Overview
The Catholic University of America was founded in 1887 as the national institution of learning of the Catholic Church in the United States. Beginning as a center for graduate study, it soon evolved into a comprehensive university with undergraduate and professional programs as well. The University gives primacy to scholarship and scientific research and to the training of future scholars through its graduate programs. It is committed to the advancement of learning and particularly to the development of knowledge in the light of Christian revelation.

The University's total enrollment is 5,734, including 2,974 graduate and professional students.

The Location and Community
Students have ready access to the exceptional academic and recreational opportunities of the area. Washington, D.C., is a major cultural center as well as the seat of the federal government and the location of national educational, labor, political, and trade associations. The Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are among the many museums, galleries, and centers in the area.

The University is located on a spacious, 144-acre campus in a residential area of northeast Washington that is easily accessible from all parts of the metropolitan area. There is a Metrorail station at the campus.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
In the School of Arts and Sciences, the University offers programs of study that lead to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in biology, education, English language and literature, French, Greek and Latin, history (medieval Europe, modern Europe, religion and society in the late medieval and early modern world, and United States), Italian, physics, politics (American government, political theory, and world politics), psychology, Romance languages and literatures, Semitic and Egyptian languages and literatures, sociology, and Spanish. Master's degrees are also granted in these programs as well as in anthropology, chemical education, classics, comparative literature, congressional studies, drama, international affairs, international political economics, Irish studies, and rhetoric.

The School of Theology and Religious Studies grants ecclesiastical degrees (S.T.B., S.T.L., and S.T.D.), civil degrees (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.), and professional degrees (M.R.E., M.Div., D.Min.). Areas of study include biblical studies, Church history, Hispanic/Latino studies, historical and systematic theology, liturgical studies/sacramental theology, moral theology, pastoral and ministerial studies, religion and culture, religious education, and spirituality.

Programs of study that lead to master's and Ph.D. degrees are also offered in the Schools of Engineering, Music, Nursing, and Philosophy and in the National Catholic School of Social Service. The Schools of Architecture, Law, and Library and Information Science also offer the appropriate professional degrees.

In addition to interdisciplinary programs in early Christian studies and medieval and Byzantine studies, numerous opportunities for study in joint programs are available.

Facilities & Resources
The Catholic University of America libraries house approximately 1.6 million volumes in the John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library, six campus libraries, and the White Law Library. Special strengths in the collection include religious studies; language studies; philosophy; canon law; early Christian, medieval, and Renaissance history; nursing; music; Celtic languages and literatures; and Semitic languages. Manuscript collections include 3.5 million items that relate to Catholic Church history, immigration, American labor history, social welfare movements, and early photography. Other research facilities that are available to students include 10,000 volumes of fifteenth- to eighteenth-century rare books in the Clementine Library, more than 55,000 volumes on the history and culture of Portuguese-speaking peoples in the Oliveira Lima Library, the Institute for Christian Oriental Research, the Gregorian chant microfilm collection, and the Latin American Center for Graduate Studies in Music collection.

The University is connected to the Internet via SURAnet, and there are more than 1,000 microcomputers and terminals on campus. The University is a member of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the Folger Institute of Renaissance and Eighteenth-Century Studies. The Washington Research Library Consortium provides access to millions of volumes that are owned by the eight member libraries through a combined online catalog, direct borrowing, and a delivery service. Resources include ALADIN (the catalog of books, journals, periodical articles, and document citations), document delivery services, Internet access, and direct-dial access to numerous scholarly indexes and services. In addition, students have access to the collections of the Library of Congress, the Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the National Library of Medicine.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $25,400 per academic year for full-time graduate and other postbaccalaureate students ($25,600 for engineering and architecture students and $31,080 for law students). Tuition for part-time students was $950 per credit hour ($1,525 for law).

Financial Aid:
Fellowships, scholarships, and teaching and research assistantships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence and promise. Need-based aid, such as student loans and work-study assistance, is also available.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Meal plans in University dining halls range in price from $1,820 to $5,138 per academic year; costs are subject to change at the beginning of each academic year. On-campus housing ranges in price from approximately $6,460 for a double room to $8,612 for a single room per academic year.

How to Apply / Application
Decisions concerning admission to graduate study are made by the academic deans of the schools. Applications and supporting documents should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions by the deadline specified by the respective department or school. A priority application deadline of February 1 is used for most programs. There is an application fee of $55.

Admission is open to qualified men and women of any age, color, disability, race, religion, or national or ethnic origin.

International Students
Catholic University has a long and strong commitment to global education and it welcomes applications from international students. Located in Washington, D.C., an international city, you will have access to rich culture and diversity.

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