Online

www.cdu.edu

Overview

One of the most significant developments in education in the last generation has been the growth of distance education through online learning. This rapid expansion has created opportunities for students—young adults as well as non-traditional working students of all ages—to pursue higher education with convenience and flexibility.

Not surprisingly, an increasing number of Catholic colleges and universities have been offering distance learning courses for enrichment as well as for undergraduate and even graduate degrees. But, although some of the institutions profiled earlier this Guide offer online graduate degrees, The Catholic Distance University offers an undergraduate degree completion program exclusively through distance study.

Indeed, CDU is a leader in the field, having offered 7,500 students access to theology courses since opening in 1983. According to the school, CDU was created “to meet the needs of adults who recognize that religious literacy is a life long process of growing in the knowledge and love of God.”

The first president and chairman of the board was the late Bishop Thomas Welsh, then of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, where the school is located, and who later served as Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Originally begun as the Catholic Home Study Institute, the name was changed in 1996 to The Catholic Distance University to reflect its status as a degree-granting institution. Dr. Marianne Evans Mount, the president, has been with the university in several capacities since its inception.

Although its headquarters is located in Hamilton, Virginia, a small town of about 900 residents one hour west of Washington, D.C., its student body is widely scattered. Every state as well as 57 foreign countries have been represented over the past 26 years. There is a growing interest in the university among homeschoolers.

Students are able to pursue a Vatican-approved Catechetical Diploma, an Advanced Catechist Certificate, a bachelor of arts degree in theology or a master of arts degree in theology. In addition, various non-credit programs are available.

What most interests us, and what accounts for including CDU in The Newman Guide, is that students interested in receiving an undergraduate degree in theology can take their final 36 credits at a high-quality, time-flexible institution after completing their general coursework elsewhere. This offers flexibility and cost savings to students who take advantage of a liberal arts core curriculum at another college—preferably one of the solid Catholic institutions in The Newman Guide—then complete a theology degree from home.

The B.A. completion program began in 2004. The first degree was awarded in 2006 and, as of April 2009, seven undergraduate degrees were awarded through this program. At the same time, CDU’s overall undergraduate enrollment was 88 (from 32 states and Canada) and the graduate enrollment was 170. When adding non-credit students, about 700-800 students take classes each year.

Students are mostly non-traditional adults, but not exclusively. The vast majority, not surprisingly, are Catholics, but there are a few non-Catholics as well. Many students hope for positions in Catholic schools or other religious education programs.

The university is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council, a distance learning accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops also identifies CDU as an approved distance-learning institution. The 36-credit Catechetical Diploma is approved by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy.

In addition to being faithful and flexible, especially for students who have work or family responsibilities, The Catholic Distance University is an incredible bargain. The undergraduate tuition for 2008-09 was $233 per credit or $699 for a three-credit course.

Governance

The university is governed by a 16-member board of trustees, half of whom are either bishops or priests. The chairman of the board is Bishop Paul Loverde of the Diocese of Arlington. Other board members include Bishop Michael Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia; Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Estabrook of the Archdiocese for Military Services; Dr. Jude Dougherty, the highly respected former dean of philosophy at The Catholic University of America; and noted Catholic writer Russell Shaw.

Dr. Mount, who helped establish CDU, served as the executive vice president for 12 years before she was named president in 2008. In addition to a graduate degree in religious education from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, she has a doctorate in adult learning and distance education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

She gave a talk titled “Transforming Faith in Online Learning Communities” during the fall meeting of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops in November 2008.

Among other administrators is the undergraduate dean, Fr. Bevil Bramwell, O.M.I., who earned his Ph.D. at Boston College. The graduate dean, Dr. Robert Royal, is a well-known Catholic scholar and author.

Public Identity

The university is explicitly Catholic in its curriculum and public identity. Dr. Royal said in an April 2009 EWTN interview, “Students who come to CDU know we are an Ex corde Ecclesiae university, and they help perpetuate it.” Not surprisingly, then, Ex corde is prominently displayed on the university’s website. The university’s motto is Gaudium de Veritate or Joy from the Truth.

