Bachelor of Science in Biology

at Study Group - James Madison University USA

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

Sport and Recreation Management  
The mission of the sport and recreation program is to develop a community of learners through quality education that integrates theory, practice, and personal growth in the hospitality, sport and recreation industries.

We are dedicated to the development of future leaders in sport and management professions through a course of study that maximizes the potential of individuals and society.

Sport and recreation management is committed to providing:

• An outstanding undergraduate program based on the criteria of relevant professional associations, which will enable graduates to be successful in their professional endeavors.
• A program that builds upon the strong liberal studies background provided through General Education.
• The opportunities that challenge students to think critically, to use technology and to appreciate the global community.
• The research and development projects that push back the boundaries of knowledge and promote effective practice in sport and recreation management.

Psychology majors complete course work that explores behavior, emotions, cognitive processes and the factors that influence them from a variety of perspectives. Psychologists study behavior at both a cellular (e.g. examining the role of the brain and the nervous system) and at a more global level (e.g. examining the influences of culture). As psychology majors students will enhance their problem-solving, critical thinking, writing and oral expression skills as they learn to use the tools available to behavioral scientists.

Students choose to major in psychology for many reasons. Psychology can be students' primary area of interest within a liberal arts education that will lead to many professional opportunities that require a bachelor's degree, or it can be a pre-professional program leading to advanced study in graduate school. Popular types of graduate programs pursued by graduates of our program have been counseling, school psychology, education, clinical psychology, psychological science, social work, forensic psychology/criminal justice, industrial/organizational psychology, behavior analysis, law school and college administration.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

International Affairs
This major provides a global perspective on the most important challenges facing the United States and the world today. Students learn to understand the world from a variety of perspectives and have the opportunity to specialize in important global problems and regions. Students develop their understanding of cultural frameworks, foreign languages, international economics and political dynamics. Our vast network of alumni helps students transition to careers in public service and many other fields. These prized abilities serve as a foundation for careers in government, consulting, policy advocacy, business, communications and the non-profit sector.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

Dance
We offer a major in Dance with a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for a diverse range of career paths. We work with each student to help define and shape their individual path, and endeavor to create a positive and collaborative environment that is inclusive and responsive to the needs and goals of the 21st-century artist. The intensive curriculum prepares dancers to create, perform, produce, analyse and teach the art of dance.

The School of Theatre and Dance combines the best attributes of a liberal arts education and professional arts training. Students major in theatre, musical theatre, or dance and study with a faculty of working professionals who give personal attention to every student. With a wide range of performance opportunities, one of the distinctive features of the School of Theatre and Dance is the emphasis it places on student generated work in the Experimental Theatre and Dance Studio productions.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

Earth Science
The Earth Science major is designed to integrate all the Earth sciences in a systems approach to understanding the Earth. This includes incorporating and integrating subjects such as oceanography, meteorology and astronomy. The emphasis is on the preparation of individuals to work in a wide range of professional public sector service careers where preparation in Earth science and communication of science to non-scientific audiences is a requirement or an asset. This includes the preparation of Earth science teachers.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

Biology
The department offers a four-year B.S. degree program for a major in biology and for a major in biology qualifying for the Secondary Collegiate Professional License. Requirements for the B.A. degree can be met by adding the completion of an intermediate level foreign language and three credit hours in philosophy. Students may not receive dual credit toward the biology major for 300- and 400-level BIO courses that are applied toward the biotechnology major.

Biology majors must complete 40 credit hours of biology courses including 16 credit hours at the 300 and 400 level. Specific requirements include four core courses (BIO 140, BIO 150, BIO 240 and BIO 250), at least two upper-division laboratory courses and one course from a list of courses with an emphasis on organismal diversity. In addition, biology majors must complete a set of cognate courses in chemistry, mathematics, statistics and physics that are listed below. Students are encouraged to participate in independent research with a faculty mentor. Credits earned doing research will count toward the biology major but some restrictions apply.

