academic program. Once having validated more than 21 credits, the student is considered in his/her second year.
• Diploma in Interpretation:
  A student is considered as having finished his/her first Master year once he/she has validated 26 credits of their academic program. Once having validated more than 26 credits, the student is considered in his/her second year.
• DEA (Diplôme d’Études Approfondies):
  A one year program.

A student admitted under the condition of following remedial courses, should register for these courses upon his/her first graduate semester at USEK. Any violation of this rule will lead to the termination of his/her admission.

A remedial course cannot be repeated; only one unique registration is allowed.

The minimum grade to validate a remedial course is 70/100. However, this grade will be mentioned on the academic transcript as a “P”.

The Grading Table

Alphabetical Grading

“IP” for In Progress The grade IP is attributed for a course in which the student is given additional time to complete all of its requirements. The student has to register again for the course during the next semester/summer session, in order to complete it.

“I” for Incomplete The temporary grade I is attributed by the teacher to a course when the student did not attend for the final evaluation, for justified and accepted reasons (not passing the final examination, internship report, presentation of final project, etc.).
On the grades transcript given by the teacher, the notation I is accompanied by the preliminary grade over 100, which will then be considered as the final grade if the student does not fulfill his/her obligations, by the date limit fixed by the University’s academic calendar. It is impossible to change this grade; it is the responsibility of the student to pass his/her remedial examination or deliver his/her work on time.

“W” for Withdrawal The grade W is attributed to a course, when the student drops it within the allotted time fixed by the University’s academic calendar. This can be justified when the student considers that his/her mid-term grades will not allow him/her to pass the course; his/her average grade will not, therefore, be affected.

“WW” for Term Withdrawal

The grade WW is only attributed by the University’s administration when the student drops all his/her courses for major reasons keeping him/her from continuing the semester; such as, serious health problems, traveling, etc.
In order to obtain the Term Withdraw, the student has to officially apply for it by completing a specific form and submitting it to the Registrar Office. If the withdrawal is not officially completed, related teachers will give the student a “Fail to Withdraw” grade in every course.

“AW” for Administrative Withdrawal

This grade is only attributed by the University President or the Council of Discipline in case of violation of the regulations.

“FW” for Fail to Withdraw

The FW grade is given for a course which the student stopped attending without having officially undergone the “Withdraw” procedure – or because he/she did not get the authorization to withdraw. This FW grade is taken into account when calculating the average grade and is equivalent to 40/100.

“P” for Pass and “R” for Repeat

The grades P and R are given with particular courses, such as internships, etc. These courses are assessed with a non-numerical grade; as a result, they will not be taken into consideration while calculating the general average.

“PR/RR” for Pass Remedial / Repeat Remedial

This grade is attributed to the remedial courses (languages or mathematics courses).

“T” for Transfer

The grade T is given for validated transferred courses. A student cannot repeat a transferred course by registering for its equivalent in the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.

“AL” for Ungraded Attendee

The grade AL is given for a course in which the student is registered as a free attendee, after the approval of the Head of Department and the Dean/Director. An Ungraded Attendee does not undertake the exams of the course he/she is registered in. No grade can be converted into a “AL” and vice versa.

An ungraded attendee will be given a registration record at the end of the course.

“G” for Granted

The grade G is given for a number of credits of validated courses in the context of a diploma/degree, which means that the courses are granted and students pursuing a higher diploma/degree would not have to repeat them.

Passing Grade of a Course

The passing grade required to validate every course in the curriculum is defined in the related educational contract. Students can refer to the curricula in the student file edited by the concerned academic unit or on the USEK website.
In general, the grade required to pass a graduate course is 80/100 or P. A higher grade can be required for certain program of studies.

However, some courses are considered as validated with a grade of 75/100 (or 70/100 according to the course and the Faculty/Institute) in case the student has a GPA of 80/100 at least.

The Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of the students’ word takes place according to the scale stated in the syllabus of each course and will be defined to the student during the first sessions of the course. The syllabus of the course is given to students at the beginning of the semester.
A student has the right to know all his/her grades (positive participation, attendance, research and/or projects, midterms, quizzes, etc.) in order to decide whether he/she wants to drop a course or not before the deadline for withdrawal from a course, as stated in the academic calendar.

During semester, the teacher manages all the components of his/her course: lateness, absence, midterms, projects, attribution of grades, oral presentations, the course content, the make-up sessions, etc.

