A-to-Z Index

About the Department

The Biology Department at James Madison University is located in Burruss Hall (pictured), which is located in the main campus near the library and other university facilities.  We currently serve over 800 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate students. It offers a wide variety of courses for biology and biotechnology majors, general education, and pre-health profession majors. Our 4-semester core curriculum was developed using NSF funding. 

The ~40 fulltime faculty members are engaged in teaching and research in a broad range of subdisciplines and mentor over 150 undergraduate student researchers during the academic year and in the summers.  Many faculty are supported in their research by external or internal funds. Both individual and shared research spaces are located near faculty offices, and most classes and labs are taught in Burruss Hall.

  Burruss Hall

Resources and Facilities

Microscopy Facility
Herbarium

New Biology Building

A new building to house the Biology Department is being built on the East campus, between the Physics/Chemistry building and the East Campus Library. Expected move-in date is May 2012.

View architect's rendering of the new building.
Download the JMU Biology brochure (PDF)

Our Mission

The Department of Biology holds as its primary core values providing a superlative educational experience for students; actively involving faculty and students in scholarly pursuits as the ultimate expression of teaching and learning; and serving the department, college, university, and greater academic and non-academic communities in support of our teaching and scholarship missions. 

We value an environment for learning that includes opportunities for undergraduate research; a broadly-based academic program; a supportive, diverse, and collaborative faculty; an understanding of the process of science; and a recognition of the importance of community outreach and involvement.

Our Goals

1. To provide a superlative educational experience, we

  • Offer undergraduate and graduate curricula that engage students in both the process of science and the discipline of biology. (Our 4-course undergraduate core curriculum is a distinctive feature of the Department.) 
  • Build foundations for future activities including graduate studies, careers in biological sciences, professional fields (such as medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science), and teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
  • Increase participation of under-represented groups in science and the workforce.
  • Foster development of scholarship and communication skills.
  • Serve as mentors, role models, and sources of knowledge.

2. To actively involve faculty and students in scholarly pursuits as the ultimate expression of teaching and learning, we

  • Encourage and provide ample opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to pursue a variety of scholarly activities and to conduct original research directly with faculty mentors in their areas of expertise. (An emphasis on undergraduate research is a distinctive feature of the Department.)
  • Support opportunities for faculty and students to disseminate the results of their scholarly activities and to interact with professionals at meetings and conferences.

3. To serve the Department, College, University, and greater academic and non-academic communities in support of our teaching and scholarship missions, we

  • Encourage service as a valued component of fostering academic and professional development.
  • Provide effective academic and career advising for students interested in biology.
  • Recognize and reward student excellence.
  • Strive to instill a service ethic in our students through service learning.


revised 9/20/09