An earthquake engineering program adequate to Lebanon needs

Abstract

Even though earthquakes of great magnitude haven't occurred in the last century along the Mediterranean East shore, Lebanon is considered to be a high to moderate seismic risk region. Therefore it is essential to prepare the country to face this threat. One of the crucial steps to be considered is to prepare future engineers right from the start, through an adequate educational program to meet this challenging task. Seismic engineering science is progressing with an accelerated rhythm, thus it is necessary to endow the future generation of engineers with appropriate competence and knowledge. An adequate University curriculum becomes a necessity: this curriculum is required to be multidisciplinary, since seismic engineering is a multidisciplinary science; multilingual and multicultural, given that globalization has transformed the world into a small town. The article presents the multidisciplinary and innovative Earthquake Engineering Master's Program proposed for the first time in Lebanon, aiming to prepare engineers to a wider insertion in the local, regional and international market.