Universidad Católica del Norte

Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) is a private Catholic university in Antofagasta, Chile, founded on 31 May 1956 by the Society of Jesus and counted among the country's traditional universities within the Council of Rectors.北方天主教大学（Universidad Católica del Norte，UCN）是智利安托法加斯塔的一所私立天主教大学，1956 年 5 月 31 日由耶稣会创办，属于智利大学校长委员会体系内的传统大学。

Its Casa Central stands on Avenida Angamos in Antofagasta, while a campus in Coquimbo and research and museum sites at San Pedro de Atacama and Sierra Vicuña Mackenna extend its reach across northern Chile.学校主校区位于安托法加斯塔的安加莫斯大道，科金博校区以及圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马和比库尼亚·马肯纳山的研究与博物馆站点，把办学网络铺展到智利北部。

UCN teaches about 11,650 students through nine faculties, 48 undergraduate programmes, 23 master's degrees and five doctorates, and QS placed it in the 1401+ band of its World University Rankings 2027.北方天主教大学设有 9 个学部，开设 48 个本科专业、23 个硕士项目和 5 个博士项目，约有 11650 名学生，QS 在 2027 年世界大学排名中把它列入 1401+ 区间。

History

• The Society of Jesus founded UCN on 31 May 1956 with funds from the testamentary bequest of Berta González Moreno, widow of Astorga, initially as a school of pedagogy and engineering under the wing of the Catholic University of Valparaíso.耶稣会于 1956 年 5 月 31 日创办该校，启动资金来自阿斯托加之遗孀贝尔塔·冈萨雷斯·莫雷诺的遗嘱捐赠，最初是附属于瓦尔帕莱索天主教大学的教育学与工程学院。
• Teaching began on 25 March 1957 with 100 students and 20 professors, a modest opening that made the institution the first university established in Antofagasta.1957 年 3 月 25 日开课，当时只有 100 名学生和 20 名教师，这一规模不大的开端使该校成为安托法加斯塔建立的第一所大学。
• Law 15.561 of 4 February 1964 granted the institution full autonomy as the Universidad del Norte, making it Chile's eighth university and its third Catholic university, and it joined the Council of Rectors.1964 年 2 月 4 日的第 15561 号法律授予学校完全自治，定名北方大学，使其成为智利第八所大学和第三所天主教大学，并加入大学校长委员会。
• In 1966 the university launched Radio Sol FM and the Telenorte television network, which broadcast across Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, Copiapó and La Serena until it closed in 2001.1966 年，学校创办太阳调频电台与Telenorte电视网，后者向阿里卡、伊基克、安托法加斯塔、科皮亚波和拉塞雷纳播出，直至 2001 年停播。
• After the 1973 coup the military junta imposed four rector-delegates on the university under Decree Law 50 of 2 October 1973, interrupting its elected governance for the rest of the dictatorship.1973 年政变后，军政府依据 1973 年 10 月 2 日的第 50 号法令向学校派驻四任代理校长，在其后的独裁时期中断了选举产生的治理传统。
• The 1981 reform of Chilean higher education detached UCN's Arica branch, which became the Instituto Profesional de Arica and was then merged into the new Universidad de Tarapacá by DFL 150 of 11 December 1981.1981 年智利高等教育改革把该校的阿里卡分校剥离，改为阿里卡专业学院，随后依 1981 年 12 月 11 日第 150 号法令并入新成立的塔拉帕卡大学。
• In 1990 the institution adopted its present name, Universidad Católica del Norte, replacing the older Universidad del Norte as Chile returned to democracy.1990 年，学校改用现名北方天主教大学，取代旧称北方大学，此时智利正回归民主制度。
• The Coquimbo campus at Guayacán grew into a second academic centre serving the La Serena-Coquimbo conurbation, with its own vice-rectorate and schools of education, engineering and business.科金博的瓜亚坎校区发展为第二大学术中心，服务拉塞雷纳—科金博都市区，设有自己的副校长办公室以及教育、工程与商科学院。
