Centenary College of Louisiana is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) and is regularly rated as one of the top colleges in the South. Mentioned in the Templeton Guide's Colleges that encourage Character Development and in Peterson’s Top Colleges for Science, the College is also highly ranked in U.S. News & World Report. Princeton Review just named us one the Best 373 Colleges for 2011 and places us among the top institutions in the southeast, building upon similar recognitions since 2004. Newsweek has lauded Centenary as the "Hottest Liberal Arts School You've Never Heard Of" and Forbes.com has called us one of "America's Best Colleges."
Quick Facts
Enrollment, 2009-10 Academic Year
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Degrees Conferred:
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Academics
See the academics section for more information.
Majors
Art & Visual Culture, Biochemistry, Biology, Biophysics, Business Administration, Chemistry, Communication, Economics, English, French, Geology, History, Mathematics, Music, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Theatre, and the Individualized Major
Pre-Professional and Minor Programs
Allied Health Tracks (Medical Technology, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Speech-Language, Pathology/Audiology 3/2), Christian Leadership Center, Computer Science minor, Engineering 3/2, Environment and Society minor, Gender Studies minor, Museum Management, Physics minor, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Veterinary, Spanish minor
Graduate Programs
Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Business Administration
Faculty
Centenary employs 70 full-time faculty members. Of those, 93 percent of Centenary's tenure-track faculty hold a Ph.D. or the final degree in their field. The faculty/student ratio at Centenary is 10:1, and the average class size is 16.
See faculty directory.
Special Academic Programs
- Independent Study
- Internship Programs
- Washington, D.C. Program
- Centenary Mentor Program
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- CODOFIL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana)
- Exchange Programs
- Belgium (CODOFIL Program)
- University de Liegé
- University of Mons
- Denmark
- France
- Catholic University of Lille
- MICEFA (a consortium of 12+ universities in Paris)
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Ireland (Irish-American Scholars Program)
- Japan (in the works)
- Mexico
- Belgium (CODOFIL Program)
- Other Opportunities:
The Honor System
Students are bound by the Honor System, which is applicable to all academic work. The Honor Code is administered by an Honor Court of student Justices who are elected through nominations from both faculty and students. The Honor System assumes that honor is fostered and sustained only through the willing and earnest efforts of both faculty and students.
The Trek
The Trek offers every Centenary student a three-pronged program of experiential learning exploring Career, Community, and Culture.
Student Life
All full-time students, except those living at home and those seniors 21 years of age or older, live on campus and purchase one of the meal plans offered to residential students through Sodexho Food Service. Staff Resident Directors live in each residence hall and supervise upperclass Student Resident Advisors, who live on each residence hall floor.
Each residence hall room is equipped with two phone lines, two network-access lines, and free cable television.
Religious Life
On-campus religious organizations and activities for students include Icthus (United Methodist Student Movement), Baptist Collegiate Ministry, Roman Catholic mass, Canterbury House (Episcopal Church), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade for Christ, and Soul Interest Bible study. Stepping Stones, a student-led ecumenical praise and worship service is held weekly in Brown Chapel.
Athletics
Athletic Conference: The Summit League
Athletic Facilities:
- Basketball Complex
- Baseball/Softball Complex
- Climbing Tower
- Soccer Complex
- Tennis Courts
- Fitness Center
- Gymnasium
- Aerobic/Dance Room
- Swimming Pool
- Racquetball Courts
- Weight Area
NCAA Division I: Centenary is the smallest Division I school in the nation. Centenary competes against other Division I schools in volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, cross country, baseball, golf, tennis, softball, and swimming.
Centenary Colors: Maroon and White.
Student-athletes: 61% of Centenary's athletes have a 3.0 GPA or higher.
For athletics additional information, see GoCentenary
For members of the Athletic Hall of Fame, see Centenary Athletic Hall of Fame
National Recognition for Centenary
- "No. 8 Best Value" Among the Best Universities–Master's (By Region) in the South, U.S. News & World Report, "Great Schools, Great Prices.” August 2006, for 2007 Guidebook
- No. 13 among the Best Universities–Master's in the South, U.S. News & World Report, August 18, 2006, and in Year 2007 Guidebook America’s Best Colleges
- Among the "The Best 361 Colleges" for 2006-07, The Princeton Review, released August 22, 2006, for 2007 edition
- Among the Top 10 (No. 3) Master’s Level Institutions With High Proportions of Undergraduates Studying Abroad, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2003
- Colleges that encourage Character Development, The Templeton Guide
- "Among the Nation's 150 Best College Values," Money Magazine
- Top 200 Colleges for Science, Peterson's Guides
- "Best Colleges," Student Advantage Guide to the Best Colleges, Princeton Review
- "Among the 87 Best," America's Best Christian Colleges
- Top Colleges and Universities in the U.S. for the World's Best Students, Peterson's Competitive Colleges
- Barron's Best Buys in College Education, Profiles of 247 Colleges, 2007 Edition, and previous editions
- Peterson's Four-Year Colleges
- Seventeen Magazine's Top 10 Coolest Small Colleges (No. 6), October 2002
Alumni Hall of Fame
Induction into the Alumni Hall of Fame is the highest honor conferred by the Centenary Alumni Association. See Members of the Centenary Alumni Hall of Fame
Centenary's Alma Mater
Centenary College of Louisiana's school song is known as the Alma Mater. The words are by James Church Alvord. The verse and chorus commonly sung at graduation and other school ceremonies are:
Verse
Where the sleepy, silver bayou
Gleams among the pines,
Watching o'er the throbbing city
Alma Mater shines.
Chorus
Forward, forward, Centenary—
Time and tide may fail,
But our hearts shall love thee ever—
Centenary, Hail.
For additional information see History of Centenary's Alma Mater.
Equal Opportunity at Centenary
Centenary College is an equal opportunity educational institution. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national of ethnic origin, religion, gender, age, marital status, veteran’s status, disability or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, recruitment or admission of students, scholarships, grant or loan programs, athletic or other College-administered programs, employment procedures, training programs, promotion policies or other related personnel practices. The College follows the guidelines for records established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (1974).
The College's designated coordinator for compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972 and the Internal Revenue Service is Mr. Bill Ballard, Vice President for Finance and Administration.
