The Catholic University of Madagascar (UCM;

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Université Catholique de Madagascar''; Malagasy: ''Oniversite Katolika eto Madagasikara'') 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 ...

located in

Antananarivo Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Founded in 1960 as an

institute An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

within the Major Seminary of Antananarivo, it later became an independent institute. It gained accreditation from the Malagasy government in 2000, and in 2011 took its present name. The university is located in the heart of

, Madagascar's capital city. The campus includes a large historic building and a sizable

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

. Academics are split between four departments: the Social Sciences, Theology, Philosophy, and Psychology. The university contains a research center, publishes two scientific journals, and has partnerships with multiple international universities. The university is under the supervision of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar, and is the only university affiliated with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in Madagascar.

History

The Catholic University of Madagascar's roots date back to 1916, with the establishment of the Major Seminary of Antananarivo by French missionary priests. On 25 February 1960, the High Institute of Theology and Philosophy of Madagascar (ISTPM) was created as an institute within the seminary, becoming an associate institution of the Theological Faculty of the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

. In 1961, the ISTPM awarded the first

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Theology in Madagascar's history. In 1973, the ISTPM changed its name to the Higher Institute of Theology (ISTA). Still associated with the Major Seminary of Antananarivo, the "A" in its acronym stood for Ambatoroka, the neighborhood of Antananarivo to which the seminary and the ISTA had relocated to in 1930. It was also in 1973 that the ISTA ended its partnership with the Theological Faculty of Naples. During the political and economic crisis of 1991, the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar called for the ISTA to reorganize and incorporate courses in economics,

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

, and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in addition to theology and philosophy. These changes were fully incorporated in 1994, through cooperation with consultants, business executives, economists, and political figures. In 1997, the ISTA changed its name to the Catholic Institute of Madagascar (ICM). In October 1998, a Faculty of Social Sciences was established alongside the philosophy and theology departments. That same year, the Malagasy government accredited the undergraduate education of the Department of Philosophy. In 1999, the Catholic Institute of Madagascar signed an agreement of cooperation with the

Catholic University of Lyon The Catholic University of Lyon (UCLy), also known as the Lyon Catholic Institute ( French: ''Institut Catholique de Lyon''), is a French private university based in Lyon and Annecy, Southeastern France. History The Lyon Catholic University has ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, affiliating the ICM's Department of Philosophy with its equivalent at Lyon, and created a master's degree program. On 2 August 2000, the Catholic Institute of Madagascar as a whole, including all its faculties and departments, received accreditation by the Government of Madagascar. In 2004, the Faculty of Social Sciences created a master's degree program in research, and in 2005, a master's in law and political science was inaugurated. In 2011, the ICM was renamed the Catholic University of Madagascar. In 2015, the university opened its first

doctoral school In France, a doctoral school () is an educational structure similar in focus to a graduate school but restricted to PhD level. The concept was created in 2000. Doctoral schools have the responsibility of providing students with structured doctoral ...

, entitled the School of Ethics for Political, Legal, Social, and Human Development (EDHIS-JP). The next year, the Department of Psychology was established, and partnered with the Catholic University of Toulouse.

Campus

The campus of the Catholic University of Madagascar is located in the Ambatoroka neighborhood, in the heart of

, the capital of Madagascar. The main building on campus is a historic, European-style edifice, which was built in the 1920s. There is also an

seating 300 people, a large library, and a chapel.

Administration and organization

The Catholic University of Madagascar is located within the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo is one of five Latin Metropolitan Archdioceses in Madagascar, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Its cathedral episcopal see is the Immaculate Concept ...

and is administered by the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar. The university is led by a rector, accompanied by a Board of Managers and an Academic Board. Below the rector are a vice rector, an assistant rector, and a secretary-general. The current rector is the Rev. Marc Ravelonantoandro. The Archbishop of Antananarivo, Odon Razanakolona, holds the title of Grand Chancellor. The university is a member of the Francophone University Association, the Forum of Catholic Education in the Indian Ocean, and the

International Federation of Catholic Universities The International Federation of Catholic Universities () is an organisation of 226 Catholic universities throughout the world. The secretariat is at the Institut Catholique de Paris. History The federation has its origins in collaboration in 192 ...

Academics

Curriculum

The Catholic University of Madagascar is divided into four departments: the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the departments of Philosophy, Theology, and Psychology. The Faculty of Social Sciences is itself divided into three departments: Business and Economics, Law and Political Science, and Applied Social Sciences. The Applied Social Sciences curriculum is the

core curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

for undergraduates' first two semesters. It offers a Bachelor of Social Sciences Applied to Development, and master's degrees in Society and Development and Population and Development. The Department of Law and Political Science offers a

Bachelor of Law A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

and master's degrees in

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations and affairs between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that ...

private law Private law is that part of a legal system that governs interactions between individual persons. It is distinguished from public law, which deals with relationships between both natural and artificial persons (i.e., organizations) and the st ...

business law Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and organizations engaged in ...