• In 1990 Victoria González Stuardo became secretary general, the officer who certifies the university's acts, and held the post until 2014, spanning the change from the Universidad del Norte to the current name.1990 年，维多利亚·冈萨雷斯·斯图阿尔多出任校秘书长，即大学的法定见证人，并任职至 2014 年，任期跨越从北方大学到现名的过渡。
• Telenorte closed in 2001 after 35 years on air, but Radio Sol FM continues to broadcast on 97.7 MHz in Antofagasta and 96.1 MHz in Calama.Telenorte在运营 35 年后于 2001 年停播，但太阳调频电台仍在安托法加斯塔 97.7 兆赫和卡拉马 96.1 兆赫播出。
• In 2010 the student federation's social work secretariat created PREU UCN, a free pre-university course for students from low-income families, which became a flagship access programme.2010 年，学生会社会事务秘书处创办免费的UCN预科项目，面向低收入家庭学生，后来成为该校的标志性入学支持计划。
• The university revised its statutes in 2011, and the Congregation for Catholic Education approved the text, aligning governance with the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae.学校于 2011 年修订章程，文本获天主教会教育部批准，使治理结构符合宗座宪令《教会心中》。
• The National Accreditation Commission awarded UCN six years of institutional accreditation in November 2022, valid until November 2028 and covering management, teaching, research and outreach.2022 年 11 月，智利国家认证委员会授予该校六年机构认证，有效期至 2028 年 11 月，覆盖管理、教学、研究与社区服务。
• UCN marks its foundation every 31 May and in 2026 opened a programme of events for its seventieth anniversary under the slogan 70 Years of History in the North of Chile.学校每年 5 月 31 日纪念建校，并在 2026 年以“智利北部七十年历史”为口号启动七十周年系列活动。
• From 1956 to 1990 the institution was legally known as the Universidad del Norte, a name still carried by its anthem and by several alumni organisations.1956 年至 1990 年间，学校的法定名称为北方大学，这一名称至今仍见于校歌和多个校友组织。
• The university is a public-law corporation and a Catholic university approved by the Holy See through the Archbishop of Antofagasta, who serves ex officio as grand chancellor.该校是公法法人，也是经圣座通过安托法加斯塔大主教批准的天主教大学，大主教依职务担任大校监。
• Under the statutes approved in 2011, its rector is chosen by an electoral college for a four-year term, appointed by the Archbishop of Antofagasta after Vatican approval, and governs with a Superior Council and a University Senate.校长由选举团选出，任期四年，经梵蒂冈认可后由安托法加斯塔大主教任命，并与高级理事会和大学评议会共同治理。
• In the 2000s the university began building the Science and Technology Park of the Antofagasta Region around its Casa Central, with Ceduc UCN and a mineralogy centre as the first completed stage.2000 年代，学校开始围绕主校区建设安托法加斯塔大区科学技术园，UCN职业教育中心与矿物学中心构成其一期工程。
• The Arica split of 1981 left UCN with its Antofagasta and Coquimbo operations, and the university later added sites at Calama, Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama.1981 年阿里卡分校的剥离使学校保留安托法加斯塔与科金博业务，此后学校又在卡拉马、圣地亚哥和圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马增设站点。
• The university's archaeological institute in San Pedro de Atacama traces its collections to the Jesuit priest Gustavo Le Paige, whose research made the oasis a reference point for Andean archaeology.学校在圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马的考古研究所，其藏品可追溯至耶稣会神父古斯塔沃·勒佩奇，他的研究使这处绿洲成为安第斯考古的参照点。
• UCN is one of six Catholic universities in the Council of Rectors, and its current rector, Rodrigo Alda Varas, governs a community of more than 11,000 students and 650 academic staff.该校是大学校长委员会中六所天主教大学之一，现任校长罗德里戈·阿尔达·瓦拉斯治理着由 11000 多名学生和 650 余名学术人员组成的共同体。

