The Catholic University of America, founded in 1887 as a research-oriented institution, offers graduate and/or professional degrees in all 12 of the schools of the University. Undergraduate degrees are awarded by 10 of our schools.

School of Architecture and Planning

Students working on an architecture project

Students studying architecture and planning at CatholicU, one of the few schools to offer the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure program, combine world-class technology and centuries of design wisdom to build a better world. Housed within our award-winning Crough Center for Architectural Studies, they explore how the latest digital technologies can meld with classical as well as emerging styles to give expression to buildings, cities, and spaces that serve both human needs and nature. Study under renowned faculty, explore programs like our Design Collaborative to spark real-world change, and become the next leader designing for society's collective social, spiritual, and environmental health.


School of Arts and Sciences

Students presenting a project in a physics class

Our largest school, and it would have to be to contain all the programs offered. While being located in the nation’s capital makes Politics a popular major, 16 other departments cover subjects from Anthropology, Biology, Economics, and Education to Greek and Latin, History, Physics, and Psychology. Did you know that CatholicU introduced the study of psychology in the United States? And today students and faculty in 11 research laboratories continue a 125-year history of making significant contributions to the international literature on the latest developments in the field.


Tim and Steph Busch School of Business

Students in a team room discussing a project

At CatholicU, business isn’t just about beating the bottom line. It’s about bettering the world we live in. Students who study business here are changemakers with their sights set on a more ethical and innovative future. From accounting to sales to the entire business world beyond, you can study and intern in some of the most exciting and influential sectors of the field. Plus, with classes held inside the newly renovated Maloney Hall, you’ll have access to all the leading technology and resources needed to land you a job at places like Google, NetApp, Ernst & Young, and countless others.


School of Canon Law

Students in a canon law class

The School of Canon Law at Catholic University, the only school of Catholic canon law in the United States, offers ecclesiastical degrees authorized by the Vatican. The school’s courses of study familiarize students with the law of the Catholic Church and prepare them for the professional practice of canon law in dioceses and other ecclesiastical structures. While the primary focus of coursework is the Code of Canon Law for the Latin church, attention is given to the Code of Canons of Eastern churches. The application of canon law requires not only skill in legal interpretation but also a broad grasp of the historical, theological and sociological factors contributing to its development.


School of Engineering

Students using a microscope in an engineering lab

Each piece of engineering tells its own story. From the laptop you’ll use to the bridges you’ll cross to get here, every idea and solution holds a world inside it. If you choose to study engineering at Catholic University, you’ll be diving into one of our most popular and prosperous disciplines. And whether your eye is drawn to civil, biomedical, electrical, environmental, or mechanical engineering or computer science, you’ll have the tools and the technology to take your story further than you could ever imagine.


Columbus School of Law

Two law students looking at a textbook

Founded in 1897, The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law is distinguished as a pioneer in clinical legal education, offering one of the nation’s broadest ranges of clinical experiences to students. In addition, the law school is widely recognized for special programs in communications law, law and public policy, law and religion, law and philosophy/culture, securities law, and comparative and international law. Catholic University’s law school ranks among the highest in the nation for graduates who choose to practice public service or public sector law. Alumni are also well represented in government and private practice.

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Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art

Stage production of 9 to 5

Whether your medium is scale or sonnet, painting or playwriting, in the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art, you’ll develop your craft with full creative freedom. Explore your most artistic passions in the program that has produced 2 Oscar Award, 7 Tony Award, and 2 Pulitzer Prize winners, and see how our school’s connections to D.C. powerhouses such as the National Gallery of Art and the Kennedy Center can change the course of your career forever.


Conway School of Nursing

Student nurses working with a patient on a mission trip

The Conway School of Nursing is ranked among the best nursing graduate programs in the nation and is distinguished for preparing graduates for leadership in a changing health care environment and developing a commitment to lifelong learning and service. The school is known for its commitment to the advancement of nursing science and practice through its clinically oriented research, its educational initiatives focusing on advancing the care of vulnerable populations, and its successful pipeline projects to increase nursing diversity. You'll have the opportunity to be part of the metropolitan Washington, D.C., community through targeted clinical learning opportunities; exposure to government, public and health policy advocacy and development; international activities; and special events.


School of Philosophy

Students gathered around a book

School of Philosophy icon Msgr. Robert Sokolowski defines his subject as “the art of making distinctions.” For millennia, the study of philosophy has encouraged humankind to develop our minds; to think differently about nature and how we organize, analyze, and express ideas. What better preparation for making good judgments in any discipline, for working in any field? Of course, it takes a bit of time, an eye for the big picture, and a preference for truth over convenience. But analytical ability, clarity of thought, and knowing how to get to the essentials of a question will always be prized in the marketplace of both ideas and commerce.


Metropolitan School of Professional Studies

Students smiling in classroom

Established in 1979, Metropolitan School of Professional Studies offers adult students opportunities to complete professional development and degree programs while continuing employment. Students can attend evening and weekend classes, as well as study through online courses, while concentrating in such fields as business management, education studies, human resource management, information technology and social sciences. College Level Examination Program tests are given on campus to assist adults in obtaining credit for what they have learned outside of formal classrooms. The school also offers certificate programs and corporate training for business and professional groups as well as master's degrees in management and human resource management.


National Catholic School of Social Service

Students getting hands on social work experience

The top-ranked Catholic school of social service in the nation, NCSSS in 2018 celebrated its first century of unwavering commitment to the pursuit of social justice for all. Combining the University’s rich liberal arts curriculum (including philosophy, theology, and rhetoric) with specific courses in human behavior, research, policy, and practice — together with unsurpassed opportunities to partner in meaningful field work with agencies across the District — our social work graduates have a well-earned reputation for being effective advocates and change agents for their clients from day one.


School of Theology and Religious Studies

Students in a theology and religious studies class

Founded in 1887 — the year that Pope Leo XIII gave his approval to establish The Catholic University of America — the School of Theology and Religious Studies is internationally renowned for educating scholars for the academic community and for its professional training of lay and clerical leaders who serve the Catholic Church throughout the United States and the world. The school offers ecclesiastical, civil, and professional degrees on the graduate level. Our faculty guide and administer the curriculum in theology and religious studies for Catholic University's undergraduates and for graduate programs as well as specialized programs in Hispanic ministry and in the history of religions.


Our Seminary: Theological College

Seminarians walking out of building

Founded in 1917 as the Sulpician Seminary, Theological College was officially established by Vatican decree in 1937 as the seminary of The Catholic University of America. Today, in collaboration with the bishops of the United States and Catholic University’s Schools of Theology and Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Canon Law, Theological College prepares future priests for a life of service to parishes and dioceses across the United States.

The seminary offers a balanced, holistic formation program, focusing on the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions of formation. Theological College assists seminarians in the task of vocational discernment and in preparation for priestly life and ministry.

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