A student who fails to meet a course requirement (exam, test, report, etc.) will be attributed a failing grade, zero, by the teacher.

Rules of Midterms and Finals

Final exams are organized at the end of a semester. Specific exam dates are defined by the academic calendar. Students will need their photo ID card to enter the examination room and the student will have to sign a register of attendance.
If a student is late, he/she will be allowed to enter the exam room if no other student has already left, but he/she will not be given additional time.

Any cheating, or attempt to cheat, during the exam will inevitably lead to the annulment of the student’s exam. Additional measures can also be taken by the University’s Council of Discipline.

A student who does not show up for the exam, for any reason, is given, by the teacher, the failing grade of zero or R. If this absence is due to special justifiable circumstances, the student can present a petition with supporting documents to the Student Affairs Office, and request a make-up exam. The appropriate authority will consider this request. However, it is worth mentioning that in order for these petitions to have positive consequences, they must be legitimized by one of the following reasons:

• Death of a parent;
• Hospitalization, attested by a medical report from the hospital;
• Serious accident, attested by an official report from a sworn expert.

Such, free of charge, petitions must be presented to the Student Affairs Office within 24 hours after the missed exam. The request will be ignored in the case of a recurrence and a student who has showed up for the exam cannot, in any case, present a petition.
Midterm exams will be organized during the semester for the concerned Faculties/Institutes. The aforementioned rules for the final exams also apply to the midterms.

Request to Review a Grade

The student has the right to ask, within the two working days after the display of the final grade on the Banner Self-Service, for his/her grade to be re-examined through the means of a specific form available at the Registrar Office. After this period, no recourse, even a justified one, is possible.

A student can ask for the re-examination of two grades, at the most, per semester or summer session. The fee for requesting a grade review is payable to the Accounting Office - Student Services Department. This fee, which sum is fixed by the University and is indicated on the website is returned to the student if the review outcome is positive for the student.

The only acceptable requests for a grade review are as follows:

• In case a mistake occurred while adding up the grade;
• In case a mistake occurred while copying the grade.

The student should present his/her request/s to the Registrar Office with a receipt as proof of full settlement. He/she has to present the receipt for refund in case the review outcome is positive.

The teacher concerned will write down his/her decision on the exam review request form and change the grade if necessary. After that, the form is successively presented to the Head of Department and the Academic Secretary, in order to give their approval by signing the document. In case of conflict, the request is submitted to the Faculty/Institute’s Council which will take the final decision. It is eventually submitted to the Registrar Office for processing.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

It is the general average of grades for all student courses during specific program of studies, balanced by the number of credits for every course, according to the formula:



If a course was repeated, the higher grade is used while calculating the Grade Point Average.

The grades I, W, WW, PR, RR and AL as well as credits transferred from another institution (T) or granted (G) are not included in the general average.

The grades FW which are equal to 40 are included in the general average.

The Grade Point Average is calculated to the second decimal and is displayed on the grades transcript. 

General Average per Semester (GAS)

The General Average per Semester is calculated according to the same aforementioned formula (refer to Grade Point Average (GPA)), according to the course taken in a particular semester.

The General Average per Semester is calculated to the second decimal and is displayed on the grades transcript.

Grade Point Average of a Diploma/Degree (GPAD)

The Grade Point Average of a Diploma/Degree is the Grade Point Average taken into account and needed in order to graduate.
With a normal academic process, the Grade Point Average of a Dilpoma/Degree is equal to the aforementioned Grade Point Average.

The Grade Point Average of a Diploma/Degree is calculated to the second decimal and is displayed on the grades transcript.

Grade Point Average of a Diploma/Degree (GPAD) after changing the academic program

The change of academic programs is not applicable in graduate studies. Students wishing to change their academic program are required to submit a new admission application, and in that case, they have to pass to corresponding admission test.

However, students can submit a request to change the option in their academic program. This request will automatically be rejected in case the student was under probation.

If a student changes his/her academic program, the Grade Point Average of a Diploma/Degree is calculated according to the same previous formula, whilst taking into account the following courses:

• Courses taken by a student

  before changing the program and which are equivalent to some courses in the new academic program;

• Courses taken by the student

  after changing his/her specialization.

For the repeated or equivalent courses, the higher grade will be taken into consideration.

It is worth mentioning that the Grade Point Average of all the courses, since registering in undergraduate studies at USEK, is calculated and displayed in the student’s grades transcript.

