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Accreditation Requirements

The information below is required for all JMU syllabi. The four bullets below are minimum requirements; how they are interpreted is determined by the academic unit. All JMU instructors must comply with these requirements for undergraduate and graduate courses.

  • Goals of the Course

Course objectives, learning outcomes

  • Nature of the Course Content

Catalog description, prerequisites, corequisites, schedule, method of instruction

  • Requirements of the Course

Examples: Course texts, assignments and due dates, contact information, policies on academic honesty, accommodations, attendance, classroom etiquette, make-ups, participation, professional behavior, etc.

  • Methods of Evaluation

Examples: Assignments (quizzes, tests, papers, projects, etc.) and their weighting/percentage, homework, how final grades are calculated, etc. 


JMU Requirements

The Division of Academic Affairs requires that the following information be included as part of each course syllabus:

  • Course Information (Course number, title, section number and credit hours)
  • Instructor Contact Information
  • Attendance Policy
  • Academic Honesty/Honor Council Statement
  • Adding/Dropping Courses Policy
  • Disability Accommodations
  • Disruptive Behavior Policy
  • Inclement Weather Policy
  • Religious Observation Accommodations

You may also choose to link to the Student Syllabi Resource Website as part of your syllabus.


Dual-level Courses

Dual-level courses (a course taught jointly at the undergraduate and graduate level) must have a different syllabus for both levels of the course that specify the additional requirements for graduate students along with a detailed syllabus explaining course requirements for each level.


Additional Syllabi Requirements

  • Colleges and academic units may have additional requirements for syllabus content. Contact your unit coordinator or the chair of your C&I committee for specific details.
  • All courses, including dissertations, independent studies, practica, research and readings, special topics, thesis courses, etc., must have a written syllabus.

Example Templates

Here are several sample syllabi that you may use as a guide in developing your own syllabus. The examples have information that is not required for all courses, but it may contain helpful ideas for the creation of a course syllabus for your courses.

For a general syllabus template, click Syllabus Template.

For thesis syllabus templates (provided by Graduate Psychology), click Recommendations for a Thesis Course (First) and Recommendations for a Thesis Course (Second) .


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