You may have heard of Duquesne University’s basketball team – they are a frequent entrant into the NCAA tournament. But why do students choose Duquesne, a medium-sized Catholic college on the bluffs of Pittsburgh’s Menongehela River?
Location: Duquesne is right in downtown Pittsburgh. Pre-health, physical therapy, occupational therapy and nursing students take advantage of the hospitals and health care facilities within walking distance. The Penguins (hockey), Steelers (football) and Pirates (baseball) are close to the 50-acre campus on “The Bluff;” cultural amenities are a 15-minute walk and the part of town with four other colleges (Pitt, Carlow, Carnegie Mellon and Chatham) – called the Oakland district – is just 4 miles away.
Majors: Though it’s a medium sized school with 6,500 undergraduates and about 3,500 graduate students, Duquesne offers academic options in 10 schools, with nearly 70 different majors. Unique offerings include: Supply Chain Management, Corporate Communications, Entrepreneurial Studies, Sports Marketing, Rhetoric and Secondary Education, among many others. Duquesne also offers a 6-year accelerated BA/JD program in which students complete their undergraduate degree faster than usual and are admitted directly into Duquesne Law School. Health science and pre-med programs (including a pre-vet) program are very competitive here.
Class sizes average about 28 and the student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1. About 10% of the students are international and about 85% of freshmen and sophomores live on campus; housing is guaranteed for all four years. The 5-day freshman orientation and strong advisory system help give Duquesne a very strong 90% sophomore retention rate. Students are expected to do community service, though it’s not required, and the core curriculum requires students to take one theology class and one ethics class, but religious services are not required. In fact, Jewish students are made to feel welcome and at home, and the greater Pittsburgh Hillel serves students from all of the colleges in the area.
Scholarships are generous at Duquesne, which has a little bit lower tuition than many east coast private colleges. The campus is urban but still feels contained in its own way, and is very attractive. Evelyn visited Duquesne in fall, 2013. You can see all of her photos here.
[And you didn’t ask, but we’ll just tell you – it’s pronounced “du-cane.”]