Helping You Reach Your Bigger Goals
Pittsburgh is home to more than 400 bridges, and amid them all, atop the storied Bluff,
stands Duquesne University. Our location allows you to to study where possibilities extend in every direction. In fact, our
very founding was intended to help people from diverse backgrounds make a difference
as leaders and helpers in their communities, and we live that mission today.
No matter your major, our Bridges courses make up approximately one third (more than
one year!) of your college curriculum. That’s a big chunk of your undergraduate college
experience! At Duquesne University, we want your Bridges experience to prepare you
for anything – and to be time well spent.
Grounded in Duquesne's Catholic and Spiritan heritage, and leveraging our historic expertise in the liberal arts and sciences, as well as Duquesne's other academic strengths, our Bridges Common Learning Experience will prepare you to be informed, equipped, inspired and engaged. Through our Bridges Curriculum, you will build knowledge and skills to become a life-long, agile learner who succeeds professionally, acts ethically and contributes to the common good.
Thinking about possible majors?
If you’re considering possible majors and weighing what to choose, we’ve got just the program for you. Our Bridges Common Learning Experience, our commitment to your experience and our distinctive setting are ideal for helping you discover options and your personal direction.
Why is Bridges Better?
It's flexible.
We know that general education courses at most universities are organized around required courses in specific subjects, but our Bridges experience is focused on you and the knowledge and skills in demand by employers.
Our Bridges curriculum prepares you for what's next and ensures that you'll never have to narrow your ambitions. The curriculum is designed to overlap with every major at Duquesne so you can maximize progress toward your degree while having the opportunity to discover new interests or pursue additional goals.
You can choose courses that interest you. The curriculum is designed to intersect with your major and to give you room to pursue courses and learning opportunities that excite you.
While other institutions require a pre-determined set of survey courses, we take a choose-your-own-adventure approach. Know exactly where you want to go? We have a map for that. Ready to explore and discover new interests and talents? We have a map for that, too.
It's relevant.
Bridges was designed with career-readiness in mind. We used data from employers and hiring managers to identify and embed skills they prioritize. Bridges courses prepare you to adapt and evolve in a dynamic professional landscape. They connect the specialized work you do in you major to relevant insights from other fields and opportunities for experiential learning, giving you knowledge you can leverage for success. Bridges will inform, equip, inspire and engage you.
It's transfer friendly.
We want to make friends with you and your college credits. Exam credits like AP, College in High School courses, transfer credits from other institutions: bring them with you! Bridges makes it easy to transfer and apply college credit to accelerate your progress to your degree.
It's distinctive.
Animated by our Catholic and Spiritan heritage, Duquesne is a distinctive place to learn. Since our founding we've offered education as a catalyst for building better futures with our students and our communities. Bridges introduces students to our heritage through courses that explore the riches of the Catholic intellectual tradition, develop skills for ethical reasoning, inspire a love of learning by asking essential questions, and get you engaged in communities, local and global.
Bridges was created by Duquesne students, faculty, and staff through a creative design
competition. It provides a foundation for success post-graduation with skills that
are in-demand by employers. Explore the four integrated components of our Bridges
curriculum. We're excited to set you up for success and help you make the most of your time at
Duquesne. Your journey begins with our online On-ramp module. Our Bridges Common Learning Experience is designed to enhance and compliment your
degree program. To prepare you for a successful experience at Duquesne, we invite
you to the Bridges On-ramp. The On-ramp is a zero-credit, asynchronous online course designed for undergraduate
students who are new to Duquesne. It consists of three units and can be completed
in an hour or less. The course will automatically be added to your Duquesne Canvas
site. Accessing the Bridges On-ramp Burgh Bucks By completing On-ramp units you’ll earn Burgh Bucks that can be used at the end of Orientation during the Live Stage Auction or at the Burgh Bucks Store for things like University
apparel, gift cards, museum passes, and other cool prizes. Strong bridges rest on deep foundations. Several common learning experiences nurture
fundamental skills for critical thinking, writing, and analysis. Bridges take different shapes, but their varied structures depend on dynamic interaction
among their materials, design, and environment. Just so, the basic structures that
make up the Bridges Common Learning Experience include six skill sets—we call them
competencies—as well as further writing enrichment and courses in Philosophy and Theology
that acquaint you with important ideas and achievements in Catholic intellectual tradition. Competencies Catholic Intellectual Tradition You will complete one Theology and one Philosophy course as part of Bridges. These
can be taken as part of your Competency courses, as an Essential Questions Seminar,
or as stand-alone courses. Writing Enrichment You will bolster writing skills in in a career-oriented fashion by completing three
W courses, at least one which will be in your major. Where will Bridges take you? You'll have opportunities to learn by doing, whether
in labs, study abroad, internships, or engaging our local communities. As you near
graduation, a capstone experience lets you look back on where you've been and prepares
you for where you're going.A Foundation for Success
You can select an Essential Questions seminar on a topic that interests you, and our Introduction to Ethical Reasoning course equips you with vital questions you can apply across your courses, career,
and personal life.
