CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, THE

private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Washington, D.C., U.S. The university is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. It comprises 11 faculties or schools, including the Columbus School of Law, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, and the National Catholic School of Social Service. The university offers an undergraduate curriculum in engineering, architecture, religion, and liberal arts and sciences. Master's and doctoral degree programs are also available in these areas and in three interdisciplinary programs: early Christian, medieval, and Byzantine studies. Research facilities include the Vitreous State Laboratory and the Life Cycle Institute. Total enrollment is about 7,000. Incorporated in 1887, Catholic University is the national university of the Roman Catholic church and the first institution of higher education established by Catholic bishops in the United States. When instruction began in 1889, the university offered only graduate courses. Undergraduate classes began in 1904. Noteworthy alumni include chemist Julius Nieuwland and Patrick Cardinal Hayes, archbishop of New York.