Embedded in communities, learning together
The core of Duquesne’s mission is to serve God by serving students, so they can, in turn, serve others.
Duquesne graduates work to improve their workplaces and communities. Faculty study urgent issues and propose research-based solutions, often working themselves alongside community members as trusted partners. Students develop authentic relationships in communities as they learn together about how to have a lasting positive impact.
Learning in Communities
Each year, Duquesne students, faculty and staff spend hundreds of thousands of hours
volunteering in communities. You can work side-by-side with residents, government organizations,
businesses and other non-profits to address an array of systemic challenges in health,
education, legal access, economic development and more.
Every academic program creates opportunities for you to get involved. Duquesne has
many future-focused ways for students to learn and act with and on behalf of others.
Serving Students by Being Accessible
Our commitment to positive social impact means we work with you to manage your investment in a Duquesne education. Duquesne is committed to a diverse and inclusive community, casting a wide call for students to attend from underrepresented groups, other regions and nations, and who may the first in their family to go to college.
Begin right away
Duquesne students often volunteer during Orientation, well before entering their first class.
Explore Social Impact
A variety of groups help work toward positive change.
Spiritan Campus Ministry is a welcoming place for people of any faith to learn more about their faith, volunteer,
worship, or take part in other activities that deepen their experience at Duquesne.
The Center for Community Engaged Teaching and Research is a resource to help students and faculty collaborate with communities and regional
partners in meaningful ways.
The Duquesne Women's Guild brings volunteers together to pursue activities that benefit the University community.
You have many ways to make a positive impact.
Persis Naumann, Fulbright Scholar and Healthcare Ethics Ph.D. Student, Making an Impact with Research in India
"Many healthcare policies are influenced by the Global North—regions such as North America and Europe—and I want to make sure that women in South India have the chance for their voices to be heard. Their experiences should have the chance to influence the policies that affect them."
Duquesne - Pittsburgh Connection
"It's an amazing experience for our admitted students because they get to see just what being at Duquesne is all about and they get to experience it truly first-hand with members of our community."
75,000meal kits for local families packed by 600+ accepted Duquesne students.
"While we work with communities throughout the western PA region, we have a special focus on the neighborhoods bordering our campus, all of which have rich cultural, industrial, and commercial histories."
5neighborhoods: Uptown, South Side, Hill District, Hazelwood, and Mon Valley.
"As a (PPG) Community Engagement Scholar, we worked on modules that would benefit young kids in the Pittsburgh area. It inspired me and the others I worked with to continue our work with the partners to create change. If there were more programs like this, more areas and students would mutually benefit from it."
100+different research sites throughout the western PA region.
"A green environment has enormous benefits for our students, our staff and faculty, and our neighboring community, since trees help improve city life in so many ways."
10%of all colleges and universities are designated Tree Campuses.
Among the best in the world
As more business schools incorporate sustainability content into their curriculums, our Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University continues to set the standard among its global peers. Duquesne's sustainability-oriented One-Year MBA program is again the top U.S. school, and No. 2 globally in Corporate Knights' latest Better World MBA Ranking, in which 209 business schools were evaluated.