The interaction among your Bridges competencies, your major, and other academic interests
you might pursue give you a chance to customize Bridges for your academic goals.
Benefits of Bridges
Become an agile learner and integrative thinker. Develop the ability to learn across
contexts and integrate information from diverse fields, disciplines and perspectives.
Learn to evaluate information, think critically, integrate and transfer knowledge,
persevere and adapt, and demonstrate curiosity. Become a skilled professional and versatile leader. Engage deeply with your peers
and community members to develop unique solutions to problems and concerns. Learn
to communicate effectively and collaborate with others. Recognize, define and creatively
solve problems, using appropriate methods of research, technological tools and soft
skills that are essential to professional and civic efficacy. Cultivate a life of purpose and creativity. Become inspired to contribute to the human
search for truth and make original contributions to your profession and community.
Grapple with essential questions and grow in wisdom. Stretch yourself beyond your
comfort zone. Generate ideas and motivate others by your example. Formed within Duquesne's
Catholic and Spiritan environment, Duquesne students, like our founders, extend our
mission across the globe. Become an agent for the common good. Harness your knowledge of local and global communities
in order to foster conditions that create respect for human dignity and social justice.
Learn how to be a culturally competent citizen who appreciates and fosters diversity.
Understand local and global systems. Exercise ethical judgment and navigate moral
diversity with confidence. As a professional and as a citizen, learn how to build
equitable and inclusive communities. Our Bridges curriculum is designed to overlap with every major at Duquesne so you
can maximize progress toward your degree while having the opportunity to discover
new interests or pursue additional goals. Through these sample four-year course schedules,
explore how Bridges is built into your entire college experience. If you are considering becoming a business major, explore below how Bridges courses (bolded below) can be built into your four-year schedule. BRDG 100: Research & Info Skills (1 cr.) BRDG 102: Writing & Literature (Prereq BRDG 101) ACCT 214: Financial Accounting (Prereq or coreq ISYS 184) ACCT 215: Managerial Accounting (Prereq ACCT 214) ECON 202: Principles of Macroeconomics (Prereq BUAD 111) MAJOR: Required course MAJOR: Required course MAJOR: Required course Majors like nursing are highly structured, and for good reason! Whichever major you
choose, our Bridges courses (bolded below) are designed to work efficiently with you to help you complete your degree on time.
View how Bridges can be built into your course schedule if you are a nursing major. UPNS 103 Nutrition for Wellness UPNS 113 Human Dev & Health Promotion UPNS 200 Fund of Nursing Practice BIOL 209/10 Anatomy & Physiology UPNS 325 Pharmacology II UPNS 364 Clinical Immersion in Prof Nursing** UPNS 348 Maternal Child Health UPNS 400 Critically Ill Adult * fulfills a Bridges competency Some majors provide plenty of room for exploration. Add the flexibility of Bridges courses (bolded below), and you can easily customize your academic pathway to include additional credentials
such as a certificate, minor or second major. Check out the many opportunities below
in the sample Psychology major course schedule. BRDG 101 Writing & Analysis BRDG 102 Writing & Literature PSYC 203 Intro to Psych as Human Science PSYC 201 Research Methods in Psych Major - Required course^ Major - Required course PSYC 399 Prof Prep Psych Majors PSYC 480 Psych & Social Engagement * fulfills a Bridges competency Bridges will prepare you to reason ethically, exercise good moral judgement and demonstrate
personal integrity. Our Introduction to Ethical Reasoning 105 course introduces students
to the practice of ethical reasoning, exemplifying the profound concern for moral
and spiritual values at the heart of Duquesne's mission and contributing to the personal
development of our students. Upon completion of Introduction to Ethical Reasoning, you will learn to: As part of the Bridges CLE you will reinforce, expand and apply what you learned in
an advanced course for the Bridges Ethical Reasoning and Moral Responsibility competency.
