In 1839 the Jesuits came to Beirut and established a modest school. This was followed in 1855 by a school in Ghazir, Kisruwan, which would be moved to Beirut in 1875. Legal authorities graced the new school with the title of "university", which allowed it to grant academic degrees, mainly doctoral degrees in philosophy and theology.
The foundation of faculties and institutes followed. For instance, the Institute of Medicine founded in 1883 would become the Faculty of Medicine in 1888. then the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1889. A maternity clinic opened in 1896, followed by the Oriental College in 1902, the School for French Law in 1913 which became the Faculty of Law in 1946. The French School of Engineering also founded in 1913 would become the Higher Institute for Engineering in 1948.
In 2012, the Faculty of Economics launched a new master's degree in web science and digital economy, first of its kind in the Middle East region