The Faculty of Engineering (FE) at Beirut Arab University was established in recognition of the national and regional need for engineering education in 1975. The Faculty initially offered two-degree programs providing opportunities for formal course of study in Electrical and Civil Engineering.
The Electrical Engineering Department granted its first Bachelor of Engineering degree to its pioneer graduates in June 1980, followed by the Civil Engineering Department in June 1981. Two additional departments were established, namely The Mechanical Engineering Department in 1996 and the Industrial Engineering &Engineering Management Department, established in 2001. The Computer Engineering program was launched in 2010. The Petroleum Engineering program was launched in September 2013. The Biomedical and Chemical Engineering programs started in September 2016. In line with the global trend towards sustainability and reducing the effects of global warming, the university launched the Renewable Energy Engineering (RNEE) program in January 2024, making it the first of its kind not only in Lebanon but also in the region.
As of 1999, departments of the Faculty of Engineering have updated their curricula to include a number of courses in humanities, with special emphasis on environmental, economic, managerial, and marketing aspects of engineering. In keeping up with the growing demands for advanced and specialized engineering services, the Faculty expanded its programs further by adding both Diploma and Master degree programs. The first Electrical and Civil Engineering Diplomas were awarded in 1986 and the Master degrees in Electrical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering were awarded as of 1994.
In a collaborating effort to provide students with the opportunity to participate in practical projects that exhibit and demonstrate their skills and knowledge, the Faculty established mutual incorporation and contacts with various industrial stakeholders. One aspect of this mutual interaction was the instigation of the Engineering Day in 1997. This event involved all faculty, staff and students to display the students’ respective work projects. The Engineering Day became an annual event to celebrate the Faculty's mission of teamwork and creativity. In 2002, the Faculty expanded its postgraduate programs further by incorporating a PhD program in all of its four major fields of specialization.
Today, the Faculty of Engineering at Beirut Arab University is consistently ranked among the top leading engineering schools in Lebanon and the region. More than 200 BE degrees and 20 ME and PhD degrees are awarded annually. The opportunities for study have expanded so that students may choose from more than 200 engineering courses. There are 30 full-time academic staff members who have graduated from top ranked universities in USA and Europe, with diverse research backgrounds and experiences. The FE also makes use of more than 15 part-time lecturers on a part-time basis. The Faculty has an up-to-date electronic library that includes over 5800 book titles and 230 scientific journal titles, as well as over 15 research laboratories.