Special Curricular Opportunities
A Trinity education extends beyond traditional disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. A wide range of special curricular opportunities exists, enhancing students’ learning experiences. From gateway programs that serve as thematic learning communities for entering students to co-curricular options in the Hartford area and opportunities for studying on other campuses as well as multiple student-initiated programs, students can self-design a vibrant course of study. Some of these opportunities are listed below, showcasing the range of programs and initiatives offered by the College.
Gateway Programs
Gateway programs are living and learning communities where first-year students learn deeply in a specialized area with a small group of like-minded students starting in their first semester of college. Students form relationships with students and faculty who share their interests, and they participate in experiences on and off campus that engage them in new ways of learning and thinking. Gateway programs are for students who want to delve deeply into a specialized, interdisciplinary learning area and develop scholarly understanding, a network of relationships, and personal experiences within this topic.
For detailed information about the First-Year Gateway Programs, visit the programs listing.
Experiential Certificates
Experiential certificates complement the core liberal arts experience with an integrated set of courses and immersive experiences that prepare students for their next steps after Trinity. Each certificate consists of a total of three credits, combining both academic courses and co-curricular experiences, with at least one credit from different experience categories. Co-curricular experiences include, but are not limited to: TA-ships; peer teaching and mentorships; internships (that do not count toward a major); some unpaid research with a faculty member, paid summer research; and (some 0.5 credit) J-Term courses.
See the current list and descriptions by choosing "Certificate" in the programs listing.
Co-Curricular Options in Hartford
Internships
Internships enable the student to explore a particular interest by working for a semester in a public or private agency, business enterprise, a cultural institution (e.g., a museum), or the like. In such internships, the emphasis is on the field experience, which is supplemented by work of a more conventionally academic nature. Internships may be directly related to the student’s other studies in that they afford the student an opportunity to apply skills and knowledge, or to test ideas and theories, learned in courses. In some instances, the relationship between the internship and the student’s other academic work will be less direct.
Internships are co-curricular experiences typically valued at one-half of a course credit and are graded on a distinction/pass/fail basis. Before beginning such an internship, a student must file a contract through Handshake with the Career & Life Design Center using the form provided by that office.
Each internship requires the student to spend a minimum of eight hours a week at the field placement, where the work will be overseen by an appropriate staff member of the agency, business, or institution; this staff member is designated as the field supervisor. In addition, the student is required to prepare suitable written work under the supervision of the internship adviser in the Center for Academic and Experiential Advising; this work often takes the form of a journal or log involving analytic summation. In the written work, the student is encouraged to reflect on the significance of the field experience and to draw interpretation and meaning from it. Finally, the student meets periodically with the internship advising team to report on the field activities. Whenever feasible, the student and the internship adviser also meet at least once with the field supervisor to discuss the student’s work.
Each undergraduate degree candidate is entitled to earn up to two course credits through internships. Such credit may not be counted toward fulfillment of the requirements of a major. A student may exercise the pass/fail option in a regular course during the same semester as the internship. First-year students may not enroll in internships, just as they may not take independent studies.
The College’s Career & Life Design Center does not provide internship placements, but students can reach out to meet about potential options and methods. Because one of the purposes of an internship is to afford students co-curricular experience, on-campus internships (i.e., those based in a department, office, or other institutional unit of the College) are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Career & Life Design Center. If questions arise about the suitability of a placement, they may be referred to the Career & Life Design Center who will work in coordination with the Curriculum Committee to make a determination. Career & Life Design ordinarily will not approve repeated internships at the same placement and with the same field supervisor. However, a second internship at the same placement may be acceptable if the work is substantially different than that done in the first internship.
More than 200 internships in the Hartford area are available through the Career & Life Design Center; with approval, students may also locate placements in agencies that are not already listed. They may be done in and out of Hartford with private and public agencies; business and industry; cultural, educational, and health institutions; and other community groups. The coaching staff in the Career & Life Design Center assists students in locating suitable internships. (See also the Legislative Internship Program later in this section). Please contact Chloe Cummings, assistant director in the Career & Life Design Center, for further details.