Learn about our Essential Questions (EQ) courses, a signature feature of
the Bridges experience.
At Duquesne, you will pursue Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs). In many majors,
an Experiential Learning Opportunity is already embedded in academic requirements
for the major. Your Student Success Coach can confirm this. Other majors offer a variety of options for Experiential Learning. These include Study
Abroad and Community-engaged courses, as well as options that are specific to individual
majors. Your Student Success Coach can confirm this, too. Experiential learning happens outside of classes as well. Whether you do an internship,
student research, or have a leadership role on campus, you can work with Duquesne
faculty and staff to have this recognized as a form of experiential learning. All
Duquesne undergraduates can propose an Individual ELO. For Individual ELOs, you and
your ELO Director provide strategies for achievement of the learning outcomes and
an assessment plan. As part of Bridges, you will undertake a Capstone experience while at Duquesne. Most
majors have Capstones embedded in them, but all students have the option to seek approval
of an Individual Capstone project. If you have a Capstone embedded in your major, an Individual Capstone will enrich
your learning and enhance your resume or graduate school applications. Other majors
provide a variety of options for students, including the opportunity to develop an
Individual Capstone project. Your Student Success Coach can confirm whether a Capstone is included in requirements
you already meet through your major, or whether your major provides a range of opportunities
for completing a Capstone.
Our Student Success Coaches will work with you to navigate a successful
campus life.
Featured content
Be Informed.
Be Equipped.
Be Inspired.
Be Engaged.
Sample Course Schedules
First Year
Fall
BRDG 101: Writing & Analysis
BUAD 103/103L: Innovation Experience
BUAD 111: Business Math
COMM 202W: Business & Prof Comm (Required course taught outside the School of Business)
ISYS 184: Business Info SystemsSpring
BUAD 110: Internship Prep Practicum (0 cr.)
ISYS 284: Data for Decision Making (Prereq ISYS 184)
MKTG 271: Marketing & Business Dev
SCMG 267: Supply Chain Operations
STAT 285: Business Statistics (Prereq BUAD 111)Second Year
Fall
BUAD 210: Career Prep Practicum (0 cr.)