The minimum and maximum duration of study, specified in the educational contract of each academic program, are defined for the graduate degrees as follows:

• Master: between 4 semesters (2 years) minimum and 8 semesters (4 years) maximum, starting from the first registration for the program.
• Diploma in Interpretation: between 4 semesters (2 years) minimum and 8 semesters (4 years) maximum, starting from the first registration for the program.
• DEA: Between one semester (1 year) minimum and 6 semesters (3 years) maximum, starting from the first registration to the program.
• Diploma of Doctor in Medicine M.D.: between 8 semesters (4 years) minimum and 12 semesters (6 years) maximum, starting from the first registration to the program.

If deadlines are not met, students who have not finished the required courses of the curriculum are excluded from the Faculty/Institute.

In exceptional circumstances, the Head of Department can ask the Dean/Director of the Faculty/Institute to allow a regular student to follow a course other than the one included in the program, notably when this student is not able, for legitimate reasons, to follow this course as defined by the program, or when the course offering does not allow him/her to attend in the semester during which he/she might finish his/her curriculum. In this case, the course is replaced with another one of the same level within the same major and within the program’s field of knowledge.

Notwithstanding the above:

• No failed obligatory course can be subject to administrative substitution, unless the concerned course cannot be offered anymore, due to a modification in the program.
• A student cannot be allowed to follow more than two substitution courses.

A Head of Department can ask the Dean/Director of the Faculty/Institute to allow a student to follow a tutorship course, only when all the following conditions are fulfilled:

• The student is about to graduate;
• The student could not validate this course on time, for legitimate reasons and this course is not offered in the semester during which the student might finish his/her program;
• The course cannot be taken externally;
• The Department has checked for the approval of a specialized teacher in the Department.

Notwithstanding the above:

• No failed obligatory course can be subject to tutorship, unless the concerned course cannot be offered anymore due to a modification in the program.
• A student cannot be allowed to follow more than one tutorship course in his/her entire program.

Once registration is closed, a student can, if he/she wants, modify the registration of one or two courses during the Add/Drop period (as stated in the Academic Calendar). In order to do so, the student has to visit his Faculty/Institute to proceed with the Add/Drop.

Administrative Procedures

The procedures included in the below pages have to be initiated by the student at the Registrar Office, unless otherwise indicated.
When the student initiates his/her request, a receipt and an acknowledgement are given stating the necessary duration for examining the request. The student is required to keep these two documents until he/she gets the response to the request.
The student can, if he/she is willing, mandate another person to collect the required documents. Therefore, he/she has to sign an authorization letter prepared for this purpose at the Registrar Office.

After the Add/Drop period, every withdrawal from a course must be subject to a previously written request before the authorized due date, as fixed in the Academic Calendar. To this purpose, the student must complete the relevant form, have it signed by the related teacher and the Head of Department before submitting it to the Registrar Office. The deadline for the official withdrawal from a course is fixed at the end of the 10th week of the semester. It is worth mentioning that an absence during midterms or finals does not lead, in any case, to the withdrawal from the course.

If a student is allowed to withdraw from a course, the latter will be displayed on his/her academic file with the grade W; the course fees cannot be reimbursed or deducted from the general fees the student has to pay. Furthermore, a withdrawal from a course does not lead to any modification in the student’s University fees. In addition, a student, having withdrawn from a course during the semester, cannot apply for a scholarship of merit for the following semester, even if all other required conditions are fulfilled.

The withdrawal from a course will be refused if a student’s credits per semester drop below the minimum number of 3 credits per semester, or if he/she misses more than 20% of the course.

If a student cannot complete a semester and has to withdraw from all his/her courses after the Add/Drop period for major reasons; such as, serious health problems, exceptional family circumstances, etc., the University’s administration can attribute the grade WW (Term Withdraw) to each course. In order to obtain a Term Withdrawal, the student has to submit the relevant official form to the Registrar Office. If the withdrawal from a course is not officially done, the student will be given the failing grade FW (Fail to Withdraw) by the teachers concerned, for every course at the end of the semester.

A student who gets a WW grade, will have to pay all his/her university fees, as they were calculated during his/her registration.