Health Fellows Program
The Trinity College Health Fellows Program is an innovative academic program offering students an exceptional opportunity that capitalizes on our proximity to Hartford Healthcare and Connecticut Children’s. In the program, students work 30 hours per week with a research-active health care provider on a clinical research project. Students learn important research skills, both specific to the placement and more general, such as formulating a hypothesis, methods of data collection, data analysis, and oral presentation, as well as manuscript preparation. Many students go on to present their work at national conferences and/or to publish their work in a peer-reviewed journal. Students interested in a wide variety of professions – medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, nursing, research – have benefited from participation in the program.
In addition to working 30 hours per week on a two-credit research project with a professional in the healthcare setting, fellows participate in a one-credit weekly seminar course on Topics in Health Care. The seminar course covers general topics in health care, including recent advances in research and clinical applications of basic research, and readings are assigned for a weekly class discussion. As part of the site-based experience, students keep a weekly journal of experiences and produce a written summary of the research they conducted. As much as possible this takes the form of a scientific journal article. Each student also presents their research in poster form at the Trinity College Annual Research Symposium held at the end of each spring semester. Many students go on to complete their work for a national or international conference and/or as a manuscript in the peer-reviewed literature.
The Health Fellows Program is limited to 12 students, and preference is given to juniors and seniors. It is strongly recommended that students amass a strong background in science and take statistics beforehand, and some placements carry specific additional prerequisites. Students are strongly encouraged to take only one other course during their health fellows semester at Trinity.
Interested students should contact the health fellows coordinator, Alison Draper, in September. Applications, interviews and matches between interested students and supervisors will be completed by November to allow sufficient time for paperwork, and students will begin work at the hospital with the start of classes in January. Students who participate in their junior year should bear in mind the option of remaining on site to complete a senior thesis.
Legislative Internship Program
The Trinity College Legislative Internship is a distinctive program for students eager to engage with the Connecticut General Assembly during the spring semester as part of a legislator’s team. This program offers a unique opportunity to observe the policy-making process from multiple insider perspectives, providing interns with valuable insights into the complexities of crafting significant public policies. Interns will experience the development of public policy, the intricate politics involved, and the day-to-day operations of a legislative office.
Since the Connecticut General Assembly is a part-time legislature with limited staff, interns play a crucial role in their legislator’s office, often taking on various responsibilities and working closely with the legislator and/or top aide. Intern responsibilities may include attending committee meetings, organizing events in the legislator’s district, writing emails and press releases, handling constituent communications, assisting constituents with bureaucratic issues, researching bills, and meeting with lobbyists. The specific duties of each intern are determined by the legislator’s needs and the intern’s interests.
Students accepted into the program can choose to participate full-time (32 hours per week at the legislature) in the spring semester, earning four course credits, or part-time (16 hours per week), earning two credits. All interns attend a weekly seminar on the Connecticut legislature and other state legislatures. At the seminar, interns meet legislators and legislative professionals, develop legislative and policy-writing skills, propose policies, and discuss their internship experiences. They also participate in the writing of an open educational resource (OER) book on Connecticut state politics.
Interested students must apply for the Legislative Internship Program in the fall. For details, please contact Professor Dang Do, the program director. Be sure to look for informational sessions in early fall that will provide further information about the internship.
The Center for Hartford Engagement and Research
Created in 2018, the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research (CHER) strengthens partnerships between Hartford’s diverse communities and students, staff, and faculty at Trinity College, and evaluates campus-city relationships. CHER coordinates the work of five core programs below:
Community learning fosters academic connections with Hartford partners to deepen experiential learning through mutually beneficial collaboration. It also supports the community action first-year gateway, the community learning research fellows, and the public humanities collaborative summer research program.
Community service and civic engagement creates future civic leaders by engaging students in building and maintaining strong, sustainable community partnerships in Hartford, as well as educating and involving them in a range of broader social issues.
The HMTCA-Trinity Partnership connects the College with Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA), a grade 6-12 interdistrict magnet school, with city and suburban students in an early college program.
The Liberal Arts Action Lab engages research teams of students and faculty from Connecticut State Community College Capital and Trinity College to investigate questions posed by Hartford partners. The Action Lab is located in Trinity’s downtown campus at 1 Constitution Plaza.
Trinfo.Café is a neighborhood educational resource and gathering space and community garden. Community events and the garden bring together residents alongside Trinity students, staff, and faculty.
Learn more about CHER programs on the center's website.
