Protestant University in the Congo

Protestant University in the Congo
MottoTruth, Faith, Freedom
TypePrivate
Established1959; 65 years ago (1959)
Vice-ChancellorMonsignor Ngoy Boliya Daniel
Students8,000 (2015)
Location
Lingwala, Kinshasa
,
Democratic Republic of the Congo

04°19′59″S 15°17′52″E / 4.33306°S 15.29778°E / -4.33306; 15.29778
CampusUrban
Websitewww.upc.ac.cd (French)

Protestant University in the Congo (French: Université protestante au Congo, or UPC), is a university in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, affiliated with the Protestant Church which is known in the country as the Church of Christ in the Congo.[1]

Location

The university's campus is located in the neighborhood called Lingwala, in the Lukunga District of Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The campus is bounded to the west by Avenue Pierre Mulele, immediately north of the Centenary Protestant Cathedral and adjacent to the National Museum of Congo, which lies to the south and south-east of the campus. The geographical coordinates of UPC campus are 4°19'59.0"S, 15°17'52.0"E (Latitude:-4.333056; Longitude:15.297778).[2]

Overview

The UPC traces its origins to the establishment of the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi (Faculté de Théologie Protestante du Congo Belge et du Rwanda-Urundi) in 1959. It became the Faculty of Protestant Theology in Free University of the Congo in 1963 and was later folded into the National University of Zaire (UNAZA) as part of the centralization of secondary education in the country in 1971. It was subsequently re-established an independent body in 1974 when UNAZA was securalised. As of 2015, it was the largest Protestant university in the world, with a student enrollment of approximately 8,000. At that time, 55 percent of the students were female and 45 percent were male.[1]

Academics

As of September 2015, UPC had the following faculties as illustrated in the table below. The year each faculty was established is also shown.[1]

Protestant University in Congo: Faculties
Rank Faculty Year of establishment Notes
1 Faculty of Theology 1959 [1]
2 Faculty of Business Administration and Economics 1989 [1]
3 Faculty of Law 1994 [1]
4 Faculty of Medicine 2006 [1]
5 Faculty of Computer Science 2017

Religious diversity

The table below illustrates the religious diversity among registered students in the university, as of September 2015.[1]

Religious Diversity Among Registered Students At Protestant University in Congo, September 2015
Rank Religious Belief Number of Students Percentage Notes
1 Independent Churches 2,959 37.70
2 Protestants 2,510 31.97
3 Catholics 2,298 29.27
4 Jehovah's Witnesses 28 0.35
5 Kimbanguists 26 0.33
6 Muslims 19 0.24
7 Orthodox 3 0.04
8 Anglicans 2 0.025
9 Salvationists 2 0.025
Total 7,849 100.00

Prominent alumni


See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Sébastien Fath (21 September 2015). "Protestant University in Congo, French-speaking university lung" (Translated from the original French language). Regardsprotestants.com. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Location of the Campus of the Protestant University in Congo" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. ^ Mazanza Kindulu, Joseph-Roger (2015). Les femmes dans l'espace décisionnel congolais (in French). Editions L'Harmattan. ISBN 9782336388915.
  4. ^ Digitalcongo.net (15 May 2019). "Eve Bazaiba has her handbag stolen in full rally of Lamuka in Kisangani!" (Translated from the original French language). Kinshasa: Digitalcongo.net. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. ^ Government of DR Congo (5 September 2019). "Announcement of The New Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo" (Translated from the original French Language). Washington, DC: Embassy of DR Congo to the United States. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. ^ 7sur7.cd (6 September 2019). "DRC: Here is the portrait of the new Minister of the Economy Acacia Bandubola Mbongo" (Translated from the original French Language). Kinshasa: 7sur7.cd. Retrieved 22 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Assemblée nationale : focus sur l'honorable Gaël Bussa". Journal la Prospérité (in French). 8 December 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2021.