MGMT 261: Management & Org. Behavior
MGMT 262: Global Insights
Cultural Fluency & Responsivity
Theology RequirementSpring
BLAW 251: Business Law
BRDG 105H/P/T: Intro to Ethical Reasoning
ECON 201: Principles of Microeconomics (Prereq BUAD 111)
FINC 313: Business Finance (Prereqs ACCT 214 and STAT 285)Third Year
Fall
EQ XXX: Essential Questions Seminar
MAJOR: Required course
MAJOR: Required course
Open ElectiveSpring
MAJOR: Required course
Open Elective
Open Elective
Philosophy RequirementFourth Year
Fall
MAJOR: Required course
MGMT 368W: Bus Ethics & Global Citizenship (Prereq MGMT 261)
Open Elective
Open ElectiveSpring
MAJOR: Elective
MGMT 499W: Strategic Management (Prereq FINC 313, MGMT 261, MKTG 271, & SCMG 267)
Open Elective
Open ElectiveFirst Year
Fall
UPNS 121 Comm Engaged Prof Nurse
BIOL 101/L Intro to Life Processes*
BRDG 101 Writing & Analysis
EQ-XXX Essential Questions Seminar#
BRDG 103 IPE Health Research SkillsSpring
MATH 125 Fund of Statistics*
BIOL 203/4 Intro to Microbiology*
BRDG 102 Writing & Literature
BRDG 105 H/T/P Intro to Ethical ReasoningSecond Year
Fall
UPNS 218/L Health Assessment
BIOL 207/8 Anatomy & Physiology
Bridges Crit Think & Prob/PHIL course*^Spring
UPNS 239 Pharmacology I
UPNS 232 Adult Health and Illness I
UPNS 339 Genetics in Nursing and Health
UPNS 224 Career Mgmt and Prof Dev
Bridges choice of Social & Hist. course*^Third Year
Fall
UPNS 349 Adult Health & Illness II
UPNS 326 Pathophysiology
UPNS 324 Cultural Applications in Clinical Practice**
MLSP 280 Spanish for Health Care Prof**Spring
UPNS 352 Leadership & Mgmt Theory**Fourth Year
Fall
UPNS 355 Behavioral Health
UPNS 431 Enhancing Quality and Safety
UPNS 344 Nursing for Children's Health
UPNS 357 Population Health
UPNS 445 Synthesis for Nursing Practice Spring
UPNS 411W Nur Ethics Across Lifespan*^
UPNS 453R Transition to Professional Practice Recitation
THEO-XXX choice of Theology course**
** curriculum requirement and satisfies a Bridges competency and thereby creates space
for additional electives or courses towards a certificate, minor, second major, etc.
# may satisfy the Theology or Philosophy requirement
^ Writing enriched course (Complete three, at least one of which is in your major.)First Year
Fall
BRDG 100 Research & Info Skills
PSYC 101 Intro to Psychology*
MATH 125 Fundamentals of Statistics*Spring
EQ-XXX Essential Questions Seminar#
PSYC 102 Orientation to Psych Major
BRDG 105T/H/P. Intro to Ethical Reasoning
Minor - Required course**Second Year
Fall
PSYC 220 Brain, Behavior, & Cognition
Bridges choice of Comm & Creative Exp course*
PHIL/PHL XXX Choice of Philosophy course**
College Distribution selection**Spring
Major - Required course
THEO-XXX choice of Theology course**
College Distribution selection**
Minor - Required course**Third Year
Fall
Major - Required course Bridges choice of Cultural Fluency course*
College Distribution selection**
Minor - Required course**Spring
Major - Required course
Major - Required course
College Distribution selection**^
Minor - Required course**Fourth Year
Fall
Bridges choice of Ethical Reasoning course*
College Distribution selection**
College Distribution selection**
College Distribution selection** Spring
Bridges choice of Crit Think & Prob course*
College Distribution selection**^
College Distribution selection**
College Distribution selection**
** curriculum requirement and satisfies a Bridges competency and thereby creates space
for additional electives or courses towards a certificate, minor, second major, etc.
# may satisfy the Theology or Philosophy requirement
^ Writing enriched course (Complete three, at least one of which is in your major)
BRDG 105 Introduction to Ethical Reasoning
A central feature across all sections of the course is a common framework for ethical
reasoning which provides students a shared vocabulary, a common foundation for future
ethics education at Duquesne and a digestible and portable tool to use in their professional,
personal and civic lives.Learning Outcomes
Questions for Ethical Reasoning
What's Your EQ?
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Capstone Experience
Learning Together
"My favorite class at Duquesne so far was the Honors EQ course 'Why Do Feelings
Matter?' Dr. St. Hilaire is an excellent professor who structures the class to help
students learn to identify what emotions look like in the world and within themselves."
“The Honors EQ Course ‘What Good is Democracy?’ was so interesting because we
explored how democracy has evolved over time. Being able to read texts critically
and form your own opinions is such an important skill, and I am so lucky to have done
this during my first semester at Duquesne."
“I really enjoyed the ‘What is Gender?’ Bridges EQ course. It was cool learning
about different philosophers and their ideas on gender. The course expanded my knowledge
on gender and feminism in ways I never would have thought!”
Student Testimonials About Bridges