The Center for Urban and Global Studies
The Center for Urban and Global Studies (CUGS) at Trinity College was formally established in October 2007. The center advances Trinity’s mission by linking the College’s academic programs on campus, in Hartford and Connecticut, and around the world. CUGS has developed a symbiotic and mutually beneficial nexus between teaching and research through an intellectually coherent and professionally relevant urban curriculum and collaborative research involving Trinity students, faculty, and international partners. Our urban curriculum balances and integrates both interdisciplinary learning in the liberal arts tradition and practical training for careers in urban planning and related fields. The center catalyzes research projects that tackle some of the most pressing urban and global issues such as social inequality, cultural identity, and environmental degradation. Established with support from the Mellon Foundation and endowed funds, the Center’s research has received funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, Urban Studies Foundation, the Thomas Urban China Teaching and Research Endowment, the Rosemary and Stanley Marcuss ’63 Endowment for Urban Studies, and the Scott Michael Johnson ’97 Memorial Fund for Rescue Scholars. CUGS has worked closely with a wide range of local and global partners, such as the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, the MetroHartford Alliance, World Affairs Council of Connecticut, the New University in Exile Consortium, Zanzibar Commission for Lands, Fudan and Tongji Universities in Shanghai, Shenzhen University in Shenzhen, the African Centre for Cities in Cape Town, and University College London.
The Center for Urban and Global Studies supports the Urban Studies major and minor, and the Urban China minor, while working closely with many related academic programs and administrative offices on campus, such as the international studies program, Office of Study Away, Liberal Arts Action Lab, and Office of Community Learning. In addition, the center administers a number of student research and engagement grant programs such as the Davis Projects for Peace, the Technos International Week Program in Tokyo, the Marcuss Fellowship in Urban Studies, the Tanaka Student Research Fund, the Kelter Fund for Student Urban Research, the Grossman Research Fund for Global Studies, and the Thomas Urban China Student Research Fund. The center also administers the Kelter Postdoctoral Fellow in the Urban Studies Program, the Visiting Scholar Program in collaboration with the Institute for International Education Scholar Rescue Fund, and the Thomas Urban China Visiting Professorship Program in collaboration with Fudan University. The center is directed by Garth A. Myers, Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of Urban International Studies. More information is available on the center's website.
Office of Study Away
Trinity College offers students a wide range of opportunities for international and domestic study away through Trinity’s own semester, year, J-Term, and summer programs, as well as other approved external program options (AEPs). Trinity has partnered with a number of colleges and universities to offer students who are in good standing a wider choice of educational opportunities than can be available on one campus. Unless noted otherwise, further information is available in the Office of Study Away or on the website and participation in these programs is arranged through that office.
Typically, students participating in these programs must arrange for their own transportation. A student receiving financial aid from Trinity may, on the basis of the costs of a program, use that aid for approved programs of foreign study and for certain domestic programs. Before electing to enroll elsewhere, a student should compare the academic calendars of Trinity and the host institution to ascertain whether scheduling conflicts will affect choices.
The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education
In consortium with the Hartford Seminary, University of St. Joseph, St. Thomas Seminary, Goodwin College, and the University of Hartford, Trinity offers its students the opportunity to register at these nearby institutions for liberal arts courses not offered at Trinity. Cross-registration in certain modern and classical languages, religion, women’s studies, and urban studies courses is available with the public members of the consortium: Capital Community College, Central Connecticut State University, Manchester Community College, Charter Oak State College, and the University of Connecticut, Hartford branch (students who have earned at least 18 course credits may not enroll in courses at Capital Community College or Manchester Community College). There is no additional expense above Trinity’s full-time tuition to the student who takes a course (except for fees for certain courses) in one of these institutions as part of a regular program. Enrollment in courses through the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education is on a space-available basis only. Students who wish to count courses taken through the consortium toward major or minor requirements are required to obtain permission from the department chair, program director, or minor coordinator, as appropriate, before enrolling in the course. Cross-registration forms are available in the Registrar’s Office and must be approved by the registrar of Trinity College and the student’s faculty adviser.
Wesleyan University and Connecticut College
Exchange agreements exist with Wesleyan University and Connecticut College. The arrangement is limited to one course per term and to a course offered at either Wesleyan University or Connecticut College, but not available at Trinity. Applications should be made through the Trinity College registrar.
