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).