When requested, senior biology majors are expected to participate in program assessment test activities as a graduation requirement. Assessment information helps the department modify the curriculum to meet student needs.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

English
Throughout human history, talented writers, poets, playwrights and essayists have understood and used the power of creative, well-crafted language to inspire us, to persuade us, to make us reflect and question, to draw empathy from us, to entertain and awe us, and to expand our understanding – often many of these at the same time.

At JMU, we prepare our students to be appreciative yet critical readers and creators of language, texts and ideas, attending to the powerful link between the literary arts and the human condition.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

Communication Sciences and Disorders
The communication sciences and disorders major is designed to provide students with pre-professional preparation essential to pursuing graduate work in speech-language pathology or audiology. Graduate degrees at the masters or doctoral level are necessary to work as speech-language pathologists or audiologists. These individuals work as professionals to assist people who have communication disorders; teachers, clinical supervisors and/or researchers in universities; administrators and leaders in healthcare or educational settings.

Research is essential in order to understand more about how humans communicate and the problems that can interfere with their communication. The major encourages students to become involved in research, provides them with opportunities to pursue honors projects and honors theses, and encourages students to attend and present their research work with the student's faculty mentor at regional and national conferences.

There is a nationwide shortage of speech-language pathologists and audiologists, so they are in strong demand for jobs. Communication sciences and disorders provides an excellent background for students who want to pursue careers in related areas such as special education, deaf education, medicine, or dentistry and offers an exciting and fascinating course of study for students who simply wish to study the area as a major.

The International Year is a great choice if you'd like to improve your English language proficiency while also benefiting from a supportive environment with dedicated faculty.

• Dedicated academic support to prepare you for university - you will receive specialist support and teaching so that on completion of the International Year, you'll be ready to progress to degree study at JMU.
• Graduate in four years, similar to direct entry students - studying on the International Year will allow you to complete your degree on time. 
• Be a part of the university community from day one - JMU has a thriving community where students feel that they're part of a large, supportive family. 
• Taught at the on-campus International Study Center (ISC) - the dedicated ISC will provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work and socialise with other international students. 

Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication
The School of Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication is a community of exceptional faculty, dedicated staff, talented students and energetic alumni in one of the only stand-alone programs in the U.S. dedicated to writing across a variety of modes and genres.

WRTC offers an expansive curriculum and a wide variety of opportunities for hands-on learning. Students learn the kinds of research, analytical and technical skills that allow them to become successful professional communicators as well as competitive candidates for a wide variety of graduate programs. Our faculty is comprised of practitioners and scholars from fields including rhetoric and writing, scientific and technical communication, creative nonfiction, professional communication, digital media, feminist studies, rhetoric of health and medicine and science studies.

The Bachelor of Music degree offers six specialized majors: performance, composition, music industry, music education, jazz studies and music theatre. All music majors must complete the General Education program and a 30 credit hour core program of music courses common to all the majors' curricula. The remaining hours are specified under each of the various majors and concentrations.

All undergraduate music majors must perform on the primary instrument in one assigned ensemble each semester when one or more of the following indicators applies:

• They are enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours on campus.
• They are enrolled for applied lessons on the primary instrument.
• They have not completed all of the requirements in the music major.
• They are not enrolled in an off-campus internship or in student teaching.

While students are required to participate in only one ensemble each semester, they are encouraged to take advantage of the many performance opportunities offered by the School of Music by participating in more than one ensemble. For information regarding the ensemble audition process, see the Undergraduate Music Student Handbook.

If piano is the primary instrument, see the specific requirements in the Undergraduate Music Student Handbook.

All music students should enroll in class piano each semester until they meet the keyboard skills requirements appropriate to their specific degree or concentration. Graduating seniors must participate in assessment activities including assessment day, as represented by MUS 220.

Another vital aspect of the programs is attendance at recitals and concerts. Attending these events contributes to the breadth of students' knowledge of music literature. Hearing performances also allows students to observe performing techniques from the student to the professional levels. Consequently, undergraduate music majors must attend a minimum of 10 recitals per semester for six semesters, totaling 60 attendances during their degree studies. Students must continue to register for MUS 195 until they fulfill this requirement.