At Michigan State University, a residential college is a degree-granting academic college built around a living-learning community. James Madison College is a residential college at MSU, with its academic community centered in Case Hall. There, students have access to classrooms, faculty and advising offices, student spaces, dining and first-year housing — all while taking classes and pursuing opportunities throughout Michigan State University.
Start with a shared foundation: JMC students begin with common first-year courses that introduce the college’s interdisciplinary approach and allow them to explore before selecting a major for their sophomore year.
Learn in classes built for discussion: Smaller course sections create room for close reading, writing, debate and participation. The average JMC class size is 12 to 24 students.
Build relationships over time: Students regularly encounter the same classmates, faculty and staff across courses, advising, events and everyday life in Case Hall.
Find a familiar place within MSU: Case Hall gives students a consistent place to study, meet people, attend events and ask questions while they learn to navigate the larger university.
Case Hall may be your home base, but it is not the limit of your Michigan State experience. JMC students take classes throughout the university, participate in campus organizations, pursue additional majors and minors, join the Honors College, conduct research and study abroad.
Curious about what the residential areas of JMC look like? View a 360 virtual tour of a double room within Case Hall.
Both connect students through shared academic interests. The important distinction at MSU is that JMC is a degree-granting academic college, while many living-learning communities are housing-based programs that do not award degrees.
First-year JMC students who live on campus are required to reside in Case Hall with another JMC student. Housing assignments, accommodations and gender-inclusive housing placements are managed through MSU’s housing offices.
Second-year JMC students have the option to live in Case Hall, but it is not required.
No. Students take their JMC courses in Case Hall and complete the rest of their degree coursework throughout Michigan State University. Approximately half of a student’s credits come from outside the college.
Yes. JMC students have the freedome to pursue additional majors or minors and can participate in the Honors College while completing a JMC degree.
Residential college students pay the same tuition rate and housing costs as all undergraduate students at MSU. You can enjoy living with others in your area of interest and having all of your classes, professors and advisers in the same building without paying more.
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