The Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences (FNAS) has a rich history of academic development. Established alongside Notre Dame University (NDU) in the academic year 1987-1988, FNAS received legal recognition and began offering licensed diploma programs in 1991-1992. Initially, the faculty offered two majors: a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, both officially licensed on May 16, 1991. These majors were associated with separate departments: the Department of Computer Science (DCS) and the Department of Mathematics (DM).
In 1993, FNAS expanded by obtaining licensing for two additional majors: a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science on June 3, 1993, as part of the DM, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology on November 25, 1993. The Department of Sciences (DS) was established in the 1995-1996 academic year to house the biology major and the freshman science program, which began in October 1997. The Department of Mathematics was renamed the Department of Mathematics and Statistics (DMS) in 1995-1996, incorporating all university statistics courses.
In 1997, the faculty introduced a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science within the DS on January 23, 1997. During the fall semester of the 2000-2001 academic year, five new majors were consecutively licensed: a Bachelor of Science in Physics on January 24, 2000, and four majors licensed on March 24, 2000: a Bachelor of Science in Applied Statistics (DMS), a Bachelor of Science in Geographic Information Systems (DCS), a Bachelor of Science in Business Computing (DCS), and a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology (DS).
In 2004, two new majors were added to the DS: a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics on October 1, 2004, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry on April 15, 2005.
In 1994, FNAS launched its first Master's program, the Master of Science in Computer Science (DCS) on January 14, 1994. The second Master's program, the Master of Science in Mathematics (DMS), was licensed on November 30, 2001.
In Fall 2010, the Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and its related physics and astronomy courses were transferred from the DS to the newly created Department of Physics and Astrophysics. In the same semester, this department launched a joint Master's degree in Astrophysics in collaboration with Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (USJ).
In Fall 2011, two additional Master's degrees were officially approved: the Master of Science in Financial Mathematics and the Master of Science in Biology, both approved on June 13, 2011.
Additionally, with the establishment of the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences at NDU on October 1, 2008, officially licensed on September 5, 2008, both the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology were transferred to the new faculty.
Since 2011, FNAS has continued to grow, introducing several undergraduate and graduate programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science-Information Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science-Computer Graphics and Animation, and a Master of Science in Actuarial Sciences in partnership with Chedid Re, a renowned company recognized as one of the top 20 reinsurance brokers in the world and an official Lloyd's broker.