Catholic Distance University (CDU) is a private online

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

university based in

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 census. It is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washington. ...

. It exclusively offers online undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs. CDU's programs aim to meet the goals set out in the '' Ex Corde Ecclesiae'' issued by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

regarding Catholic colleges and universities. CDU was the first Catholic institution to offer an MA in Theology completely online. Several Catholic dioceses partner with CDU to help train their catechists.

History

Catholic Distance University was established in 1983 in the Arlington diocese by Bishop

Thomas Jerome Welsh Thomas Jerome Welsh (December 20, 1921 – February 19, 2009) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia (1974–1983) and as bishop of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylv ...

. In 2015, the university relocated its headquarters to Charles Town,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

, as part of its strategic vision. CDU offers an accredited bachelor's degree completion program in theology, a master's degree in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, a master's degree in theology and educational ministry, graduate certificates, an undergraduate certificate, a catechetical diploma, and a variety of

catechetical Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the re ...

certificates. The university's programs are offered completely online; CDU launched its online campus in 2005. According to

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, in the academic year 2007–2008, CDU was the top Lay Ecclesial Ministry Program by number of enrollments.

Presidents

In 2003, Bishop Paul Loverde became the university president as Bishop

, the university's founder, became chairman emeritus. Bishop Loverde was succeeded by Dr. Marianne Evans Mount in 2008. * Bishop

(1986–2003) * Bishop Paul Loverde (2003–2008) * Dr. Marianne Evans Mount: (2008–present)

Academics

Catholic Distance University currently offers the

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

, and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

. It also offers graduate certificates and non-degree programs. All of the degree programs and certificates focus on religious topics such as theology, ministry, or church history.

Accreditation and affiliations

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission authorized Catholic Distance University to operate as a degree-granting institution of higher education in West Virginia. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia certifies CDU to operate in Virginia as an out-of-state private, non-profit degree-granting institution and the

Distance Education Accrediting Commission The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), formerly the National Home Study Council and then as the Distance Education and Training Council, is a non-profit national educational accreditation agency in the United States specializing in t ...

(DEAC) has accredited CDU since 1986. In 2015, CDU began the process of gaining

regional accreditation Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member ins ...

and programmatic accreditation. CDU is a candidate for accreditation wit
The Higher Learning Commission
and its Graduate School of Theology is accredited b
The Association of Theological Schools
In March 2015 the university was also approved for membership in the International Federation of Catholic Universities on the recommendation of

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

and

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

Notable faculty and alumni

* Clayton Fountain, federal prisoner serving a life sentence who converted to Catholicism in prison

References

External links

* {{authority control Distance education institutions based in the United States Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore Catholic universities and colleges in West Virginia Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Educational institutions established in 1983 1983 establishments in Virginia Distance Education Accreditation Commission