The Faculty of Engineering at Notre Dame University-Louaize was established in 1996 by Lebanese Government decree no. 9278 as the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. The name was changed to the current one in 1997 following the move of the architecture program to the Ramez G. Chagoury Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Design. The Faculty currently enrolls more than 1400 students in its three departments and has around 3000 alumni around the world. The current offering of the Faculty includes four programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET Inc. and leading to the Bachelor of Engineering degree, three graduate programs leading to the Master of Science in Engineering degree, and two new majors, namely Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering, leading to the degree of Bachelor of Engineering. .
The Faculty of Engineering endeavors to offer an excellent education to its graduates and to prepare them to enter the professional practice in the engineering field. Despite its relatively young age, the Faculty of Engineering at NDU has positioned itself as one of the top engineering schools in Lebanon and the region. All curricula have a strong applied component supported by state of the art laboratory facilities. Engineering students develop their design skills by tackling real world projects in laboratory courses, class design projects and senior engineering design projects, many of which are done in cooperation with industry. Emphasis is also placed on giving the students an understanding of the ethical, social, economic and environmental impacts of engineering work.
In keeping with high academic standards, all full-time faculty members hold Ph.D. degrees in their field and selective admission and transfer policies ensure that we get the highest caliber of students. These students have distinguished themselves by winning prizes at national and international design competitions and by publishing their undergraduate research findings in national and international venues.
Our relatively small class sizes ensure good interaction with instructors and good access to academic help outside of the classroom. Several on-campus chapters of international professional organizations are active in the Faculty (ASCE, ASHRAE, ASME, IEEE & EWB). These ensure that students are exposed to the latest technical developments in their field. Several agreements with universities in Europe and the USA have been signed. These agreements provide opportunities for students to engage in research and graduate studies at reputable universities.
With the fast technological developments our society is witnessing, engineering is becoming a profession where one needs to be equipped for life-long learning, to have excellent communication skills and an ability to engage in effective teamwork. These objectives are achieved through the rigorous educational program in the Faculty and they are the qualities that enable NDU students to succeed in today’s job market.
While keeping an eye on the latest developments in engineering education and striving to implement them for the benefits of the students, the Faculty endeavors to maintain a healthy environment within the spirit and mission of a catholic institution like NDU. The Faculty does care about the human dimension, a feature that all our graduates miss when experiencing different academic or work environments.
Engineering is a career of and for the future, and NDU offers a unique engineering education where students have access to the latest technology, qualified instructors, excellent facilities and exposure to the values of faith, excellence and service embedded in NDU’s mission.
Academic Departments and Programs
The Faculty of Engineering (FE) consists of the following departments:
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Department of Electrical, Computer and Communication Engineering
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
and offers degree programs in Civil Engineering (CE), Chemical Engineering (CHE), Computer and Communication Engineering (CCE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Petroleum Engineering (PE), leading to the degree of Bachelor of Engineering. The Faculty offers also graduate programs in Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering leading to the degree of Master of Science (MS) in Engineering.
A minor in Engineering Management, open to all Engineering students is also on the list of programs offered by the Faculty.
Facilities
Engineering programs are supported by state-of-the-art laboratories accessible to all engineering students. These laboratories and workshops are managed by qualified and dedicated staff.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers various laboratory courses to cover the main topics in the fields of concrete and pavement design, environmental engineering, mechanics of materials, soil mechanics, hydraulics, field surveying, geophysical and engineering graphics.
The lab equipment are continuously upgraded and updated to ensure that students are exposed to the most recent and advanced systems. The department also secures highly accurate and professional testing facilities such as spectrophotometry, strain gauging, triaxial testing, open and closed channel flow measurements, and total station applications. Most of the lab facilities are connected to data acquisition systems. In addition, field equipment are available for in-situ testing, such as soil investigation, groundwater and surface water testing, and concrete quality control. Professional commercial testing as well as community services are also performed on a regular basis in the above areas.
The Department of Electrical, Computer and Communication Engineering has several laboratories, which support teaching in the areas of communication systems, electronic circuit design, including microprocessors and programmable logic controllers, instrumentation, electric machines, power electronics, control systems, and digital signal processing. The laboratories are also used by students for executing their engineering project designs. The equipment are regularly updated to ensure that students are exposed to the best possible laboratory experience.
State-of-the-art laboratory equipment are being used in the Department of Mechanical Engineering for training purposes. The list includes a large wind tunnel for aerodynamics testing, energy testing facilities (solar systems, combustion, etc.), turbomachinery testing systems (pumps, fans, Pelton wheel, turbines, etc.), air-conditioning testing units (heating, cooling, refrigeration, etc.), mechatronics and instrumentation equipment, mechanical vibration benches, and mechanical components and systems. A full workshop made of a set of machine-tools, including a CNC machine, is used for student training and regular machining needs. The laboratories are constantly maintained and updated to integrate new concepts, and to keep up with advancements in different mechanical engineering fields.
Curricula
The curriculum of each program is listed under the appropriate department. All engineering curricula share a common Liberal Art Curriculum (LAC) involving 27 credits of cultural non-engineering content.