The Eastern Central University (Spanish: "Universidad Central del Este" (UCE)) is a private university in the Dominican Republic, founded in San Pedro de Macorís on October 15, 1970, in the eastern region of the country. The University's Department of Medicine operates an important medical center located in the center of Santo Domingo. At an undergraduate level, the UCE counts with twelve academic departments: Medicine, Dentistry, Bioanalysis, Pharmaceutics, Business Sciences, Systems, Tourism, Production Sciences, Construction Sciences, Natural Resources, Law, and Social and Public Communication. The Dominican State officially recognized the institution through the Presidential Decree N°. 1205, on July 2, 1971. UCE was founded at a time in which the Dominican Republic only counted with a handful of other universities nationwide, which included the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), founded by Pope Paul III in 1538; the Catholic University Mother and Teacher (now Pontifical) founded in Santiago in 1962; and the National University Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU), founded in 1966.