Although the university does not have speakers on campus because of the nature of the institution, it does have fundraising dinners which are headlined by prominent Church leaders. The 25th anniversary celebration in 2008 featured a talk by Archbishop Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Academics

The bachelor of arts completion program accepts students either provisionally or fully, depending on previous credits earned. Students need 90 credits to be fully admitted to the program. Thirty-six credits, all in theology, must be taken at CDU; nine of these credits can be electives. There is only one major, theology.

All courses are taught in conformity with Church teachings. According to Dr. Mount, “All theology professors are reviewed and approved by Bishop Loverde. We send their curriculum vitae to his office. The mandatum may be obtained in a home diocese or from where a faculty member is working. Some faculty have it through their own diocese or they may obtain it through the Diocese of Arlington. We only hire faculty we know through board members or current academic staff.”

CDU has always been a distance institution. From 1983 until 2000, it used a paper correspondence format. Increasingly, it has gone online and describes itself as “an online learning community that is global.” Instruction is now approximately 60 percent online and 40 percent paper. There is no residency requirement.

One component of the program is a required one-credit “Undergraduate Academic Skills” course to help students develop tools needed for successful online college work such as study skills and time management.

A recent undergraduate degree completion student told us, “I was led to The Catholic Distance University in 2005 with 110 credits to finish a bachelor’s degree that had been on hold since 1980. CDU awakened again my desire to learn about holy things and to grow deeper in faith. The courses are well prepared, affordable, faithful to the teaching of the Church, and the online campus is accessible from anywhere at anytime.”

For those seeking an online program to fulfill prerequisites, CDU has a partner relationship with the College of Humanities and Sciences of the Harrison Middleton University, a Great Books-institution based in Tempe, Arizona.

CDU also has arranged for students to have library privileges with Woodstock Theological Center Library, a 190,000-volume library housed on the Georgetown University campus in Washington, D.C.

One special academic outreach is to prisoners. Since its beginning, CDU has provided very low-cost correspondence courses to incarcerated Catholics whose names have been put forward by their chaplains, according to Dr. Mount. She said, “We seek those who have an apostolic desire to hold classes for other inmates, work as a chaplain’s assistant, or serve in some leadership capacity.”

Spiritual Life

The Catholic Distance University has an online chapel, and the undergraduate dean, Father Bevil Bramwell, O.M.I., celebrates Mass daily at the administrative offices and posts meditations online. He also is the full-time theologian-in-residence and teaches several courses. Students can contact Father Bramwell privately for guidance and post prayer requests.

In his April 2009 EWTN interview, Dr. Royal said that while there is “some spiritual formation” offered through CDU, it cannot be complete and is not meant to substitute for a personal spiritual director. Consistent with the nature of distance learning, students should not rely on CDU for spiritual or social interaction, instead participating in parish life and Catholic apostolates in their communities.

But the courses do help to reinforce the spiritual life of students. According to Dr. Mount, through the “riches and fidelity of the courses, students are in touch with the foundations of the faith: scripture, Church documents, the saints and the great philosophers and theologians, such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine. The intellectual patrimony of the Church greatly enriches our spiritual lives.”

Student Activities

There are no formal student activities. But there is an online “café” for general social interaction among all enrolled students. Also, there have been a few in-person gatherings of students and CDU faculty and staff, including a recent West Coast get-together and participation in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Students also may attend the annual fundraising dinner in the Washington, D.C., area. A pilgrimage is planned for fall 2009 through the Diocese of Arlington.

The Bottom Line

The delivery of education is rapidly changing, and online instruction is a growing and viable alternative to traditional education. The Catholic Distance University, currently celebrating its 26th year of service, has been at the forefront of providing quality, faithful Catholic teaching to students seeking flexibility.

The undergraduate completion program, which offers a degree in theology, can be an attractive and low-cost option to students who have completed or are contemplating completing basic, non-major courses elsewhere.

Whether for work, location, family or other reasons, more students are likely to view The Catholic Distance University as a unique opportunity to receive an education which will enhance an understanding of their faith and to prepare to practice it in a number of important ways.