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Academic Catalog 2020-2021 | General Information

General Information

Trinity Overview

Trinity is a comprehensive university in Washington, D.C., offering a full range of courses and degree programs for students of all ages, with a special emphasis on women’s education in the College of Arts and Sciences and professional development in the coeducational School of Professional Studies, School of Business and Graduate Studies, School of Education, and School of Nursing and Health Professions.

Founded in 1897 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Trinity is one of the nation’s first Catholic undergraduate colleges for women. More than one hundred years later, Trinity continues the founders’ commitment to offer students of all faiths a quality academic program, a value-centered education, and a focus on the intellectual development of individuals.

Trinity is empowered by charter to grant undergraduate and graduate degrees. Academic programs are divided into five areas: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Professional Studies, the School of Business and Graduate Studies, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Undergraduates may earn an Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Graduate students may choose from programs leading to the Master of Arts, the Master of Arts in Teaching, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education, the Master of Science in Administration, the Master of Occupational Therapy, the Master of Science in Nursing degrees or a Master in Public Health.

Trinity’s undergraduate program offers associate’s and bachelor’s degrees to students in the College of Arts and Sciences through a weekday format. The School of Professional Studies offers associate’s and bachelor’s degrees through evening and weekend formats. Students benefit from an interdisciplinary liberal arts program that prepares them for a lifetime of career opportunities and a learning environment committed to developing the leadership skills of women and men. Trinity’s undergraduate curriculum combines a foundation of knowledge with practical experiences and professional focus. Trinity offers students many resources, including a faculty dedicated to teaching; individual academic advisors; Trinity’s Academic Services Center, which houses the Library and Career Services and Writing Centers in addition to Disability Student Services; a wide choice of internships for academic credit; and the many opportunities available in the nation’s capital.

Trinity’s graduate programs offer master’s degrees to women and men in the areas of business administration, counseling, curriculum and instruction, educational administration, strategic communication and public relations, leadership and organizational management, teaching, occupational therapy, nursing, and public health. The graduate programs integrate theory and knowledge with skills and practical applications. Trinity also offers professional development workshops to area educators and continuing education classes for lifelong learners.

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Founding and Accreditation

At the time of Trinity’s founding in 1897, Catholic colleges only educated men. Trinity College was established to offer equivalent educational opportunities to women of all faiths. Many women and men worked together to achieve this goal, but the principal driving force was Sister Julia McGroarty, Provincial Superior of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a religious community founded by Sister Julie Billiart in early 19th-century France. Their congregation currently consists of about 3,000 sisters in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. In addition to pursuing a variety of other works, they help support colleges in the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States.

Incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia in 1897, Trinity College was empowered by an act of Congress to confer degrees. Its legal title is “Trinity College, Washington D.C.” In 2004, Trinity became a university.

Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation

Trinity is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The commission has consistently reaffirmed Trinity’s accreditation since 1921, most recently in 2016.

Institutional Accreditor Address: 
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA  19104
(267)284-5000
www.msche.org

School of Education

All School of Education programs are approved by the DC State Education Agency, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and meet requirements for state certification.

Additionally, Trinity’s initial-license and advanced-level education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Individual teacher preparation programs hold recognition from Specialized Professional Associations, as follows:

  • Early Childhood Education:  the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  • Educational Administration:  the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC)
  • Elementary Education:  the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
  • Reading:  the International Reading Association (IRA)
  • Special Education:  the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Education Accreditation Contacts:

Education Accreditation Contacts:

School of Nursing and Health Professions Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Trinity is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

The master’s degree program in nursing at Trinity is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

Nursing Accreditation Contacts:

  • D.C. Board of Nursing
    899 North Capitol Street, NE
    First Floor
    Washington, DC 20002
    Phone: 1-877-672-2174

Counseling Programs

The Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Counseling Accreditation Contact:

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

The occupational therapy assistant baccalaureate degree program at Trinity Washington University has applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

The occupational therapy assistant associate degree program at Trinity Washington University, Washington, DC, was placed on Probationary Accreditation effective April 1, 2017, for failure to comply with 2011 OTA Standard A.5.6 (certification exam pass rate). The program has been requested to submit a Plan of Correction to return the program to full compliance with the Standard within the mandated time period for correction. Trinity Washington University reviewed the above statement and had the opportunity to add comment prior to public posting.  The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (A.C.O.T.E.) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (A.O.T.A.), is located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. A.C.O.T.E.’s telephone number, c/o A.O.T.A., is (301) 652-AOTA, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (N.B.C.O.T.). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (C.O.T.A.). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the N.B.C.O.T. Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the N.B.C.O.T. certification examination or to attain state licensure.

