Planning

• Review the degree requirements of any new major you are considering in the JMU Course Catalog: https://catalog.jmu.edu/index.php

• You can find a clear overview of majors and links to their corresponding pages here: https://www.jmu.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/index.shtml

• You can find online resources for explore majors here: https://www.jmu.edu/advising/majors/explore.shtml

• If you’d like to meet with a Exploratory Advisor, someone who would have a more “big picture” view of majors as JMU, you can schedule that through MyMadison Connect in the “Available to Everyone” dropdown: https://jamesmadisonuniversity1.my.site.com/s/

• I strongly recommend your reach out to the advisor of the new major to discuss your transition. Sometimes they are listed in the Course Catalog; sometimes you have to search through the faculty page of the department. If you are unable to identify an advisor in the department, reach out to the departmental front office, departmental coordinator, office assistant, or (lastly) the department head.

Logistics

To declare a new major or change your degree can be done via MyMadison. I find the process confusing, so here are a couple of tutorials:

• Major/Minor change Video tutorial
• Major/Minor change Step-by-step Guide

Feedback

If you have any feedback for the Computer Science department about the reason you have decided to leave the program, we very much want to discuss the details with you! Please contact our CS Advisor, Paige Normand (normanap@jmu.edu) to talk about your experience.

There is a helpful overlap of our introductory CS courses and the new IT major. If you have decided not to stay in CS but would like to continue in a computing field, IT is a great option!

Overview of the IT curriculum: https://www.jmu.edu/cise/information-technology/academics/index.shtml

If you'd like to discuss details about the IT major, reach out to the IT Advisor, Ellen Hedrick, hedricme@jmu.edu

If you find you do not enjoy the in-the-weeds problem solving that CS demands, you might enjoy ISAT, which focuses on more high-level problem-solving.

Overview of the ISAT curriculum: https://www.jmu.edu/bsisat/academics/curriculum/overview/index.shtml

If you'd like to discuss details about the ISAT major, reach out to the ISAT Advisor, Paul Henriksen, henrikpw@jmu.edu

Here is a helpful comparison of the two programs: https://www.jmu.edu/cob/cis/academics/cis-vs-cs.shtml

Note: switching from CS to CIS is not just a change of major, but a change of degree (from a BS to a BBA). This means you will need to complete the Business Core. This can add more classes to your graduation requirements; however, the College of Business is good about offering summer classes so you will have the opportunity to catch up there.

Overview of the CIS Curriculum: https://www.jmu.edu/cob/cis/academics/index.shtml

If you are a Freshman or Sophomore CS student who is interested in switching to CIS, meet with the CIS Madison Advising Peer, Elliot Davis: https://www.jmu.edu/cob/asc/maps/index.shtml

If you are a Junior or Senior CS student who is interested in switching to CIS, meet with one of the 4 COB advisors who assist with CIS: https://www.jmu.edu/cob/asc/advising/index.shtml

School of Media and Arts Design, Interactive Media Concentration: https://www.jmu.edu/smad/our-program/index.shtml#id

Curriculum Requirements: https://catalog.jmu.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=50&ent_oid=4687

SMAD Advisor: Joe Loyacano, https://www.jmu.edu/smad/about-smad/our-people/loyacano-joe.shtml

SMAD FAQ: https://www.jmu.edu/smad/our-program/academic-advising.shtml