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.
Students may fulfill their Trinity “Plus” by completing an Experiential Certificate. This integrated set of experiences are uniquely designed to provide students with robust, practical, learning opportunities. Each Certificate consists of a total of three credits, combining both academic and co-curricular credit bearing experiences, with at least one credit from both 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); short-term global study; some unpaid research with a faculty member, paid summer research; and (most) J-term courses.
The Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric offers four experiential certificates:
- Academic Leadership
- Digital Communications
- Tutoring Academic Writing
- Writing Pedagogy
These four certificates focus on developing students’ practical skills and academic knowledge in specialized fields, preparing them for their future careers beyond Trinity. Each of our certificates emphasize hands-on experience alongside theoretical learning, enabling students to apply best practices in real-world settings. Whether through tutoring, mentoring, writing, or digital communication, students will gain a deep understanding of the foundational theories that support their work, while also building the expertise necessary to effectively engage and support others. These certificates provide students with the tools to grow as leaders and communicators in a variety of professional contexts.
Please visit the Trinity College Bulletin for a complete listing with requirements for all of our experiential certificates.
Experiential Certificate Requirements
The certificate in Academic Leadership in Mentoring and Tutoring provides students with the skills and knowledge to better perform and learn from tutoring and mentoring experiences as well as a scholarly underpinning for theories of leadership.
Credit 1: Core Requirement
RHET 209. Academic Leadership
Credit 2: Academic Course (choose one)
RHET 302. Writing Theories and Practices
THDN 272. Arts in Education: Models for Engagement
THDN 345. Theater for Social Change
LAAL 200. Action Research methods in Hartford
LAAL 201. Hartford Research Project
An approved co-curricular credit internship or a course or experience approved by the certificate faculty adviser
Credit 3: Co-curricular Experience (choose one)
An experience as a TA for any course
A co-curricular credit tutoring experience approved by the certificate faculty adviser
The certificate in Digital Communication prepares students for careers in public facing writing, digital communication practices, public relations, and social media through academic and experiential activities.
Credits 1 and 2: Academic Courses (choose one)
One of the two academic courses can be replaced with a second internship.
RHET 125. Writing for a Digital World
RHET 225. The Rhetoric of Broad Street
RHET 230. Visual Rhetorics
RHET 315. Writing in the Public Sphere: Theory and Practice
Credit 3: Co-curricular Experience
Internship related to public relations, communications, or writing
Students who earn a certificate in Tutoring Academic Writing will develop academic and practical skills in the tutoring of academic writing. They will learn about and put into practice the history of tutoring writing in higher education, the best practices of tutoring writing, and the theories underpinning those best practices.
Credit 1
RHET 302. Writing Theories and Practices
Credit 2
FYSM Colloquium
Students may replace the FYSM colloquium with a second tutoring program co-curricular credit.
Credit 3
Co-curricular credit in an on- or off-campus tutoring program
There is a pressing social need for talented English language arts teachers, and students who want to respond to that call can prepare themselves by completing the Writing Pedagogy certificate. Through academic study and practical experience, you will learn strategies to engage and support developing writers. The certificate entails two academic credits—a writing-intensive or workshop-based course in ENGL or RHET, and a course about the history or theory of literacy and pedagogy (RHET 302, “Writing Theories and Practices”; ENGL 318, “Literacy and Literature”; RHET 406/ENGL 806, “Composition Pedagogy”)—and a co-curricular credit as a Teaching Assistant for an ENGL or RHET course, or as a First-Year Mentor for an ENGL or RHET faculty member.
Credit 1 (choose one)
ENGL 260.
ENGL 270.
200-level RHET course
Credit 2 (choose one)
RHET 302. Writing Theories and Practices
ENGL 318. Literacy and Literature
RHET 406/ENGL 806. Composition Pedagogy
Credit 3 (choose one)
TAship for an ENGL or RHET course
A term as a First Year Mentor for an ENGL or RHET faculty member
Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric - Experiential Certificates
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