Academics

• UCN organizes its degrees into nine faculties, covering sciences, engineering and construction, marine sciences, economics and administration, education, humanities, engineering and geological sciences, medicine and legal sciences.学校把学位教育分为 9 个学部，涵盖理学、工程与建筑、海洋科学、经济与管理、教育、人文、工程与地质科学、医学以及法律科学。
• Beneath the faculties sit 20 departments, nine schools, three institutes and seven research centres, plus a science and technology park and the Ceduc technical-training network.学部下设 20 个系、9 个学院、3 个研究所和 7 个研究中心，另有科学技术园与UCN职业教育培训网络。
• The university offers 48 undergraduate programmes, 23 master's degrees, five doctorates and 27 diploma and postgraduate certificate courses, with continuing education also delivered online.学校开设 48 个本科专业、23 个硕士项目、5 个博士项目和 27 个文凭与研究生证书课程，继续教育亦提供在线形式。
• Marine science is a signature field, with departments of aquaculture and marine biology, a magister and a doctorate in aquaculture, and research stations on the Pacific coast.海洋科学是该校的标志性领域，设有水产养殖系与海洋生物系、水产养殖硕士和博士项目，并在太平洋沿岸设有研究站。
• Astronomy is taught through the physics degree with a mention in astronomy and through master's and doctoral programmes in physics, supported by the Astronomy Institute at Sierra Vicuña Mackenna.天文学通过物理学（天文方向）本科以及物理学硕士、博士项目教授，并由比库尼亚·马肯纳山天文研究所提供支撑。
• Geology and mining form a second pillar, with civil mining, metallurgical and geological engineering degrees and the CICITEM research centre for mining technology.地质与矿业是第二支柱，开设采矿、冶金与地质工程本科专业，并设有矿业技术研究中心CICITEM。
• The Archaeological Research Institute and the R.P. Gustavo Le Paige Museum in San Pedro de Atacama give the university a long-standing base in Andean archaeology and anthropology.圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马的考古研究所与古斯塔沃·勒佩奇神父博物馆，使学校在安第斯考古与人类学领域拥有长期基地。
• Arid-zone research is channelled through CEAZA, the Centre for Advanced Studies in Arid Zones, and CEITSAZA, the centre for water technology in the desert.干旱区研究通过干旱区高级研究中心CEAZA与沙漠水技术中心CEITSAZA开展。
• Medicine is taught with clinical departments at the Hospital San Pablo in Coquimbo and opposite the Hospital San Juan de Dios in La Serena, alongside the Northern Biomedicine Centre.医学教学依托科金博圣巴勃罗医院与拉塞雷纳圣胡安·德迪奥斯医院对面的临床系，并配有北方生物医学中心。
• Professional training is organised through the Law School in Antofagasta and Coquimbo and through the Medical School, whose clinical teaching is based at the regional hospitals.专业训练通过安托法加斯塔与科金博的法学院以及医学院组织，后者的临床教学以地区医院为基地。
• Engineering programmes span civil, industrial, computer, chemical, environmental and construction engineering, and the Engineering School also offers a doctorate in systems engineering.工程类专业覆盖土木、工业、计算机、化学、环境与建筑工程，工程学院还开设系统工程博士项目。
• Business and mining management are taught through the Mining Business School, the MBA centre in Calama and the Institute of Applied Regional Economics.商业与矿业管理教学由矿业商学院、卡拉马MBA中心与应用区域经济研究所承担。
• Teacher education is delivered by the schools of education in Antofagasta and Coquimbo, with programmes in early childhood, primary, special education and English teaching.教师教育由安托法加斯塔与科金博的教育学院承担，开设幼儿、小学、特殊教育与英语教学等专业。
• Ceduc UCN runs technical training in Coquimbo, Antofagasta and Lebu, giving the university a vocational arm that reaches beyond its two university campuses.UCN职业教育中心在科金博、安托法加斯塔与莱布开展技术培训，使学校拥有超出两个大学校园的职业教育部。
• Its QS profile lists 11,651 students and 655 academic staff, while Times Higher Education recorded 12,067 full-time-equivalent students and a student-to-staff ratio of 19.5 to 1 for 2027.其QS资料列出 11651 名学生和 655 名学术人员，泰晤士高等教育则为 2027 年记录 12067 名全日制等效学生，师生比 19.5 比 1。
• An English Language Institute run with the University of Queensland supports language training, and the continuing-education unit offers diplomas from project management to risk prevention.学校与昆士兰大学合办英语学院支持语言培训，其继续教育部门提供从项目管理到风险防控等领域的文凭课程。

