Dear Prospective Students and Parents,
At the University of Dallas we believe that the ends of education are wisdom, truth, and virtue.
Through the University’s Core Curriculum students acquire a unified view of the tradition of Western culture and civilization through study of the West’s greatest works, ideas, and accomplishments. When you attend the University of Dallas, whatever your major, you will read the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Plato’s Republic in your first semester. You will study Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, John Locke, and Abraham Lincoln, among others, with professors who are both academically accomplished and dedicated to teaching.
We are extremely proud of our Catholic identity and our Rome program. We are enthusiastically Catholic, meaning that we are proud of our Catholic heritage and we pursue our faith life with passion. The Core is a reflection of Pope John Paul II’s charge to “explore courageously the riches of revelation and of nature” in his encyclical on higher education Ex Corde Ecclesiae. The beauty of a University of Dallas liberal arts education comes from its ability to weave all of this, from Plato to John Paul II, together to fit into a powerful, compelling continuum.
The Rome program, which is a cohort to the academic enterprise, brings Western civilization to life by providing students the opportunity to see the most influential places and the greatest art and culture of the West. Rome is one of the birthplaces of Western civilization and the heart of the Roman Catholic Church.
The success of UD graduates shows the value of a liberal arts education in preparing students for life and work in the world. Our students have been awarded 30 Fulbright Awards in the last 50 years. 85% of pre-med track students at UD are accepted to medical school, nearly double the national average of 45%. 90% of pre-law track students are accepted to law school, compared to the national average of 60%. All of our education majors have passed the Texas Teacher Certification Exam. But our graduates are prepared for more than just professional success—a UD education aims at engaging students in lasting conversations and study, in a love of learning which endures their whole lives.
God bless,
Thomas W. Keefe, J.D.