As part of the Trinity Plus curriculum launched in 2021, the College introduced experiential certificates, which complement the core liberal arts experience with integrated courses and applied learning experiences that prepare students for their next steps after Trinity.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperiential certificates are all about connecting academic inquiry to professional aspiration,\u201d said Mitchell A. Polin, associate dean for curriculum and professor of theater and dance. \u201cThey present an opportunity for students to practice ideas and not just examine them from a distance.\u201d<\/p>\n
With 30 experiential certificates now offered\u2014and more being designed by faculty each year\u2014students have the opportunity to pursue deeper, more hands-on studies in highly focused areas. \u201cThe faculty is dedicated to expanding ways for students to think about what comes after Trinity, especially in their senior year, and to explore the disciplinary areas about which they\u2019re passionate and curious,\u201d Polin said.<\/p>\n
An experiential certificate is one way in which students may fulfill the new curriculum\u2019s three \u201cplus\u201d credits beyond Trinity\u2019s required 32 academic credits, with 35 needed for graduation. Each certificate consists of three credits, combining both academic and co-curricular credit-bearing experiences, with at least one credit from both categories. Co-curricular experiences include, but are not limited to, teaching assistantships, peer teaching and mentorships, internships, short-term global study, some unpaid research with a faculty member, paid summer research, and most January Term courses.<\/p>\n
A completed certificate will be reflected on a student\u2019s transcript, which Polin said will demonstrate to a potential graduate school or employer that the student has worked seriously on a focused topic. \u201cIt tells where a student\u2019s passion lies and provides a deeper story of who they are and the work they pursued while at Trinity College,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not leaving behind critical ideas and questions that are happening in the classroom\u2014we\u2019re applying them outward, pushing against the edge of the classroom and into the world,\u201d Polin said. \u201cThe hours students spend outside of the classroom matter, too. With these certificates, students continue learning through experiential activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Academic Leadership
\nArchaeological Fieldwork
\nBioinstrumentation
\nCarceral Systems and Social Change
\nClinical Neuroscience
\nCybersecurity
\nDesign Thinking
\nDigital Communication
\nEntrepreneurship
\nEthnomusicology
\nFilm Curation
\nGlobal Health and Human Ecology
\nInformation Security
\nInnovation
\nMachine Learning
\nMedicine and Allied Health
\nMultidisciplinary Approaches to Climate Emergency
\nMultimedia Communications
\nOrgan Performance
\nPrivate Governance
\nResearch in Mathematics
\nSoftware Development
\nSubject Specific Writing
\nTax Policy and Inequality
\nTechnical Theater
\nTranslation in Practice
\nTutoring Academic Writing
\nUrban Engaged Learning
\nUsing Second Language Skills in a STEM Context
\nWriting Pedagogy<\/p>\n