The Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (), also known as Catholic University of Argentina (; UCA), is a
private university
Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...
in
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
with campuses in the cities of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Santa Fe,
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
,
Paraná,
Mendoza and
Pergamino
Pergamino () is an Argentine city in the Buenos Aires Province, Province of Buenos Aires. It has a population of about 104,985 inhabitants as per the and is the administrative seat of its county, Pergamino Partido. Its UN/LOCODE is ARPGO.
Histor ...
. The main campus is located in
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Central Business District, Central Business District. Occup ...
, a modern neighborhood of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
.
Its predecessor, the Catholic University of Buenos Aires (1910–1922), was founded by the Argentine episcopate in 1910, but its degrees in law were not recognized by the Argentine government and the institution was closed in 1922.
In 1955, Decree 6403 concerning the freedom of education enabled the creation of private universities with the authority to deliver academic qualifications. In 1956, the bishops decided to create the Catholic University of Argentina, formally founded on March 7, 1958.
Cardinal
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was UCA's Grand Chancellor, by virtue of his office as Archbishop of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, until his election in 2013 as Pope Francis. When
Mario Aurelio Poli was named Archbishop of Buenos Aires by Pope Francis later in 2013, he became ''
ex officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...
'' Grand Chancellor of the University. In May 2013, Pope Francis named
Víctor Manuel Fernández, the University's President (the second-highest administrative rank after the Grand Chancellor), as titular archbishop of
Tiburnia.
Accreditation
The part-time
MBA program taught by the university has been accredited by the London-based
Association of MBAs (AMBA) since 1998.
History
First foundation: the Catholic University of Buenos Aires

Like Buenos Aires itself, the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina was founded twice.
The foundation of a catholic university was first discussed in the Eucharistic Congress of 1884. At the time, the
Argentine Law 1420 of Common Education had dictated public compulsory, free and secular education in order to guarantee the separation of Church and State and prevent discrimination on the basis of religious adherence.
Eventually the idea lost its momentum, but in 1908 the first Congress of Catholic Youths underlined the importance of a well-rounded, integral education and promoted the foundation of a catholic university "in which students are trained to excel in liberal professions and are taught the core of catholic doctine". The Argentine Episcopate finally decided in favour of this initiative by founding the Catholic University of Buenos Aires in 1910. The bishops proceeded with the conception of this first university regardless of the poor legislation on private institutions of higher education that the country had at the time.
The Faculty of Law was its first and only one, and the curriculum was largely based on those of public universities plus compulsory courses on philosophy and history. The aforementioned lack of legislation conspired against the procurement of official accreditation and the Catholic University of Buenos Aires was forced to close its doors in 1922, little over a decade after being founded.
Second foundation: the Catholic University of Argentina
The Argentine Episcopate decided to found the university once again in its plenum in 1956 and two years later, the Catholic University of Argentina was created.
Once the statutes of the institution were promulgated and approved, the university started receiving students to the original faculties:
* Faculty of Philosophy
* Faculty of Law and Political Science
* Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences
Rankings and reputation
According to the
QS World University Rankings
The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
, ''UCA'' is the third best
private university
Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...
in the country and is ranked second in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
.
UCA is widely considered to be one of the best institutions of higher education in Argentina.
QS World University Rankings
The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
has ranked UCA 2nd overall and 1st among private institutions in Argentina in 2013.
The university is also ranked 2nd in terms of employer preference.
UCA is also labeled as a "Top Business School" with 4 out of 5 Palmes by EdUniversal. The French consulting company also ranked UCA's Business School 3rd in the nation.
UCA's main campus is located in
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, ''barrio'' of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Central Business District, Central Business District. Occup ...
, the financial center of downtown Buenos Aires. It is just 500 meters (546 yards) away from
Casa Rosada and 3 lines of the
Buenos Aires Underground intersect less than 600 meters away.
Faculties and institutes
In Buenos Aires
Faculties
Campus in Buenos Aires
* Faculty of Arts and Musical Sciences
* Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
* Faculty of Economics
* Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering
* Faculty of Medical Sciences
* Faculty of Social, Political and Communication Sciences
** Institute of Political Science and International Relations
** Institute of Social Communication, Journalism and Advertising
* Faculty of Law
* Faculty of Canon Law
* Faculty of Philosophy and Literature
* Faculty of Psychology and Educational Psychology
* Faculty of Theology
Independent Institutes
* Institute of Bioethics
* Institute of Culture and University Extension
* Institute of Spirituality and Pastoral Action
* Institute for Marriage and Family
* Institute for the Integration of Knowledge
*
Institute of Social Sciences Research (IICS)
*
CEHAO
In Paraná
* Faculty "Teresa of Avila"
In Rosario
* Faculty of Law and Social Sciences
* Faculty of Economics
* School of Chemical and Engineering "Fray R. Bacon"
* Pergamino Regional Center
In Mendoza
* Faculty of Humanities and Education
* Faculty of Economics "San Francisco"
Main Publications
*
Ancient Near East Monographs
*
Antiguo Oriente
* Bridging Cultures
*
Damqatum
''Damqatum'' is an annual academic journal published by the Center of Studies of Ancient Near Eastern History ( CEHAO) ( Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires), which is dedicated to the history and archaeology of the Near East ...