Trinity Occupational Therapy Assistant program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online at https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx

Master of Occupational Therapy Accreditation

The entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

OTA and MOT Accreditation Contact:

Consortium of Universities

Trinity is a member of the Consortium of Universities of the District of Columbia, which also consists of the following universities: American University, The Catholic University of America, Corcoran College of Art+Design, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, Marymount University, National Intelligence University, National Defense University, University of the District of Columbia, and University of Maryland.

Honor Societies

Trinity is among the 10% of the nation’s colleges and universities to be granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the country’s oldest academic honor society. Trinity’s chapter was established in 1971. Trinity also has chapters of Alpha Sigma Lamda, the national honor society for adult learners; Beta Kappa Chi, the national honor society for science; Lambda Pi Eta, the national honor society for communications; Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honor society for political science; Alpha Phi Sigma, the national honor society for criminal justice; Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for history; Sigma Iota Rho, the national honor society for international affairs; and Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology.

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Trinity’s Campus

Trinity’s 26-acre wooded campus, located on Michigan Avenue at Franklin Street in Northeast Washington, is in a residential neighborhood just two-and-one-half miles north of the United States Capitol, and is easily accessible. Trains to Washington, D.C., arrive at Union Station, which is just minutes from Trinity, and National Airport is only 20 minutes away. By car, Trinity can be reached by all major routes into Washington, D.C. In addition, Trinity operates a free shuttle to the nearby Brookland/CUA Metrorail station, and Metrobuses stop directly in front of the campus.

Trinity’s facilities are housed in eight buildings. Main Hall, begun in 1899 and completed in 1909, houses all administrative offices, classrooms and faculty offices, the computer center, the post office, the campus bookstore, and meeting rooms. The Sister Helen Sheehan Library houses a collection of approximately 200,000 volumes on open shelves as well as the Academic Support Center. The Payden Academic Center, the newest academic facility on campus since 1963, opened in Fall 2016, and features state-of-the-art science and nursing labs and classrooms, study and gathering space for all students, and faculty offices.  In addition to Main Hall, there are two residence halls: Cuvilly and Kerby. Residence space is also available in Alumnae Hall, which houses the campus dining facilities. The Notre Dame Chapel, dedicated in 1924, won the 1925 Gold Medal for ecclesiastical architecture. The Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports houses a variety of athletic and other facilities.

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Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports

The Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports is a $20 million state-of-the-art athletic, recreational and educational complex located in the heart of Trinity’s campus in Northeast Washington. Proudly the nation’s largest facility dedicated to women and girls in sports, the Trinity Center is home to Trinity’s NCAA Division III athletic programs and the Trinity community.

Recreational, sports, and wellness programs conducted by partner organizations such as DC Scores, the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, the Washington Tennis Association, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and D.C. Public and Charter Schools also are hosted at the Trinity Center.

The Trinity Center offers memberships for individuals and families. To meet the needs of area schools, community organizations and local businesses, the Trinity Center has facility rentals for organized sports and special events. For more information, please see the Trinity Center website.

The Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports complex includes:

  • Basketball Arena: For basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, and events. Bleacher seating for 1,600; bleacher and floor seating with a stage for 2,500.
  • Walking Track: On the upper level, around the basketball arena.
  • Swimming Pool and Spa: Indoor pool, 25-yards, six-lanes, starting blocks, seating for 75. Large spa.
  • Fitness Center: Includes weight and exercise room, and dance/aerobics studio.
  • Women’s and Men’s Locker Rooms: Lockers, showers, and changing areas. Also, separate team room with lockers and officials’ locker room.
  • Tennis Courts: Six new outdoor tennis courts.
  • Athletic Field: State-of-the art athletic field for soccer, lacrosse and field hockey. Built-in sprinklers and irrigation system, bleachers, scoreboard, and adjacent parking.

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Access for Individuals With Disabilities

Trinity is committed to making the facilities and services of the campus accessible to those with disabilities through reasonable accommodations. Specific requests regarding access should be directed to the Office of Admissions (for prospective students) or the Dean of Student Services (for enrolled students and visitors). Trinity’s compliance officer for the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act is the Director of Human Resources.

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Disclaimer

Trinity reserves the right to change, without prior notice, any policy or procedure, tuition or fee, curricular requirements, or any other information found on this web site or in its printed materials.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@trinitydc.edu.

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Trinity reserves the right to change, without prior notice, any policy or procedure, tuition or fee, curricular requirements, or any other information found on this web site or in its printed materials.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@trinitydc.edu.

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