The American School of Classical Studies at Athens
Trinity College is a Cooperating Institution of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, which conducts summer sessions, seminars, and archaeological excavations. Trinity alumni/ae may also apply for graduate opportunities at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens during the regular academic year. Interested students should contact Professor Martha Risser.
Student-Initiated Programs
Independent study
Any student or group of students, except first-year students, may, with the approval of a faculty member and the faculty member’s department chair, undertake an independent study course. Ordinarily, the purpose of an independent study is to enable the student to explore in detail specialized subjects not covered in regular courses. A large number of students undertake independent studies each academic year. Specific notification of the independent study (even if it is identified by a course number) must be presented to the registrar on a form provided for this purpose. A student may enroll for one or two course credits each semester in this study mode. Such independent study may be included in the major program if approved by the program director or department chair. Second-semester first-year students may petition the Curriculum Committee for permission to take independent study (except internships) for credit.
Student-designed majors
A student wishing to construct an individually tailored, interdisciplinary major must, in consultation with faculty members from two of the departments included in the proposed major, and with the approval of their department chairs, prepare a program of study that would constitute the major. The course of study must provide for depth and coherence and avoid superficiality. Any general examination, independent study, or research involved in the program will be evaluated by faculty members from at least two of the appropriate disciplines.
Using the appropriate Registrar’s form, the student, with the faculty sponsors, submits the proposed interdisciplinary program of study to the Curriculum Committee for its approval (following the guidelines found elsewhere in the Bulletin). All procedures necessary to establish such a major are to be completed prior to registration for the student’s fifth semester.
Minors
Trinity offers over two dozen interdisciplinary minors on an elective basis. Each of them focuses on a broad theme or topic (e.g., formal organizations, human rights, legal studies) and consists of five or six courses drawn from at least three different fields. With the approval of the Curriculum Committee, students may also design their own interdisciplinary minors. For detailed information about student-designed interdisciplinary minors, see the guidelines found elsewhere in the Bulletin. In addition, departmental minors are offered in many disciplines.
Language Across the Curriculum
Students may earn supplementary foreign language credit in a wide variety of courses across the curriculum. This option is generally open to all students who have completed the intermediate level (fourth semester or equivalent) in any foreign language currently taught at Trinity, and who are enrolled in any course in which the instructor, in collaboration with a member of the classical studies or language and culture studies faculty, approves a supplementary reading list in the foreign language. For example, those studying Aristotle in a philosophy course, or the Roman Empire in a history course, might study texts in Greek or Latin; those studying European history, the economy of Latin America, or Freud could do supplementary readings in French, Spanish, or German; those studying art history or modern theater might do further readings in Italian or Russian. There are many other possibilities. Upon satisfactory completion of the assigned work, students will be awarded an extra half credit. For further information, see any member of the faculty who teaches the language in question.
Academic leave of absence
Students may plan an approved absence from Trinity for one or two semesters to undertake approved academic work abroad or in an accredited college or university with which Trinity does not have an exchange program. See the Leaves of Absence in the Academic Policies section of the Bulletin for more information.
Open Semester Program
The open semester program provides the opportunity to undertake a full-time independent study or internship. Under this program, each student applies for permission to engage in some form of academically acceptable independent research or study on the Trinity campus or elsewhere. Alternately, the student may serve as a full-time intern with either a government agency or private organization. Application is made to the director of urban programs after the student has secured a faculty member as an open semester sponsor. To be eligible, the student must have completed all work of the preceding term.
The program consists of one semester, usually in the student’s sophomore or junior year. Four course credits (graded either pass/fail or with a letter grade at the faculty sponsor’s discretion) toward meeting graduation requirements will be granted upon successful completion of such work. Students continue in regular enrollment at Trinity while engaged in an open semester. In exceptional cases, this program of research, study, or internship may be undertaken during the summer vacation period (usually for a maximum of three course credits). Only one open semester may be counted toward the 36 credits required for the baccalaureate degree.