Campus

• The Casa Central occupies the block around Avenida Angamos 610 in Antofagasta, a port city about 1,100 kilometres north of Santiago in the Atacama Desert.主校区占据安托法加斯塔安加莫斯大道 610 号一带的街区，这座城市位于阿塔卡马沙漠，距圣地亚哥约 1100 公里。
• The Antofagasta site combines the rectorate, most faculties, the central library and the Huanchaca ruins, a former silver-smelting complex that now houses the Atacama Desert Museum.安托法加斯塔校区集中了校部、大多数学部、中央图书馆以及万查卡遗址，这处旧银冶炼建筑群如今设有阿塔卡马沙漠博物馆。
• The Desert Museum was created as an alliance between the Enjoy group and UCN's bicentennial project, and it presents the natural and cultural history of the driest desert on earth.沙漠博物馆由Enjoy集团与UCN二百周年项目合作设立，展示地球上最干燥沙漠的自然与文化史。
• Campus Guayacán in Coquimbo serves the southern end of the university's territory, close to the port of Coquimbo and the beaches of the La Serena conurbation.科金博的瓜亚坎校区服务学校版图的南端，靠近科金博港与拉塞雷纳都市区的海滩。
• At San Pedro de Atacama, 2,400 metres above sea level, the university operates its archaeological institute and the Le Paige museum, whose collection includes mummies and artefacts from the Atacama oases.在海拔 2400 米的圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马，学校运营考古研究所与勒佩奇博物馆，馆藏包括来自阿塔卡马绿洲的木乃伊与器物。
• The Sierra Vicuña Mackenna site near Taltal hosts the Astronomy Institute, placing telescopes in one of the clearest skies of the southern hemisphere.塔尔塔尔附近的比库尼亚·马肯纳山站点设天文研究所，把望远镜安置在南半球最清澈的天空之一。
• Further installations include an MBA centre in Calama, a Santiago office for admissions and DEMRE representation, and clinical departments in Coquimbo and La Serena.其他设施包括卡拉马MBA中心、负责招生与DEMRE事务的圣地亚哥办公室，以及科金博与拉塞雷纳的临床系。
• The Professor Humberto Fuenzalida Geological Museum holds rock, mineral and fossil collections that support teaching in the geology and mining engineering programmes.温贝托·富恩萨利达教授地质博物馆收藏岩石、矿物与化石标本，为地质与采矿工程教学提供支持。
• The Science and Technology Park is planned in three stages around the Casa Central, adding a pilot experimentation centre and laboratories for astronomy, renewable energy, bioinnovation and materials.科学技术园围绕主校区分三期建设，将增设中试实验中心以及天文、可再生能源、生物创新与材料实验室。
• Ceduc UCN adds training centres in Coquimbo, Antofagasta and Lebu, while the Santiago office connects the university to the national admissions system.UCN职业教育中心在科金博、安托法加斯塔与莱布增设培训中心，圣地亚哥办公室则把学校与国家招生系统连接起来。

