Catholic higher education

(Redirected from Catholic Universities)

Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical universities.

Dinand Library at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.

By definition, Catholic canon law states that "A Catholic school is understood to be one which is under control of the competent ecclesiastical authority or of a public ecclesiastical juridical person, or one which in a written document is acknowledged as Catholic by the ecclesiastical authority" (Can. 803). Although some schools are deemed "Catholic" because of their identity and a great number of students enrolled are Catholics, it is also stipulated in canon law that "no school, even if it is in fact Catholic, may bear the title 'Catholic school' except by the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority" (Can. 803 §3).[citation needed]

The Dominican Order was "the first order instituted by the Church with an academic mission",[1] founding studia conventualia in every convent of the order, and studia generalia at the early European universities such as the University of Bologna and the University of Paris. In Europe, most universities with medieval history were founded as Catholic. Many of them were rescinded to government authorities in the Modern era. Some, however, remained Catholic, while new ones were established alongside the public ones. The Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of higher education in the world. Many of them are internationally competitive. According to the census of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education, the total number of Catholic universities and higher education institutions around the world is 1,358. On the other hand, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) counts it at 1,861. The Catholic religious order with the highest number of universities around the world today is the Society of Jesus with 114.[2]

Like other private schools, Catholic universities and colleges are generally nondenominational, in that they accept anyone regardless of religious affiliation, nationality, ethnicity, or civil status, provided the admission or enrollment requirements and legal documents are submitted, and rules and regulations are obeyed for a fruitful life on campus. However, non-Catholics, whether Christian or not, may or may not participate in otherwise required campus activities, particularly those of a religious nature.[citation needed]

History

edit

The International Federation of Catholic Universities has its origins in collaboration in 1924 between the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and the Catholic university of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. [3] In 2023, it had 226 members universities in the world. [4]

Partial list of universities

edit

To prevent repetition, for Ecclesiastical universities and faculties, see Ecclesiastical university, and for Pontifical universities, see Pontifical university.

Albania

edit

Angola

edit

Argentina

edit

Australia

edit

Austria

edit

Bangladesh

edit

Belarus

edit
  • John the Baptist Catholic College, Minsk

Belgium

edit

Belize

edit

Benin

edit

Bolivia

edit

Brazil

edit

Burkina Faso

edit

Burundi

edit

Cambodia

edit

Cameroon

edit

Canada

edit

Public universities that continue to claim Catholic affiliation

Catholic institutions affiliated or federated to public universities

Private Catholic universities

Central African Republic

edit
  • Catholic University Center (Centre Catholique Universitaire; CCU), Bangui

Chile

edit

Colombia

edit

Congo, Democratic Republic of

edit

Congo, Republic of

edit

Costa Rica

edit

Croatia

edit

Cuba

edit

Czech Republic

edit

Dominican Republic

edit

East Timor

edit

Ecuador

edit

El Salvador

edit

Ethiopia

edit

France

edit
 
Catholic University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France

Georgia

edit

Germany

edit

Ghana

edit

Guatemala

edit

Haiti

edit

Honduras

edit

Hong Kong

edit

Hungary

edit

India

edit

As of fall 2004 there are 291 catholic colleges and universities in India. Among them some are:

Indonesia

edit

Iraq

edit

Ireland

edit

Israel

edit

Italy

edit

See also Vatican

Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)

edit

Jamaica

edit

Japan

edit

Jordan

edit

Kenya

edit

Korea

edit

Lebanon

edit
 
Chapel of the faculty of medicine of Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon

Liberia

edit

Lithuania

edit

Luxembourg

edit

Macau

edit

Madagascar

edit

Malawi

edit

Malta

edit

Mexico

edit

Montenegro

edit

Mozambique

edit

Nepal

edit

Netherlands

edit

New Zealand

edit

Nicaragua

edit

Nigeria

edit

Pakistan

edit

Palestine

edit

Panama

edit

Papua New Guinea

edit

Paraguay

edit

Peru

edit

Philippines

edit

There are more than 40 universities — besides many colleges — in the Philippine Catholic Church. Among these, some universities are:

Poland

edit

cf. In Poland also work faculties of theology in some public universities.

Portugal

edit

Puerto Rico

edit

Qatar

edit

Romania

edit

Rwanda

edit
  • Catholic University of Rwanda, Butare
  • Université Catholique de Kabgayi, Muhanga

Senegal

edit

Sierra Leone

edit

Singapore

edit

Slovakia

edit
 
Main building of the Catholic University in Ružomberok, Slovakia

Slovenia

edit

South Africa

edit

South Sudan

edit

Spain

edit

Sri Lanka

edit

Sudan

edit

Sweden

edit

Switzerland

edit

Taiwan

edit

Tanzania

edit

Thailand

edit

Togo

edit

Uganda

edit

Ukraine

edit

United Arab Emirates

edit

United Kingdom

edit

United States

edit

There are 244 Catholic higher education degree-granting institutions in the United States.[5] Among the most well known are:

Uruguay

edit

Vatican

edit

Venezuela

edit

Vietnam

edit

Zambia

edit

Zimbabwe

edit

Academic rankings

edit

Some of the universities, including Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, are ranked in the top list of universities according to the Times Higher Education journal.[6] There is so far no list of academic rankings of Catholic universities. In the United States, U.S. News & World Report magazine provides the Best Colleges ranking; University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, and Boston College have been scored as top Catholic national universities.[citation needed]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Mandonnet, Pierre-François-Félix (1911). "Order of Preachers" . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12.
  2. ^ "Sophia University". Archived from the original on 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  3. ^ International Federation of Catholic Universities, About, fiuc.org, France, retrieved November 2, 2023
  4. ^ International Federation of Catholic Universities, About, fiuc.org, France, retrieved November 2, 2023
  5. ^ "Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  6. ^ "The University Rankings 2010", The World University Rankings