* Ensayos de Política Económica
* Prudentia Iuris
* Revista de Psicología
* Sapientia
* Temas de Historia Argentina y Americana
* Teología
International UCA
In December 2000, the Office of International Relations was established, renamed to International Relations and Academic Cooperation in 2006, with the aim of promoting the internationalization of all components of the university. From that time the institution increased its links with institutions abroad, including:
America
* Canada:
Queen's University,
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
,
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...
* USA:
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
,
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
(Seattle),
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
,
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill,
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...
,
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...
,
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...
,
Washington College,
State University of New York at New Paltz,
East Carolina University
* Mexico:
Universidad Anahuac,
Universidad de las Americas in
Puebla
Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
,
Universidad de Monterrey
* Panama:
Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua (USMA)
* Colombia:
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana,
Universidad del Rosario
* Brazil:
Universidade de São Paulo (USP),
Universidade de Brasília (UnB),
PUC-Rio,
PUC-SP,
PUCRS, PUC-Minas
* Paraguay:
Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
* Chile:
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC),
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV)
* Uruguay: Universidad Católica del Uruguay,
Universidad de la República
Europe
* Spain:
Universidad Pontificia Comillas,
Universidad Carlos III,
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos,
Universitat Politècnica de València,
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
* France: Institut Catholique d'Études Supérieures (I.C.E.S.),
Institut de Sciences Politiques (Paris SciencePo),
Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris 5 - René Descartes,
Université d'Orléans, Université de Grenoble Pierre Mendès France, Université de Lyon 3, École Supérieure de Commerce de Clermont-Ferrand, École Supérieure Commerce Rouen, Grenoble Ecole Superieure de Commerce, École Supérieure de Commerce Marseille, École Supérieure de Commerce Dijon, Audentia
* United Kingdom:
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...
,
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
,
University College London (UCL)
* Italy:
Università di Torino,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore,
Pontifical Lateran University
The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...
(PUL),
Università di Firenze,
Università di Pisa, II Università di Roma "Tor Vergata"
* Germany:
Universität Tübingen,
Universität Mannheim,
Technische Universität Darmstadt,
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (HfB),
Bucerius Law School
* Switzerland:
Université de Genève
* The Netherlands:
Tilburg University,
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...
* Sweden:
Lunds Universitet
Asia
* China:
Peking University
Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...
* South Korea:
Sogang University
* Singapore:
Singapore Management University (SMU)
Oceania
* Australia:
Macquarie University
Macquarie University ( ) is a Public university, public research university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the Sydney metropolitan area. ...
,
University of Technology Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...
* New Zealand:
University of Otago
The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
,
Victoria University of Wellington
Notable professors and researchers
*
Alicia Daneri, Egyptologist.
*
Perla Fuscaldo, Egyptologist.
*
Alberto Ginastera, Composer
*
Marta Lambertini, Composer.
*
Santiago Legarre, Lawyer.
*
Jorge María Mejía, Cardinal.
*
Mario Aurelio Poli, Cardinal.
*
Eduardo A. Roca, Lawyer.
*
Ariel Edgardo Torrado Mosconi, Bishop.
Bishop Ariel Edgardo Torrado Mosconi Bishop of Nueve de Julio, Argentina, Catholic-hierarchy.org
/ref>
Notable alumni
* Mauricio Macri, former President of Argentina
The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
.
* María Eugenia Vidal, former Governor of Buenos Aires Province.
* Alfonso Prat-Gay, former Minister of the Treasury of Argentina.
* José Luis Machinea, former Minister of Treasury of Argentina.
* Javier González Fraga, former President of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic.
* Guillermo Dietrich, former Minister of Transport of Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
.
* Máxima Zorreguieta, Queen of the Netherlands.
* Soledad Fandiño, an Argentine model and actress.
* Eduardo Costantini, founder and president of the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires.
* Rafael Grossi General Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...
.
* Daniel Hadad CEO of Infobae.
* Alec Oxenford, co-founder of OLX.
* María Julia Alsogaray, was National Deputy for the City of Buenos Aire.
* Ramón Puerta, former Governor of Misiones Province.
* Germán Garavano, former Minister of Justice of Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
.
* Jorge Sapag, former Governor of Neuquen Province.
* Ricardo Buryaile, former Minister of Agriculture of Argentina.
* Sandra Mihanovich, an Argentine singer and actress.
* Ana Becciu, poet
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pontifical Catholic University Of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
Private universities in Argentina
Catholic universities and colleges in Argentina
Universities in Mendoza Province
Universities and colleges established in 1958
1958 establishments in Argentina
Universities in Buenos Aires
Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina