It is a Catholic, non-state institution at the service of the community. It was founded by the Dominican Episcopal Conference in September 1962, in Santiago, Dominican Republic. It is an Institution of Higher Education that emphasizes academic excellence and is open to all without distinction of race, social class, ideology or religious beliefs. It focuses on the scientific search for solutions that respond to social problems and the demands of the common good. It has about 11,700 students, 1,444 professors and more than 500 administrative employees.

The PUCMM has two main campuses located in Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo, with more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs distributed in four faculties: Sciences and Humanities, Sciences and Engineering, Health Sciences and Administrative Sciences, in addition to continuing education programs through the Center for Technology and Continuing Education (TEP). For a total of 167 academic programs, 4 undergraduate programs, 107 master's degree programs, 6 postgraduate diploma programs, 10 technical programs and 3 doctoral programs.