Entry Courses to Majors
Whether you are an incoming student exploring entry courses or an upper year finalizing course planning in your field of study, this page will be a helpful resource. Trinity’s major and minor departments below, organized by academic discipline, provide entry-level class options and advanced degree requirements. Follow the links provided to learn more about specific departments, and get in touch with a department chair for even more information.
Last updated: 3/19/2024
Arts
Exploratory courses:
AHIS 101 – Introduction to the History of Art in the West I (available spring 2025)
AHIS 102 – Introduction to the History of Art in the West II
AHIS 103 – Introduction to Asian Art
Major and minor requirements:
Art History Major Requirements
Art History Minor Requirements
Architectural Studies Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
FILM 201 – Basic Filmmaking
FILM/ENGL 265 – Introduction to Film Studies (available spring 2025)
Major and minor requirements:
Film Studies Major Requirements
Film Studies Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
MUSC 101 –Basic Musicianship
MUSC 107 – Music Lessons (must be taken after or concurrently with MUSC 101)
MUSC 108 – Steel Pan Ensemble
MUSC 109 – Jazz Ensemble (audition required)
MUSC 111 – Samba Ensemble
MUSC 113 – Introduction to World Music
MUSC 121 – Listen!
MUSC 133 – Blues Women to Nicki Minaj
MUSC 175 — Introduction to Recording Arts
MUSC 201 – Diatonic Harmonic Practice (for students with advanced music theory experience) (available spring 2025)
MUSC 218 – American Popular Music
Major and minor requirements:
Music Major Requirements
Music Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
Any STAR 100-level course.
Major and minor requirements:
Studio Arts Major Requirements
Studio Arts Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
Any THDN 100-level courses or 200-level courses without prerequisites.
Students may also participate in any Theater and Dance department productions each year.
Major requirements:
Theater and Dance Major Requirements
Humanities
Exploratory courses:
AMST 203 – Conflicts and Cultures in American Society
Any other AMST 200-level course without pre-requisites
Major requirements:
American Studies Major Requirements
Exploratory courses:
CLCV 111 – Introduction to Classical Art and Archaeology
CLCV 203 – Mythology
GREK 101 – Introduction to Classical and Biblical Greek I (offered in the spring semester)
LATN 101 – Fundamentals for Reading Latin
Any other CLCV 100 or 200-level course without prerequisites
Major and minor requirements:
Classical Studies Major Requirements
Classical Studies Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
The English Major has three tracks: Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Film and Literature.
Any ENGL 100 or 200-level course without pre-requisites.
ENGL 260 – Introduction to Literary Studies
Major and minor requirements:
English Major Requirements
English Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
Any HIST 100 or 200 level courses without pre-requisites.
Major and minor requirements:
History Major Requirements
History Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
HRST 125 – Introduction to Human Rights
PHIL 246 – Human Rights: Philosophical Foundations, Issues, and Debates
Major and minor requirements:
Human Rights Major Requirements
Human Rights Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
RELG 109 – Jewish Tradition
RELG 211 – Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
HIST 213 – Modern Jewish History
Major and minor requirements:
Jewish Studies Major Requirements
Jewish Studies Minor Requirements
If students are interested in a LACS major, they can and should enroll in the appropriate language course(s) for their level. If they have any questions, especially after taking the second-language placement exam, they should inquire with one of the professors in the relevant language area.
Students declaring a major or minor in LACS should directly contact the section head for each of the nine languages and the major coordinator for World Literature and Culture Studies.
