Musa Nasir earned his degree in Physics from the American University of Beirut in 1914. After the Nakba in 1948, he was involved in the management and development of the family school in Birzeit. In the 1950s, he introduced the concept of a "pilot year" for students after they finish high school. He believed strongly that student specialization in fields of education at university did not fully mature them and make them aware of the world. This experimental year was followed with the first university class.
In the fifties, Musa Nasir was twice elected to the Jordanian parliament and held ministerial positions in the Jordanian government. In 1959 and 1960, as minister of foreign affairs, he delivered two speeches at the United Nations General Assembly, in which he addressed the Palestinian issue and the refugee issue. He retired from politics in 1961 after being disappointed by the political status quo. Then he devoted his time and energy to the development of Birzeit College and education in general, and to defending the Palestinian cause in various international forums, focusing constantly on the moral dimension of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He worked as president of Birzeit College from 1947 until his death in 1971.