In all instances, students undertaking the open semester program should have clearly defined the educational objective to be achieved. Procedures for submitting an open semester proposal are published elsewhere in the Bulletin. Past open semester projects have included internships in the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, the New York City Urban Fellowship Program, theater administration, private secondary schools, a school for the deaf, public television, and programs here and abroad to combat malnutrition and infant mortality. Other open semester projects have been carried out in political campaigns, personnel research, bilingual education, regional government, urban planning, wilderness education, local history, African literature and history, and psychophysiology.
Other Curricular Opportunities
College courses
Trinity faculty occasionally offer non-departmental courses known as “college courses.” These sometimes reflect the current scholarly interests of individual faculty members and may be interdisciplinary in nature. They also allow the faculty to respond quickly to student interest in subjects that are not encompassed within traditional departmental categories. Faculty members holding extra-departmental appointments as “college professors” usually offer college courses.
Trinity Days
Trinity Days are two-day periods in October and February when classes are suspended but the College remains in session. They provide a useful change in the pace of the semester and afford students blocks of time for reading and reflection; preparation for mid-term examinations; and sustained work on term papers, theses, laboratory research, and other projects. Individual advising sessions, departmental meetings with majors, rehearsals, and educational trips may be scheduled for Trinity Days, as may special community-service activities, symposia, major lectures, or other all-College events. Because the College is in session, students are expected to remain on campus during Trinity Days, and faculty members are expected to maintain their usual hours.
January Term (J-Term)
In January 2014, January Term (J-Term) was launched. This program provides students the opportunity to enroll in a full-credit or half-credit course during the three weeks prior to the start of the spring semester. Additional information on courses and the program is available to students during the fall advance registration period.
Teaching and research assistants
Faculty members sometimes elect to use teaching or research assistants.
Transfer credit
Transfer credit to Trinity College is considered from two categories of institutions: regionally accredited U.S. institutions of higher education, and the liberal arts universities of other countries that are recognized by their appropriate national educational authorities and have been approved by the Trinity College Office of Study Away and the Trinity College Curriculum Committee. The Office of the Registrar evaluates transfer credit and acts on behalf of the Trinity Curriculum Committee in granting final approval for transfer credits. Students must obtain the signature of their faculty advisers on the application for transfer credit, indicating that the students’ proposed study plans have been reviewed and recommended for transfer of credit. For more information, see the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements The Bachelor's Degree.
Auditing courses
With the permission of the instructor, matriculated students may audit without credit any course or individual course meetings in the College. Audited courses will not be recorded on the student’s permanent academic record. Spouses of such students are extended the same privilege.
Non-matriculated students may also audit courses with the permission of the instructor. These students register through the Registrar’s Office as special students and pay a reduced tuition rate. Students who audit courses are not expected to do assignments or exams and may also be excluded from opportunities available to students taking the course for credit. Record of an audit for a non-matriculated student does appear on the student’s permanent academic record.
Graduate courses
Juniors and seniors with outstanding records may elect as a part of their undergraduate program graduate courses in the departments offering such courses. Permission to register for a graduate course must be obtained from the student’s major adviser, from the instructor of the course, and from the Office of Graduate Studies. The departments have listed these courses after the undergraduate courses in the departmental course listings. For full course descriptions, see the current Graduate Studies Bulletin.
In exceptional circumstances, an undergraduate majoring in American studies, History, or Neuroscience, may be able to complete a master’s as well as a bachelor’s degree during the student’s four years at the College through the American studies BA/MA or Neuroscience BS/MA five-year programs. For details, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies.
Accelerated study
Students may elect to accelerate their undergraduate program. Through a combination of term-time and summer study, undergraduates may plan a program that will allow them to earn either the bachelor’s degree in three years or (in some fields) the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years.
Intensive study programs
From time to time, faculty members offer intensive study programs that enable a group of students to devote an entire semester to the study of a single large topic or a series of related topics.
There are two types of intensive study, both of which may be offered on campus or at a suitable off-campus location in the United States or abroad. The first type permits a group of 12 or more students to work for a full semester under a single instructor. For both students and the instructor, work in the program constitutes the full academic load for the semester. Together and individually they study topics of mutual interest through group seminars, supervised research, tutorials, or a combination of these approaches. In the second type of intensive study, students take three courses in related fields concurrently with an integrating seminar. The faculty members teaching the related courses also supervise the seminar. Through these programs, a student may earn up to four course credits while becoming deeply involved in a coherent body of knowledge.