Definition

Deregistration is the dropping of all courses during the registration and during Add/Drop period.
During the registration and add/drop period, the student can drop all his/her courses. For current students, students who have recourse to deregistration, while they were registered during the previous semester/session at USEK, the deregistration request must be accompanied by a request for the interruption of studies. The latter must also be submitted to the Registrar Office via an appropriate form and the interruption of studies will be noted in the student’s academic file.

Refund after Deregistration

In case of deregistration during the Add/Drop period, the student can ask the Accounting Office in the Student Services Office for a refund. Then, the entire amount of study fees, which have been already paid, will be refunded. However, the student has to pay a penalty which amount is fixed by the University (to view the fees, consult the University website).

The files of transferred applicants are studied first by the hosting academic unit which submits afterwards its remarks and opinion to the Admission Committee for the final acceptance decision.
In case of admission by transfer of file, the evaluation of credits which might be transferred is based on the following criteria:

• The course validated by transfer must have the same credit hours as its equivalent in the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik;
• According to the American system, the minimum grade obtained in the original University which can be accepted during a transfer is 80/100. For some programs, a higher grade can be required. In all cases, the student must have passed the course validated by transfer, in his/her original university;
• Courses validated six years ago, or more, before the admission date, cannot be taken into account (unless the Admission Commission decides otherwise);
• The number of transferred credits cannot exceed 33% of the total number of credits required for graduate studies;
• All transferred credits are declared and validated during admission to the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik; afterwards, no transferred credits can be added.

The grade T will be given to the transferred courses and the student cannot repeat a transferred course by registering for its equivalent in the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.

The Transfer File has to be submitted, along with all required documents, to the Orientation and Admission Office, three weeks at least before the beginning of the registration period. 

European Credits Transfer Mode

The transfer of European credits (ECTS) to North-American credits used at USEK takes place in graduate studies according to the following scheme:

• For a Master of 36 or 39 North-Amercian credits: 1 North-Amercian credit is equal to 3,33 ECTS credits.

In order to be recognized as transferable, ECTS credits must correspond to courses deemed equivalent to courses at USEK which will be validated by transfer. The only ECTS credits that can be recognized as transferable must also correspond to courses graded A and B, regardless of the numerical value assigned to these courses.

Switching academic programs in graduate studies is not possible. Students wishing to switch academic programs are required to submit a new admission application and pass the corresponding admission test.

However, students can submit an official request to switch options within the same academic program by filling the specific form for this purpose. This request, signed, should be presented to the Registrar Office.

The approval of the related Faculty/Institute is required. The final decision goes to the Admission Committee.

It is noteworthy that this request will be automatically rejected in case the student is on probation.

The credits of the initial program, related to common and equivalent courses, are validated by the new chosen program.
After changing the option, the average taken into consideration to determine the student’s academic status (probation, obtaining the diploma/degree, etc.) is the Grade Point Average of the Diploma/Degree. On the other hand, the entire academic performance of the student is displayed on the grades transcript.

As for the seniority of the student, it is calculated with the number of validated credits within the framework of the new option. This seniority will be taken into consideration in the deadlines of obtaining the degree/diploma.

A student can enroll in a double degree in graduate studies. He/she must define the priority program and the secondary program.
Within a program, the student can apply for another program that will be considered as secondary, in case he/she validated all the needed remedial courses. Therefore, he/she will have to pass the admission test of the new program.

On the other hand, the student cannot enroll in a double degree in two options within the same program. He/she can enroll in two different and independent programs that he/she should validate without any time extension.

A student in a probation situation in his/her priority program cannot apply, simultaneously, to another program.

The student is required to fill the related form in the Registrar Office. The request will be examined by the Admission Commission and the related Department.

A student who wishes to temporarily suspend his/her studies for a period not exceeding two consecutive semesters, must complete the relevant form designed purposely for this, have it signed by the persons concerned and submit it to the Registrar Office.

During the interruption of studies, the concerned student is considered as an “inactive student”. However, The authorized interruption duration is included in the maximum duration of studies; therefore, the student should not surpass this maximum authorized duration for obtaining the diploma, or else he/she will be excluded from his/her academic program.

After an interruption of studies, and in order to reregister in the initial program, the student has to present a readmission demand; if the student does not register to the semester following the authorized interruption period, he/she will inevitably be excluded from the academic program.

If a student suspends his/her studies without officially informing the administration of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, by submitting the appropriate form to the Registrar Office, he/she will be excluded from the academic program. In this case, the student has the right to present a readmission demand to the suspended program or to a new one; this demand will be examined according to the regulations in force during the time of the application’s filing.

