Known as “The Friendly City,” Harrisonburg offers a vibrant mix of cultural, agricultural, culinary and recreational experiences, along with the natural beauty of the surrounding Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. Downtown Harrisonburg is home to Virginia’s first Arts & Cultural District and Culinary District, with a walkable 40-block downtown featuring locally owned restaurants, shops, galleries, museums and entertainment. Located along I-81 in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg is approximately two hours from Washington, D.C., and Richmond, making it an easy destination to explore and enjoy. For more information, check out www.visitharrisonburgva.com.

Nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg is home to James Madison University. JMU is recognized nationally for its academic programs and educational value, with programs across the university earning recognition from respected national organizations and publications. The university is committed to providing students with a high-quality education and opportunities to prepare for meaningful careers and lives.

The Health and Behavioral Studies Building is a six-story, 147,033-square-foot building that hosts numerous opportunities for state-of-the-art teaching and research. These include communication sciences and disorders (CSD) research labs, dietetics teaching labs with state-of-the-art kitchens, an athletic training lab, a nursing skills lab, a hospital simulation lab with high-fidelity mannequins, a health assessment lab with anatomical models and many more. Along with these labs, the building itself represents several core themes embodied by the college: visibility, community, and interdisciplinary work.

The Health and Behavioral Studies Building include state-of-the-art facilities and dedicated classroom space where several dietetic food science and food service management courses are taught. The learning laboratory boasts a 12-unit conventional kitchen, a sensory booth, a quantity-scale production kitchen, and a dining room that seats 50.

The INAP in the Department of Health Professions is used for teaching applications, research, and community outreach in the general area of health assessment and physical activity intervention. A broad array of laboratory instrumentation supports the investigation and practical skill application in the areas of body composition, cardiorespiratory testing, isokinetic evaluation of muscular strength and endurance, and energy expenditure. Additionally, the lab supports a variety of physical health assessments that include EKG recording, blood chemistry analysis, pulmonary function, urine chemistry, bone mineral density screening, nutritional analysis, and resting metabolism assessment. Visit the INAP Lab.  

UREC is more than a place to sweat. It is a place to learn about healthy lifestyles and develop positive habits that students can take with them when they leave JMU. UREC is a national leader in the development and use of student learning outcomes in the field of collegiate recreation. The department offers a wide range of non-credit educational programs a year as well as credit-based courses.

The UREC Mission is to promote and advance healthy lifestyles through educational programs, participation opportunities, and support services. Our qualified staff is committed to excellence and responsive to the developmental needs of our participants. Our Motto is "Motivating Madison into Motion!" Part of your supervised experiential learning could be working in this amazing facility with the amazing staff. Visit UREC.

The Robert & Frances Plecker Athletic Performance Center provides JMU athletics with one of the nation’s top student-athlete support facilities. The Center houses locker, equipment, office, meeting and reception areas for the football program. It also includes academic support areas used by each of the University’s  intercollegiate sports programs, state-of-the-art sports medicine (including nutrition) and strength training and conditioning facilities, reception areas that include JMU’s Athletic Hall of Fame, and a student-athlete lounge. Part of your supervised Experiential learning could be working in this amazing facility, with the amazing staff, and the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Champions the JMU Dukes! Visit the Center.

JMU offers a wide variety of top-ranked campus dining options. With dining locations across campus, students have plenty of choices for meals, snacks and more. And for students looking to gain hands-on experience, JMU Dining can also provide opportunities for supervised experiential learning. Visit JMU Dining.