, international relations. The Faculty of Social Sciences' Department of Business and Economics offers bachelor's and master's degrees in economics, public economics, management, and business administration. The Business section of the department is partnered with its equivalent department at the

, and offers bachelor's and master's degrees in management and business administration. The Economics section is partnered with the Research Institute for Development, the Popinter Laboratory of

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; ) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris. In 2018, it m ...

, and the

University of Rennes 1 The University of Rennes 1 was a public university located in Rennes, France. It was founded in 1970, after splitting of the historic University of Rennes into two universities. On January 1, 2023, the University of Rennes 1 merged with five gra ...

. It offers bachelor's degrees in economics, and master's degrees in macroeconomics, and public economics. The Department of Philosophy uses the canonical degree system, awarding the Bachelor of Philosophy and the Licentiate of Philosophy. It is affiliated with the Faculty of Philosophy at the Catholic University of Lyon, and participates in teacher exchanges with the

University of Milan The University of Milan (; ), officially abbreviated as UNIMI, or colloquially referred to as La Statale ("the State niversity), is a public university, public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Eu ...

, the University of Toliara, and the Higher Institute of Theology and Philosophy of Madagascar. In addition, the department maintains research ties with the departments of philosophy at the

University of Antananarivo University of Antananarivo () is the primary public university of Madagascar, located in the capital Antananarivo. History The university traces its founding to 16 December 1955 and the formation of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Antan ...

and the University of Toliara. The Department of Theology at UCM educates

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

seminarians A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...

, and laypeople. The curriculum is spread over five years, and includes the

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

and the

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...

. In addition, it provides training for those working in ecclesiastical capacities and also has courses available for those not seeking a degree. The Department of Psychology offers bachelor's master's degrees in psychology. Its motto is: "Respect, Autonomy, Integrity." The Doctoral School, entitled the School of Ethics for Political, Legal, Social, and Human Development, offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program that abides by international standards. The program lasts three years, and each student is guided by a professor chosen from any of the six academic departments.

Library

The Catholic University of Madagascar contains a library of more than 100,000 books and subscriptions to 23 newspapers and journals.

Research

The Catholic University of Madagascar contained a dedicated research center, and publishes two

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

s, the quarterly ''Aspects du Christianisme à Madagascar'' (ACM) and the annual ''Collection ISTA''. Regular conferences are hosted on a variety of topics, and an interdisciplinary

symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

is held every two years. The university maintains a scientific partnership with the Research Institute for Development in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, France. Other international partner institutions include: the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, the

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, the University of La Réunion in

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

, the

Université de Sherbrooke The Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS; Quebec English, English: ''University of Sherbrooke'') is a French-language Public university, public research university in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, with a second campus in Longueuil, a suburb on the Mont ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and the universities of

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, Paris Descartes,

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, Rennes 1, and

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, all in France. Domestic collaborative institutions include the

, the University of Toliara, and the Higher Institute of Theology and Philosophy of Madagascar.

Student life

The Catholic University of Madagascar hosts a variety of student activities, including an art club, a debate club, a theatre group, a

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

club, a music club, a student choir, and groups for

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

and

street dance Street dance is an umbrella term for a large number of social dance styles such as: breakdancing, popping, Locking (dance), locking, house dance, waacking, voguing, etc. Social dance styles have many accompanying steps and foundations, created o ...

. A

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...

is also published. In addition, there is a campus ministry program and a charity association, UCMCharité.

Athletics

The Catholic University of Madagascar supports

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

clubs.

People

List of rectors

* Rev. Germain Rajoelison (ca. 2007) * Rev. Odilon Tiankavana (ca. 2007 – 2013) * Rev. Marc Ravelonantoandro (2013–2022) * Rev. Lambert Rakotoarisoa (2022–)

Notable alumni

Samoela Jaona Ranarivelo Ranarivelo Samoela Jaona (born 25 January 1962) is the current Malagasy Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Antananarivo. He was consecrated on the 29 June 2008 at the cathedral of Saint Laurent's in Ambohimanoro, and is the fourth bishop of Antana ...

, Anglican Bishop of Antananarivo

Notable faculty

* Abdon Rafidison, rector of the Major Seminary of Antananarivo

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control 1960 establishments in Madagascar Buildings and structures in Antananarivo Catholic Church in Madagascar Universities and colleges established in 1960 Catholic universities and colleges in Madagascar Universities in Madagascar