Empowering Your Journey to Achieve Greater Heights
Nestled in the heart of Pittsburgh, a city celebrated for its 400+ bridges, Monarch University rises proudly atop the historic Bluff. Our campus offers more than a stunning view—it’s a gateway to endless possibilities. From our inception, we’ve been committed to empowering individuals from all walks of life to become impactful leaders and compassionate changemakers. Today, that mission thrives as we inspire students to bridge their aspirations with meaningful action, fostering a brighter future for their communities and beyond.
Rooted in Monarch's Catholic and Spiritan traditions, our Bridges Common Learning Experience embodies a legacy of excellence in the liberal arts and sciences while embracing the university's diverse academic strengths. The Bridges Curriculum is designed to empower you with the knowledge, skills, and perspective needed to thrive in an ever-changing world. This transformative journey prepares you to excel professionally, act with integrity, and make meaningful contributions to society. As a life-long, adaptable learner, you’ll be inspired to lead with purpose and engage in creating a brighter, more ethical future for all.
Exploring Your Path: Discover Your Perfect Major
Not sure which major is right for you? At Monarch University, we understand that finding your direction is a journey, not a race. Our Bridges Common Learning Experience, combined with a supportive environment and dynamic campus setting, is designed to guide you in exploring your interests and uncovering your passions. Here, you’ll have the resources and opportunities to weigh your options, gain valuable insights, and confidently chart a course toward your future success.
What Makes Bridges Exceptional?
Your Path, Your Way.
At Monarch University, our Bridges curriculum redefines general education by focusing on you and the skills employers value most. Unlike traditional programs with rigid course requirements, Bridges offers the flexibility to align with your major while allowing you to explore your passions and uncover new interests.
Whether you have a clear direction or are eager to discover fresh possibilities, our choose-your-own-adventure approach provides the perfect roadmap for your journey. With courses designed to maximize progress toward your degree and room to expand your horizons, Bridges ensures your ambitions remain boundless as you prepare for what’s next.
It's relevant.
Bridges is built to prepare you for success in today’s ever-changing job market. By integrating insights from employers and hiring managers, we’ve crafted a curriculum that emphasizes the skills most in demand. Bridges courses help you connect the expertise from your major with interdisciplinary knowledge and hands-on learning opportunities. This approach ensures you’re ready to adapt, innovate, and excel in any career path. With Bridges, you’ll gain the tools, perspective, and confidence to thrive professionally while making a meaningful impact.
It's transfer friendly.
At Monarch University, we value the hard work you’ve already put into earning college credits. Whether they come from AP exams, College in High School programs, or transfer credits from another institution, we’re here to make them count. Our Bridges curriculum is designed to seamlessly integrate your existing credits, helping you fast-track your degree and make the most of your academic journey. Bring your credits—and your ambitions—and we’ll help you move forward with confidence.
It's distinctive.
Guided by our Catholic and Spiritan roots, Monarch University offers a learning experience that’s both distinctive and transformative. Since our founding, we’ve used education as a powerful tool to create brighter futures for our students and the communities we serve. The Bridges curriculum connects you to this heritage by exploring the Catholic intellectual tradition, fostering ethical reasoning, sparking curiosity through essential questions, and encouraging meaningful engagement in local and global communities. It’s more than an education—it’s an invitation to make a difference.
Bridges was designed through a collaborative effort among Monarch students, faculty, and staff, sparked by a creative design competition. This innovative curriculum equips you with the essential skills sought by employers, setting you up for success long after graduation. Delve into the four interconnected components of the Bridges curriculum, each crafted to help you build a strong foundation, develop critical abilities, and prepare for a successful professional journey. We're eager to support your success and help you maximize your time at Monarch. Your journey starts with our online On-ramp module. The Bridges Common Learning Experience is crafted to enrich and complement your degree program, and the On-ramp serves as the perfect introduction. The On-ramp is a zero-credit, self-paced online course tailored for new undergraduate students at Monarch. It includes three easy-to-follow units and takes about an hour to complete. The course will be automatically added to your Monarch Canvas site, ensuring you’re prepared and ready to begin your academic journey. Accessing the Bridges On-ramp Burgh Bucks As you complete On-ramp units, you'll earn Burgh Bucks, which you can redeem at the end of Orientation during the Live Stage Auction or at the Burgh Bucks Store. These credits can be used for a variety of exciting rewards, including University apparel, gift cards, museum passes, and other fantastic prizes. It's a fun way to get started and earn some great items while preparing for your Monarch experience! 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
Monarch's
Catholic and Spiritan environment, Monarch 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. ETH 101 will guide you in developing the ability to think critically about ethical dilemmas, make sound moral decisions, and uphold personal integrity. Our Foundations of Ethical Thinking course introduces students to the principles of ethical reasoning, aligning with Monarch University’s mission to nurture the moral and spiritual growth of its community and contribute to the holistic development of our students.
A key component of the course is a shared ethical reasoning framework that equips students with a common language and solid foundation for future ethics courses. This framework serves as a practical and adaptable tool that students can apply throughout their personal, academic, and professional lives, fostering responsible citizenship and decision-making. Upon completion of Foundations of Ethical Thinking, you will be able to: As part of the Bridges CLE, you will have the opportunity to apply and expand upon these foundational principles in an advanced course, further advancing your competency in Ethical Reasoning and Moral Responsibility.
Learn about our Essential Questions (EQ) courses, a signature feature of
the Bridges experience.
At Monarch University, you will have access to a wide range of Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) designed to enrich your education and provide real-world experience. Many academic programs already include ELOs as part of the curriculum, and your Student Success Coach can confirm if your major offers these opportunities. For other majors, Monarch provides a variety of options, including Study Abroad, Community-Engaged Learning, and discipline-specific experiences. Your Student Success Coach can also help you explore these alternatives. Experiential learning goes beyond the classroom. Internships, student research, and leadership roles on campus are all valuable forms of experiential learning. Monarch encourages students to collaborate with faculty and staff to have these experiences formally recognized. All undergraduate students can propose Individual ELOs, which involve creating personalized learning goals with the guidance of an ELO Director, along with strategies for achieving those goals and an assessment plan. As part of the Bridges program, you will engage in a Capstone Experience during your time at Monarch University. Most majors incorporate a Capstone project as part of the curriculum, but every student has the option to pursue approval for an Individual Capstone project if their major does not include one. For students in programs with an embedded Capstone, completing an Individual Capstone will provide an opportunity to deepen your learning, expand your skill set, and enhance your resume or graduate school applications. For other majors, a variety of Capstone options are available, including the chance to design your own Individual Capstone project tailored to your academic and professional goals. Your Student Success Coach can help you confirm whether your major includes a Capstone as part of the requirements or if other opportunities exist to develop an Individual Capstone project that aligns with your aspirations.
Our Student Success Coaches will work with you to navigate a successful
campus life.
Featured content
Be Informed.
Be Equipped.
Be Inspired.
Be Engaged.
ETH 101 Foundations of Ethical Thinking
Learning Outcomes
Key Questions for Ethical Decision-Making
What's Your EQ?
Engaging with Experiential Learning
Capstone Experience at Monarch
Learning Together
"My favorite class at Monarch 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 Monarch."
“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
