ISAT is a good program of study for students who like many areas of science, want to focus on hands-on approaches to science, and want to be real-world problem solvers in several areas of science and technology. ISAT does not require students to know exactly what career they might want to have after they graduate. ISAT students all take the same ISAT classes in the first two years and then start to specialize in their junior year. They choose two of the five sectors that ISAT offers: energy, environment, industrial and manufacturing systems, information and knowledge management and biotechnology. For the final year in ISAT they choose one of their two sectors to also be their concentration, thus getting depth in two areas and breadth in all five.

ISAT students also learn to be holistic problem solvers and take several classes that specifically address problem solving and systems thinking. The degree culminates in a two year Capstone Opportunity. Students graduate and go on to many different fields, IT, Engineering, Technical Management, etc.

Students interested in pursuing the ISAT major would benefit greatly from taking as many math and science classes as they can while they are getting their associates degrees. Students can start the ISAT program without having taken those classes, but the college level classes will be more difficult if the student is seeing the science content for the first time. Calculus (both differentiation and integration) are good to have had as well as statistics. Physics and chemistry are also part of ISAT as is biotechnology; therefore, basic chemistry and calculus-based physics are valuable as well as cell or microbiology. Python programming would also be good to be familiar with. Courses in these areas could be substituted for ISAT classes when they are transferred to JMU.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year
• Connect with an advisor at your community college and James Madison University within your first year via College Connect

Students in ISAT can double major but most do not, many are in JMU's Honor's College or pursue minors in other areas of interest. There are several environmental minors that overlap to a good extent with ISAT classes. Robotics and computer science are other minors that fit well.

ISAT majors often do paid, non-credit internships in the summer with various technology companies. ISAT does not require internships for the major, but more than half of our students complete an internship during their time at JMU.

All ISAT students have the opportunity to serve as Teaching Assistants and participate in our Costa Rica experience focused on renewable energy.

• All students participate in a Capstone Experience, either one-on-one with professors or in a group.
• All students get to choose two concentrations (Energy, Environment, BioTechnology, Manufacturing, Applied Computing)
• All students have the opportunity to design their own tailored concentration.

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?
• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at: James Madison University