Reputation

• QS World University Rankings 2027 places UCN in the 1401+ band, the shared final bracket for universities outside the numbered positions.2027 年QS世界大学排名把该校列入 1401+ 区间，这是编号名次之外高校共享的末段区间。
• U.S. News & World Report ranks UCN 1,471st in its 2026-2027 Best Global Universities list, a standing that keeps it inside the global top 1,500.《美国新闻与世界报道》在 2026—2027 年全球最佳大学榜单中把该校列为第 1471 位，使其保持在全球前 1500 名之内。
• UCN does not appear in the 2027 Times Higher Education World University Rankings or in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, so its QS and U.S. News positions are the two main global reference points.该校未进入 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名，也未进入 2026 年软科世界大学学术排名，因此QS与美国新闻的位次是其两项主要全球参照。
• In national comparisons, the SCImago Institutions Rankings 2024 placed UCN 23rd among Chilean universities, while Webometrics 2024 ranked it ninth in the country.在本国比较中，2024 年SCImago机构排名把该校列为智利高校第 23 位，2024 年Webometrics则把它列为全国第 9 位。
• QS placed UCN between 13th and 20th nationally in its 2024 ranking, and Times Higher Education between 17th and 28th nationally in the same year.QS在 2024 年榜单中把该校列为智利第 13 至 20 位，泰晤士高等教育同年把它列为全国第 17 至 28 位。
• Its six-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Commission, running from 2022 to 2028, is close to the maximum seven-year term available in Chile.该校获国家认证委员会六年认证，期限为 2022 至 2028 年，接近智利可获得的七年最长认证期。
• Research strength clusters in astronomy, marine biology and aquaculture, mining and metallurgy, arid-zone ecology and Andean archaeology, fields tied to the Atacama Desert and the Pacific coast.研究优势集中在天文、海洋生物学与水产养殖、采矿与冶金、干旱区生态以及安第斯考古，这些领域与阿塔卡马沙漠和太平洋海岸紧密相关。
• QS lists psychology, engineering and manufacturing, biological sciences, environmental science and education among the university's strongest subject areas.QS把心理学、工程与制造、生物科学、环境科学与教育学列为该校较强的学科领域。
• The university's alumni network includes senators, deputies, ministers and regional officials, giving it a visible role in the public life of northern Chile.该校校友网络包括参议员、众议员、部长与地区官员，使其在智利北部公共生活中具有可见影响。
• In 2026 UCN marks 70 years since its foundation, presenting itself as the oldest university in the Antofagasta region and a reference for higher education across the Norte Grande.2026 年该校迎来建校 70 周年，以安托法加斯塔地区历史最悠久的大学和北部大区高等教育参照者的身份出现。

Student life

• UCN's identity statement rests on Christian humanism and five values, namely freedom, justice, truth, respect and social and environmental responsibility, rather than on a Latin motto.该校的身份表述以基督教人文主义与五项价值为基础，即自由、正义、真理、尊重以及社会与环境责任，而非一句拉丁校训。
• The university anthem, with lyrics by Gerardo Claps Gallo and music by Yula Sierra Olivares, still opens with the words Universidad del Norte, the institution's name until 1990.校歌由赫拉尔多·克拉普斯·加略作词、尤拉·谢拉·奥利瓦雷斯作曲，开头仍唱“北方大学”，即该校 1990 年前的名称。
• Foundation day falls on 31 May, and the seventieth anniversary in 2026 was marked by a commemorative book and a season of academic and cultural events.建校纪念日为 5 月 31 日，2026 年七十周年以纪念文集和一系列学术文化活动加以纪念。
• The student federation runs social and cultural programmes, and its 2010 PREU UCN project offers free preparation for university admission to students from low-income families.学生会运营社会与文化项目，其 2010 年创办的UCN预科项目为低收入家庭学生提供免费升学准备。
• Radio Sol FM, founded in 1966, remains the university's own broadcaster, with studios in Antofagasta and Calama and a schedule mixing news, music and university programming.创办于 1966 年的太阳调频电台仍是学校自有的广播机构，在安托法加斯塔与卡拉马设有直播间，节目兼顾新闻、音乐与校园内容。
• Telenorte, the university's television network, operated from 1966 to 2001 and gave several generations of northern Chilean journalists their first professional experience.学校电视网Telenorte于 1966 至 2001 年运营，为智利北部数代记者提供了最初的职业训练。
• Student life is shaped by the desert and the sea, with Antofagasta's beaches, the port and the mining economy providing both recreation and the practical context for engineering and marine studies.学生生活受沙漠与海洋塑造，安托法加斯塔的海滩、港口与矿业经济既提供休闲空间，也为工程与海洋学科提供现实语境。
• In Coquimbo, students share the La Serena conurbation with the University of La Serena and enjoy a milder coastal climate, while San Pedro de Atacama offers fieldwork beside the archaeological collections.在科金博，学生与拉塞雷纳大学共享拉塞雷纳都市区，享有较温和的海岸气候，圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马则提供紧邻考古藏品的田野条件。
• The university's pastoral team and volunteer programmes work with parishes and schools across the region, and the museums host public lectures, temporary exhibitions and school visits.学校牧灵团队与志愿项目同地区堂区和学校合作，博物馆则举办公开讲座、临时展览与学校参观。