After the interruption of studies, and in order to be readmitted into the study program, the student has to present a readmission request to the Registrar Office, at least three weeks before the registration period.

The readmission request is automatically accepted if the interruption of studies is official and was delivered to the Registrar Office in the fixed period. If this wasn’t the case, the readmission request is examined by the University’s Admission Commission and if the student’s readmission was refused, no other recourse request can be filled.

The readmitted student is subject to the program structure in force during the presentation of the readmission request, and will have to follow the directions of his/her Educational Advisor.

Within the framework of agreements signed between USEK and other Lebanese and foreign universities, a student may attend one or several courses during one or more semesters in another university, after having obtained first the authorization of his/her Department and the approval of the Dean/Director of his/her home Faculty/Institute.

Courses attended in another institution should be deemed equivalent to those of the current program.

In order to be able to follow external courses, the student must abide by the following conditions:

• The total amount of external credits added to the credits transferred upon the student’s admission, shall not exceed 49 % of the total required credits;
• The courses attended in Lebanon, albeit in another university, should not be taught within the student’s original Faculty/Institute during the semester in question;
• The final grade for each course should be directly reported by the host university, according to the grading system adopted by USEK, to the Registrar Office. This grade will be registered on the academic transcript and is accounted for with the remaining grades, when calculating the student’s Grade Point Average and General Average per Semester;
• In addition to the registration fees of USEK, the student should pay all the necessary fees of the host university.

A student registered in the graduate studies is put under probation at the end of the semester if the GPA is less than 80/100.

The student stops being under probation when he/she gets the required General Average per Semester and Grade Point Average.

A student may be placed on disciplinary probation upon decision of the Council of Discipline.

A student is excluded from the program he/she is registered in for one of the following reasons:

• when he/she receives the third consecutive probation warning (i.e. when he/she is on probation for two consecutive semesters);
• If he/she fails to validate his/her academic program within the established time limit;
• If he/she fails a required course twice;
• If he/she fails an remedial course;
• If he/she suspends his/her education without officially informing the administration, by submitting the appropriate form to the Registrar Office.

A student who is excluded from the academic program can submit an admission form to another program offered by USEK. However, the grade of his/her exclusion will still appear on his/her academic file.

A student can be excluded from USEK upon the administrative decision of the President of the decision of the Disciplinary Council of the University. The decision will indicate the type of the exclusion and its consequence on the academic level. The grade of exclusion of a student will appear on his/her academic record.

An administrative measure of temporary suspension can be taken by the University President.

A student can be excluded from USEK, based on an administrative decision of the University President or the University’s Council of Discipline. The decision will define the nature of the exclusion and its implication on the academic level. The grade of a student’s exclusion will appear on his/her academic file. The student will get the grade AW (Administrative Withdraw).

Positive Participation

Positive participation is required for courses, practical activities, directed activities, laboratory sessions, etc. No absence, even a justified one, liberates the student from his/her responsibilities regarding the work required or regarding whatever the teacher may have said during his/her absence.

The student can be absent to the number of hours equal to 20 % of the course: 9 hours (6 sessions of one hour and 15 minutes for a three credit course), or 6 hours (4 sessions of one hour and 15 minutes for a two credit course).

A student who exceeds this limit in a certain course might be given the grade FW (Fail to Withdraw) by the teacher concerned, and, subsequently, will not be able to present his/her exams.

A student who does not show up to all his/her courses for more than three consecutive weeks will be considered by the administration as having resigned; he/she will be given the grade FW (Fail to Withdraw) in all his/her courses and will be consequently excluded from his/her academic program at the end of the semester. However, the student can present a readmission demand to the Faculty/Institute in order to continue his/her education, starting from the following semester (a readmission form must be presented to the Registrar Office); after that, the Admission Committee will have to decide whether to accept or refuse this readmission request.

If the student justifies the exceptional circumstances of his/her absence to all the courses for three consecutive weeks, he/she can apply for a Term Withdraw by presenting the appropriate form to the Registrar Office.

Intellectual Integrity

Intellectual integrity is at the core of University learning and is compromised by plagiarism and fraud.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism consists of someone pretending that other people’s ideas and statements are his/her own. For example, plagiarism cases comprise:

• Copying texts or parcels of texts without indicating they are borrowings and without citing their source;
• Omitting to cite the source of a paraphrased or summarized text.

