To graduate from JMU in four years, a student will need to average 15 credits a semester.

If a student transferred in credits from another college or via dual enrollment during high school, that might reduce that number. Talk with your academic advisor before enrollment begins to make sure you're on pace to graduate on the timeline you expect. 

To earn a degree in SMAD, a student must complete:

• 21 credits of the SMAD core (SMAD 101, 201, 202, 203, 204, 301, 450, and two critical-analytical electives)
• 21 credits of SMAD Concentration courses
• 6 credits to fulfill the "breadth requirement" for a B.A. or B.S. degree. A student will complete this SMAD degree requirement by fulfilling JMU's standards for a B.S. or B.A. degree. This would be a science and a math course for a B.S. and a philosophy and intermediate language course (through the 232 level) for the B.A. 

This is where you really get to choose your own adventure. With General Education courses and B.S. or B.A. degree requirements accounting for 40-50 credits and SMAD requirements covering another 42, students have around 30 other credits to complete that can come from any other department or program. 

In fact, another SMAD requirement is that a student must complete at least 72 credits OUTSIDE of SMAD. That includes General Education and B.S./B.A. degree courses, as well as courses for a minor or double-major — or a random smattering of classes across different disciplines. 

So there is no recommended list of other courses. SMAD encourages students to follow their interests in other subjects, which will help them become more well-rounded storytellers. 

A declared SMAD student may take SMAD 101, but the student is restricted from SMAD courses beyond SMAD 101 until they are fully admitted into the major.

SMAD usually offers summer courses, mostly in the first four-week summer session. Most frequently, those summer courses are required core SMAD classes, including but not limited to SMAD 201, 203, 204, 301, and 450. 

SMAD doesn't typically offer courses in the winter (January) term. 

No. To earn SMAD internship credits, a student must be admitted into SMAD and have completed SMAD 202. Internships aren't required in SMAD, but students are encouraged to pursue media creation opportunities through student-run media, on-campus jobs, internships and media practicums.

SMAD majors may choose a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science Degree.  

Those choosing the B.A. are required to take a foreign language through the intermediate (232) level and a Philosophy course in addition to any Philosophy course taken to satisfy General Education requirements (PHIL 120 and 150 do not count for the B.A. requirement). The number of courses needed for the completion of the B.A. will vary based on the student's Foreign Language Placement Exam scores. 

Those choosing the B.S. take an additional course in Scientific Literacy and an additional course in Quantitative Literacy (math) beyond courses required for General Education. 

Most academic policies originate from the Office of the Registrar,  where students will find a full academic calendar, exam schedules, enrollment dates and deadlines, graduation application procedures and forms, registration tutorials, and forms for leaving, returning to, or transferring credits to JMU.

Academic planning can vary greatly based on individual student careers and when students start the major, but the general rule is that the SMAD major can be completed in four semesters following admission to the major. While this is a generally accepted timeline, it's always best to schedule regular meetings with your assigned academic advisor to ensure students are “on track.”

Students who wish to change concentrations after being accepted into the major may apply to do so only during the annual application period at the beginning of the spring semester. Students seeking this option are required to submit:

• A letter to the Admission Committee of no more than 2 pages in length
• Complete the Change of Concentration Form
• Upload their most recent Transcripts
• Review and digitally sign a Concentration Change Contract

A student will be permitted to change concentrations only after consulting with their academic advisor and gaining approval from the admissions committee and director of SMAD.  Admission into a new concentration is not guaranteed. 

Many SMAD majors have a Mac, and SMAD has Mac labs, but student ownership of a Mac is not a requirement for success in the major. SMAD labs are available for student use and provide access to all necessary hardware and software for student projects.

SMAD considers requests for transfer credit from other institutions but only for pre-approved classes. In other words, students must submit the paperwork and get approval before taking the class for which they are requesting credit.

Only in very rare instances does SMAD give credit for lab, writing and production classes. When credit is given, it will usually be for equivalent crticial/analytical classes. In some cases, SMAD 000 credit may be given. SMAD 000 credit will give you credits toward the 120 hours you need to graduate from JMU, but will not satisfy requirements for SMAD or substitute for some other required class in our curriculum.

STEP 1: Pick up a PERMISSION TO TAKE COURSES FOR TRANSFER CREDIT form in the SMAD office in Harrison 0276 or click on the image link to the left to download and print a copy.

STEP 2: Fill out the form completely, indicating the course number of the class or classes from other institutions and the SMAD course/credit you are requesting. If no specific SMAD class seems to apply, you may request SMAD 000 credit.

STEP 3: Acquire a COURSE SYLLABUS or other detailed information about the course content. This should be more than simply the class description from a course catalog. It should include information about course topics from week-to-week, assignments, grading criteria, the number of hours the class meets each week and the number of weeks in the semester. Failure to provide this information will result in a rejection of credit.

STEP 4: Bring the PERMISSION TO TAKE COURSES FOR TRANSFER CREDIT form and the COURSE SYLLABUS, along with any other supporting documentation, to the main SMAD office in Harrison 0276. SMAD will review your material within approximately a week to two weeks.

STEP 5: Call the SMAD office (540-568-7007) and ask if your form is ready to be picked up. If ready, pick up the form in the SMAD office and take it to the Registrar's office.

Of the 120 hours of course work required for graduation, a student may count no more than six hours of combined credit in SMAD 295 and SMAD 395, Practicums; SMAD 390, Directed Projects, and SMAD 495, Internship, toward a major in media arts and design.