Language and Culture Studies Major Requirements
Language and Culture Studies Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
PHIL 101 – Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 102 – Introduction to Political Philosophy
PHIL 103 – Ethics
PHIL 205 – Symbolic Logic
PHIL 255 – Philosophy of Logic
Major and minor requirements:
Philosophy Major Requirements
Philosophy Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
RELG 101 – Introduction to Religion
RELG 109 – Jewish Tradition
RELG 110 – Introduction to Christianity
RELG 151 – Religions of Asia
RELG 181 – Introduction to Islam
RELG 211 – Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
RELG 212 – New Testament
RELG 256 – Buddhist Thought
RELG 281 – Anthropology of Religion
Major and minor requirements:
Religious Studies Major Requirements
Religious Studies Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
WMGS 201 – Gender and Sexuality in a Transnational World
Major and minor requirements:
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Major Requirements
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Minor Requirements
Natural Science and STEM
Exploratory courses:
BIOL 182 – Evolution of Life
CHEM 111 – Introductory Chemistry I
BIOL 183 – Cellular Basis of Life
CHEM 112 – Introductory Chemistry II
Major, minor, and concentration requirements:
Biology Major Requirements
Biology Major Concentrations
Biology Minor Requirements
Exploratory courses:
CHEM 111 – Introductory Chemistry I
MATH XXX – [The calculus course recommended by the placement exam]
Chemistry Major Requirements
Chemistry Minor Requirements
Biochemistry Major Requirements
Declaring the Biochemistry or Chemistry Major
CPSC 110 – Computing Essentials-Python
CPSC 115L – Introduction to Computing
MATH 131 – Calculus I (or another mathematics course recommended on the basis of the placement exam score)
Computer Science Major Requirements
Interdisciplinary Computing Major Requirements
PHYS 141 and MATH 131 in the fall and PHYS 231 and MATH 132 in the spring. A 100- level engineering course during the first year. Students who may not yet be ready to take Calculus their first semester should take MATH 127 and CHEM 111 in the fall, and MATH 131 in the spring (and other courses selected in consultation with the engineering department chair).
B.S. In Engineering Requirements
B.A In Engineering Requirements
BIOL 182 – Evolution of Life
BIOL 141 – Global Perspectives in Biodiversity & Conservation
CHEM 111 – Introductory Chemistry I
ENVS 110 – The Earth’s Climate
ENVS 112L Introduction to Earth Science
Environmental Science Major Requirements
Environmental Science Minor Requirements
Students most commonly begin their study of mathematics with courses that are recommended on the basis of their placement exam scores. A student whose placement score indicates calculus-readiness begins with MATH 131. (If the student has earned a 4 or 5 on the calculus AB exam, they should enroll in MATH 132 and if they earned a 4 or 5 on the calculus BC exam, they should enroll in MATH 231.) Very well prepared students considering a major in mathematics may wish to consider taking MATH 205, Abstraction and Argument, in addition to calculus. Permission of instructor is required.
Mathematics Major Requirements
Applied Mathematics Minor Requirements
BIOL 182 – Evolution of Life
CHEM 111 – Introductory Chemistry I
NESC 101 – The Brain
PSYC 261 – Brain and Behavior
It is recommended that most First-Year students take both BIOL 182 and CHEM 111 in their first semester.
PHYS 141 – Physics I: Mechanics
MATH 131 – Calculus I
Exceptionally well-prepared students who have advanced placement credit exempting them from PHYS 141 and from both MATH 131 and MATH 132 may start the introductory sequence with the fall course PHYS 232 – Optics and Modern Physics prior to taking PHYS 231 – Electricity and Magnetism in the spring. These students should contact the chair of the department for permission to enroll.
Social Sciences
ANTH 101 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Students interested in Economics must enroll in ECON 101, however it is not required that you enroll in the first semester of your first year. To enroll in ECON 101 as a first-semester, first-year student, you must qualify to enroll in MATH 131, Calculus I.
EDUC 200 – Analyzing Schools
All 200-level INTS courses are appropriate entry courses to the major. Students considering majoring in INTS are also urged to enroll in language courses.
Students should take any 100- or 200-level courses in POLS. The exception is that POLS 241 and 242, our research methods courses, would not be suitable 200-level courses.
PSYC 101 – Introduction to Psychology
A checklist and diagram of the major, for students to use with their adviser, are available on the Psychology web site.
ECON 101 – Basic Economic Principles
MATH 107 (or 207) – Elements of Statistics (or Statistical Data Analysis)
PBPL 123 – Fundamentals of American Law
PBPL 201 – Introduction to American Public Policy
Student should start with SOCL 101 – Principles of Sociology.
URST 101 – Introduction to Urban Studies
URST 201 – From Hartford to World Cities
Urban Studies Major Requirements
Interdisciplinary Minor in Urban Studies Requirements
Urban China Studies Minor