Institut Catholique de Paris

The Institut Catholique de Paris, or the "Catholic Institute of Paris", is a private university located in Paris, France. (In France the term "university" can only be used by state institutions of higher learning.) The institute was founded in 1875, under the name "Université Catholique de Paris", by Maurice Le Sage d'Hauteroche d'Hulst.

The institute offers licentiates, masters and doctoral degrees in various faculties. The "Faculté de Théologie" is a pontifical institution with the canonical authorization to educate men for the Catholic priesthood. The "Faculté de Lettres" is simply a school of the humanities with no obvious religious bias.

Professors at the institute are recruited from sacred (i.e., theology, canon law, etc.) and secular disciplines (e.g., letters, philosophy, education, social sciences, economics). The majority of degrees and diplomas awarded by the institute are state-authorised diplomas, as the institute is certified to issue them by the Ministry of Education. Canonical degrees are awarded in the name of the Holy See and are the result of a prescribed course of study in the "ecclesiastical" faculties, such as theology and canon law.

The Institut Catholique charges tuition, because the state does not pay the wages of teachers at Catholic institutions of higher learning, as authorized under the Debré Law of 1959. The institute receives a state subsidy which covers 34% of its financial needs. The amount of subsidy, derived from the Ministry for National Education, is independently fixed each year by the government each year within the framework of the national budget and without obligation or contract of any kind.

The Musée Edouard Branly, located within the institute, preserves the laboratory of physics professor and noted radio pioneer Edouard Branly.

The institute belongs to the network of the UDESCA (Union of the Catholic Higher Educational Establishments) which includes the five French Catholic institutes - Paris, Lille, Lyon, Angers and Toulouse - and associates with the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC), comprising 200 Catholic universities throughout the world.

Notable alumni

* The Reverend Father D. S. Amalorpavadass

* Jean Vanier

External links

*fr icon Official|http://www.icp.fr/icp/index.php