Notable people

• Berta González Moreno, widow of Astorga, left the bequest that financed the university's foundation in 1956, making her the institution's principal lay benefactor.阿斯托加之遗孀贝尔塔·冈萨雷斯·莫雷诺留下遗嘱捐赠，为 1956 年建校提供资金，是该校主要的世俗捐助人。
• The Society of Jesus provided the founders and the initial governance, and the Jesuit priest Gustavo Le Paige later built the archaeological collection that anchors the San Pedro de Atacama museum.耶稣会提供了创办者与最初的治理架构，耶稣会神父古斯塔沃·勒佩奇后来建立起支撑圣佩德罗-德阿塔卡马博物馆的考古藏品。
• Rodrigo Alda Varas serves as rector, leading a university that remains formally tied to the Archbishop of Antofagasta as grand chancellor.罗德里戈·阿尔达·瓦拉斯担任校长，领导这所仍在制度上以安托法加斯塔大主教为大校监的大学。
• Alejandro Guillier, a journalist and former senator, studied at UCN and ran for the presidency of Chile in 2017, reaching the runoff against Sebastián Piñera.记者、前参议员亚历杭德罗·吉列尔曾在UCN求学，并于 2017 年竞选智利总统，进入与塞瓦斯蒂安·皮涅拉的决选。
• Aurora Williams, an economist and UCN graduate, served as Chile's minister of mining from 2014 to 2018 and returned to the post in 2023 under President Gabriel Boric.经济学家、UCN毕业生奥罗拉·威廉姆斯于 2014 至 2018 年任智利矿业部长，2023 年在加夫列尔·博里奇总统任内再度出任该职。
• Consuelo Valdés, an archaeologist and former director of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, served as minister of cultures from 2018 to 2022 and appears among UCN's distinguished alumni.考古学家、智利前哥伦布艺术博物馆前馆长孔苏埃洛·巴尔德斯于 2018 至 2022 年任文化部长，被列为UCN杰出校友。
• Karen Rojo, a UCN graduate, was elected mayor of Antofagasta in 2012 and became one of the most visible local politicians in northern Chile during her time in office.UCN毕业生卡伦·罗霍于 2012 年当选安托法加斯塔市长，任内成为智利北部最具知名度的地方政治人物之一。
• Paulina Núñez, a lawyer and UCN alumna, has represented the Antofagasta region in the Chamber of Deputies and has worked on mining and regional development legislation.律师、UCN校友保利娜·努涅斯在众议院代表安托法加斯塔大区，参与矿业与区域发展立法。
• Daniella Cicardini, another UCN graduate, represents the Atacama region in the Chamber of Deputies and has focused on mining communities and social policy.另一位UCN毕业生丹妮拉·西卡迪尼在众议院代表阿塔卡马大区，关注矿业社区与社会政策。
• Sergio Gahona and Carlos Cantero, both UCN alumni, have held Senate and Chamber seats for northern constituencies, part of the university's long political footprint.塞尔希奥·加奥纳与卡洛斯·坎特罗均为UCN校友，曾代表北部选区担任参议员与众议员，构成该校长期政治影响的一部分。
• Humberto Fuenzalida Villegas, a Chilean geologist and winner of the 1964 National Prize for Science, is honoured in the name of the university's geological museum.智利地质学家、1964 年国家科学奖得主温贝托·富恩萨利达·比列加斯，以他的名字命名了该校地质博物馆。
• Gerardo Claps Gallo wrote the lyrics of the university anthem and Yula Sierra Olivares composed its music, leaving a musical text that still uses the old name Universidad del Norte.赫拉尔多·克拉普斯·加略撰写校歌歌词，尤拉·谢拉·奥利瓦雷斯谱曲，留下的歌词至今仍使用旧称北方大学。