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 Education, School of Nursing and Health Professions, and School of Professional and Graduate Studies.

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 intellectual and holistic development for all.

Trinity is empowered by charter to grant undergraduate and graduate degrees. Academic programs are divided into four areas: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Nursing and Health Professions and the School of Professional and Graduate Studies (which includes undergraduate Professional Studies and Business and Graduate Studies). Undergraduates may earn a post-secondary certificate, an Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or a Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree. Graduate students may choose from programs leading to a post-baccalaureate certificate, the Master of Arts, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education, the Master of Occupational Therapy, the Master in Public Health or the Master of Science in Administration, .

Trinity’s undergraduate program offers associate’s and bachelor’s degrees to students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Nursing and Health Professions through a weekday format. The School of Professional and Graduate Studies offers associate’s and bachelor’s degrees through evening and weekend formats. Trinity’s interdisciplinary liberal arts program prepares students for a lifetime of career opportunities in a learning environment that fosters the development of leadership skills. Trinity’s undergraduate curriculum combines foundational knowledge with practical experiences and a professional focus. Trinity offers students many resources, including a faculty dedicated to teaching; the Center for Student Success providing individualized academic advising and the Starfish student platform; Library Services and the Research and Writing Center; Academic Services and tutoring; Career Services; Disability Support Services; support with instructional technology and Moodle, Trinity’s Learning Management Platform; a wide choice of internships for academic credit; and the many opportunities for learning and engagement 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, leadership and organizational management, occupational therapy, public health, strategic communication and public relations, and teaching.  The  Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Public Relations, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, Master of Public Health, and Master of Science in Administration are offered in fully online format. The Master of Occupational Therapy is offered in hybrid format.  The graduate programs integrate theory and knowledge with skills and practical applications. Trinity also offers professional development workshops and continuing education classes in online formals for professionals in education, health care and other industries, and 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
1007 North Orange Street
4th Floor, MB #166
Wilmington, DE 19801
www.msche.org

NC-SARA Participation

Trinity Washington University is approved as a voluntary institutional member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) through the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in Washington, DC ( a member of the Southern Regional Education Board compact, or SREB).  This national organization establishes standards for post-secondary distance education that guarantee educational reciprocity through regional compacts (SREB, the New England Board of Higher Education or NEBHE, the Midwestern Higher Education Compact or MHEC, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education or WICHE).  Approved institutions are authorized to offer distance education programs in participating states.  To register a student complaint with NC-SARA, please see the following link:  https://nc-sara.org/student-complaints

School of Education

All School of Education teacher and administrator preparation degree 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 either from OSSE or from Specialized Professional Associations, as follows:

  • Early Childhood Education:  the National Association for the Education of Young Children (OSSE)
  • Educational Administration: National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA)
  • Elementary Education:  the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
  • Special Education:  the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Education Accreditation Contacts:

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Nursing Program

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.

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 baccalaureate-level occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. 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 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.

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 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. 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 Washington Metropolitan Area, which consists of the following universities: American University, The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, Georgetown University, The George Washington University, Howard University, Marymount University, Montgomery College, National Defense University, National Intelligence University, Northern Virginia Community College, Prince George’s Community College, Trinity Washington University, Uniformed Services University, University of the District of Columbia,  University of Maryland, and University of Maryland Global Campus. Affiliate members include Johns Hopkins University, The Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institution, and Virginia Tech.

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; Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society of professional counselors; Lambda Pi Eta, the national honor society for communications; Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for the study of history; Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honor society for political science; Phi Theta Epsilon, the national honor society for occupational sciences; Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology; and Sigma Iota Rho, the national honor society for international affairs. Visit the academic honor society page for more information on each chapter.

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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, faculty offices, math, computer, and seminar classrooms, student study spaces, the Health and Wellness Center, the Trinity Times newsroom, the campus deli, the post office, conference meeting rooms, and more. The Sister Helen Sheehan Library houses a collection of approximately 200,000 volumes on open shelves as well as the Center for Research & Writing, Academic Services and tutoring, Career Services, and the Family Friendly Study Space. 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, faculty offices, and Technology Services.  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 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 are also 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

The Disability Support Services (DSS) provides accommodation support to Trinity students with disabilities and assists with campus accessibility matters in accordance with federal policies, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This includes determining and assigning reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities in academic, housing, dining, and/or other settings and scenarios. DSS also offers training and guidance to faculty and staff on effectively implementing accommodations and supporting students in various institutional settings. Specific accommodation and accessibility requests should be directed to the DSS Director.  Trinity’s compliance officer for the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act is the Director of Human Resources. For more information, visit Disability Support Services.

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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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