Fraud

Fraud cases include for example the following situations:

• To present, under one’s own name, a text partially or entirely prepared by someone else;
• To borrow, buy, sell or lend a text that is to be presented for a course;
• To submit the same text in more than one course;
• To receive or give help or information from, or to, another student during a test or an exam;
• To use unauthorized material during a test or an exam;
• To present, during a test and under one’s own name, a text partially or entirely prepared by someone else;
• To submit false information in a work or a report;
• To obtain the questions of a test or exam in an unauthorized way;
• To pretend to be someone else during a test or an exam, or let someone else do the test or the exam.

A student who commits plagiarism or fraud will be given, the grade 0 or F on the plagiarized work or the exam during which the fraud was committed. The teacher must report this fraud to the Dean/Director, who will have to evaluate its gravity before deciding whether he wants to submit the case or not to the University President; the latter will therefore be able to refer the case to the Council of Discipline.

Appeal Procedure in the Application of Academic Regulations and Petitions
The student who considers that he/she was wrongly accused, can appeal against the decision taken on his/her behalf.
In order to do so, the student must refer to the Student Affairs Office which will give him/her the appropriate form related to his/her request/situation or ask him/her to write a petition (a petition cannot be accepted if there is a form concerning the same exposed request).

The student will have to submit his/her petition at latest one week after the release of the official notification of the contested decision. This petition is submitted free of charge.

The application of every appeal outcome is suspended until it is confirmed by the Student Affairs Office (SAO) which will communicate the relevant decision within ten working days after receiving the petition. The SAO final decisions are enforceable and have no recourse. The SAO makes sure the University regulations are applied.

Specific Regulations of Academic Units

The procedure concerning the regulations of graduate dissertations is available on the USEK website. Students can consult these regulations at the secretariat of the unit they are affiliated to.
For registration, preparation and defense of a graduate dissertation, the student should abide by the regulations defined by the relevant Faculty. 
 

Administrative Procedure

The Master dissertation is worth 6 to 9 credits and can be completed in one or two semesters.
During the first registration for the Master dissertation, the student registers for module 6XX A during a semester and pays the corresponding tuition fees.

After this first registration, the student:

• obtains a numeral grade (grade received upon the dissertation defense);
  or
• obtains the grade IP and should register in the following semester for the module 6XX B (while paying only the registration fees).

After the registration for the module 6XX B, the student:

• obtains a numeral grade (grade received upon the dissertation defense);
  or
• obtains the grade IP and should register for the module 6XX B, for the last time (while paying only the registration fees).

Master, MBA, Diploma in Interpretation

To obtain his/her diploma, the candidate must have:

• studied for at least 2 years (4 semesters) after obtaining the undergraduate diploma/degree or a recognized degree by the Lebanese State;
• passed and finished all the courses required by the studying program and indicated in the educational contract with a maximum time of 4 years (8 semesters) starting from the first registration to the program;
• fulfilled all the requirements of his/her educational contract;
• drafted and defended his/her dissertation;
• followed and passed a minimum of 67% of the credits of his/her Faculty/Institute;
• achieved a diploma GPA of at least 80/100.

DEA – Theology (Diplômes d’Études Approfondies)

• studied for at least 1 year (2 semesters) after obtaining the bachelor degree or a recognized degree by the Lebanese State;
• passed and finished all the courses required by the studying program and indicated in the educational contract with a maximum time of 3 years (6 semesters) starting from the first registration to the program;
• fulfilled all the requirements of his/her educational contract;
• drafted and defended his/her dissertation;
• followed and passed a minimum of 67% of the credits of his/her Faculty/Insitute;
• achieved a DEA GPA of at least 80/100.

Doctor of Medicine M.D.

To obtain the Diploma of Doctor of Medicine M.D., the candidate must have:

• studied for at least 4 years after obtaining the Bachelor of Sciences in Fundamental Health Sciences at USEK;
• validated all required courses and internships by the studying program and indicated in the educational contract within a maximum duration of 6 years (12 semesters) starting from the first registration to the program;
• fulfilled all the requirements of his/her educational contract;
• followed and passed a minimum of 67% of the credits of his/her Faculty/Insitute;
• having drafted and defended with success his/her thesis in accordance with the regulation in force;
• achieved a DEA GPA of at least 80/100 on the bachelor degree and the Doctor of Medicine degree.

