Our Adult Degree Program (ADP) is an undergraduate degree completion program that allows you to create a personalized interdisciplinary concentration or focus of study to meet your educational and career objectives. You can complete your major in Individualized Study through online courses and/or courses on our main campus. The Individualized Study major also offers you the opportunity to integrate other college-level learning such as professional or military experiences into the completion of your degree.

You have the option to earn a:

• Bachelor of Individualized Study
• Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Study
• Bachelor of Science in Individualized Study

Your Program of Study

As an Individualized Study major, you will work with ADP staff and advisors to develop a personalized Program of Study that focuses on your unique skills, interests, and career goals.

As an incoming ADP student, your first course will be IS 200: Orientation to Individualized Study. This course is a 3-credit online class that prepares you for college-level learning at James Madison and guides you through the process of building your Program of Study.

Course Tracks

Our tracks are a structured way of developing your personalized program plan. Each track offers a strong foundation in a subject area such as Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Development, Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Development & Management, and Business & Information Technology. You can combine two or three tracks to create your Individualized Study major, and you can blend online and face-to-face classes if you are able to commute to campus. Click here for a list of currently available tracks.

Degree Completion Requirements

ADP students must complete the university's required General Education courses as well as concentration-based courses. Depending on the particular courses you choose, you will earn one of three degrees:

Bachelor of Individualized Study

To earn a Bachelor of Individualized Study, you must complete the following course requirements:

• IS 200 Individualized Study Major Program Development (3 credits). 
• General Education courses in all five clusters of The Human Community as defined here: General Education Program Requirements.
• Individualized Study Concentration, or field of study, consists of a minimum of 30 credits, at least 24 of which must be upper-division credit (300- and 400-level courses). The concentration shall include classes from two or more academic disciplines and represent a coherent body of knowledge, which may require course work beyond the 30 minimum credit hours.
• Electives: You’ll need 120 total credits to graduate, including transfer credits and credits earned at James Madison. You may take additional electives to reach the 120 credits. 
• IS 498 Individualized Study Project is an online capstone course directly related to the concentration (3 credits). 

Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Study

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Study, you must complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Individualized Study and the following additional credits:

• Philosophy (3 credits) and Foreign Language (6 credits of 200-level or higher)

Bachelor of Science in Individualized Study

To earn a Bachelor of Science in Individualized Study, you must complete the requirements for the Bachelor of Individualized Study and the following additional credits:

• Natural Science (3 credits) and Mathematics (3 credits)