Graduation Procedure

At the end of each semester, the University holds the graduation ceremony of the final year students who have met the requirements at degree level.

However, students have the right to suspend their graduation in case they were willing to re-enroll in the Summer semester/session to repeat a course and increase their GPA. In order to do so, students should visit the Registrar Office to put an end to the graduation procedure as soon as they receive the notification of the ongoing graduation process. The academic unit to which students are affiliated should approve the suspension request.

The University has the right to cancel a suspended academic career and issue a diploma/degree to the related students after 2 consecutive semesters of suspension.

Procedure for Issuing Diplomas/Degrees

In their diploma request (parchment; degree certificate; academic transcript) either requested online or to the Registrar Office, students should make sure the personal data included in their file (name, surname, date and place of birth, etc.) is correct, and then, in case of error, proceed with the necessary corrections (especially uppercase, lowercase, accents, spaces). Students are required to submit legal documents justifying their modifications.

Graduation Ceremony

Students intending to participate in the graduation ceremony are required to complete the related request online or at the Registrar Office.

At the end of the Summer session/semester, the academic authorities of each Faculty/Institute check whether the students, who have submitted a degree request, meet the requirements of their respective curricula of their Faculty/Institute. Students who meet these requirements are allowed to take part in the graduation ceremony.

Students who have their request rejected will be notified by the Academic Secretary of their Faculty/Institute, who will state the reasons which prevent them from graduating.

Issued Documents and Fees

To certify that a student has succeeded in a program, USEK delivers 1 diploma/degree on parchment. The parchment is labeled in both Arabic and French, or Arabic and English languages.

However, fees, which are available on the University website, are required for each certified document from the related authorities.

Therefore, a student has to pay these fees at the Accounting counter for every request for an official document (and/or a true copy):

• Official registration certificate (in English, French and/or Arabic).
• Official diploma certificate (in English, French and/or Arabic).
• Official academic transcript (delivered in French only).

Collection of a Diploma/Degree (Parchment) and Certificates

Students should collect their degrees and certificates from the Registrar Office. They are required to turn up in person, submit their national identity card and sign a special register.

A student who cannot collect these documents in person, for any reason, is entitled to delegate a representative, by complete in the relevant form granting permission. The representative should submit the student’s ID along with his/her commission, which will be saved in the student’s file.

National and international mailing services are ensured, in case of need, through the Registrar Office.
USEK reserves the right not to deliver a student’s degree and certificates if he/she is in any irregular situation with the Library and/or the Financial Administration.

Replacement of a Diploma/Degree Parchment

A new parchment may be issued only when a mistake is found on the original one. The new parchment will be handed over to the person involved, in exchange for the original one, without any additional fees.

However, a student can request more than an official certificate of end of studies, document equivalent to the parchment.

Moodle E-Learning Platform

All USEK students automatically benefit from the access to the Moodle E-Learning Platform adopted by the University to allow them to follow their courses in an interactive and manner, rich in resources (posters, books, links, URLs, etc.), activities (homework, forum, chat, tests, etc.).

The student can access the Moodle E-Learning Platform by clicking on the link in the University Intranet MyUsek and website, using his/her USEK account.

A user’s guide can be accessed through the e-learning link on the University website and Intranet MyUsek.

USEK, Attentive to its Students’ Comments

Within the frame of the development of the teaching and learning process and administrative services, the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik encourages its students to share their suggestions or complaints and to participate in evaluations.
All students can send us their suggestions or complaints regarding the administrative functioning of the University as well as the quality of the provided services by writing to administration@usek.edu.lb

An Evaluation System Available for Students

Students are required to fill, on the BLUE evaluation system adopted by USEK, the evaluation of each course they have completed during a semester. They cannot access their final grade without filling this evaluation.

This evaluation revolves around the following criteria, using a scale from 1 to 4:

• General evaluation of the course
• Teaching organization by the teacher
• Educational abilities of the teacher
• Evaluation of the learning method adopted by the teacher
• General opinion of the course and the teaching method

Students are also required to fill the BLUE evaluation “On-Campus Well-Being” at the end of each semester. This evaluation revolves around the administrative services provided by the University: student life, student services, library, restaurant, communication and telecommunication, etc.

Finally, all final year students having fulfilled the requirements to obtain their diploma are required to fill the “Graduation Survey” evaluation when they launch their diploma/degree request at the Registrar Office.