Cox School of Business - Admission
For detailed information regarding Southern Methodist University’s admission
requirements, regulations and procedures, see the Admission section of this
catalog.
The Cox School of Business offers three undergraduate programs. All Cox
classes, unless otherwise noted in the course descriptions, are open only to students
in the B.B.A. or Minor in Business Administration programs. Students in the Minor
in Business program may enroll only in the classes listed in this minor’s curriculum
(see Minor Requirements section).
- The B.B.A. (Bachelor of Business Administration) offers eight academic majors
within business. Admission is available to entering SMU students through the
B.B.A. Scholars Program, or to continuing and transfer students through the
process described in Admission of SMU Students to a Business Major or
Admission of External Transfer Students to a Business Major below.
- The Minor in Business Administration provides a comprehensive introduction
to business for SMU students who have majors outside the Cox School. Courses
for this minor are a subset of the B.B.A. core courses and are generally offered
throughout the academic year. Admission to this program follows the same
requirements outlined in Admission of SMU Students to a Business Major or
Admission of External Transfer Students to a Business Major below.
- The Minor in Business offers non-Cox students a foundation in business
concepts to complement their primary areas of academic interest. Courses in
this program are taught only during the summer and are open to all non-Cox
SMU students.
- All B.B.A. students are required to have a laptop computer for use in the
classroom.
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Admission to the Cox undergraduate program may be made by current SMU
students via the admission requirements below, or at the time a student is admitted
to SMU via the B.B.A. Scholars Program (see Applying for Admission as a First-
Year Applicant).
Regular admission to any B.B.A. major requires:
- Good standing (2.0 minimum SMU G.P.A.), and
- Completion of a minimum of 42 hours, and
- A minimum G.P.A. of 3.300 in the business subset:
ENGL 1301 (or ENGL 2305) or ENGL 1305
ENGL 1302 (or ENGL 2306)
ECO 1311
ECO 1312
MATH 1309 (or MATH 1337)
ACCT 2301
ITOM 2305 or STAT 2301 (or STAT 2331, EMIS 4340, or EMIS 5370)
Please note that:
- Once a student enters SMU, all remaining subset courses must be completed
in residence at SMU.
- With the exception of courses completed under the SMU first-year grade-repeat
policy (See Grades for Repeated Courses), the subset G.P.A. is calculated using
the first graded attempt of these courses, even if the course was later repeated.
- The subset G.P.A. for students who have AP or IB credit is based on the
remaining graded subset courses.
- Students must have passing grades in all subset courses before entering the
Cox School.
- Current University grading policy, as summarized under Academic Forgiveness
(see Academic Forgiveness Section) permits forgiveness of academic
work taken 10 or more years prior to the term of admission. Academic work
forgiven under this policy will not be included in the subset G.P.A.
Admission via the Extended Subset
Students who do not achieve a 3.300 G.P.A. in the business subset may add the
first graded attempt of ACCT 2302 to the original subset. Students who achieve a
minimum 3.300 G.P.A. on this extended subset will be admitted to the Cox B.B.A.
degree program. Once a student enters SMU, ACCT 2302 must be completed in
residence at SMU.
Applying for Admission as a First-Year Applicant
First year applicants submit an application for admission to the SMU Office of
Enrollment Services and follow the University requirements for admission (page
17). Applicants who are admitted to SMU and who indicate business as their primary
academic interest on the application for admission are automatically reviewed for
admission to Cox as a B.B.A. Scholar (See Cox B.B.A. Scholars Program).
Admission to the Cox B.B.A. Scholars Program is by invitation only. First year
students invited to join the program must accept their invitation no later than May
1 prior to SMU matriculation in the following fall. Students who accept admission
to the Cox B.B.A. Scholars Program are preselected for admission to the academic
programs in the Cox School of Business and may enter Cox during their first year
at SMU.
Declaring a Business Major as a Current SMU Student
Students who meet the Cox admission requirements should complete a Change
of Academic Program form at the records office of their current school. This form
will be forwarded with the student’s academic record to the Cox School. Students
normally enter Cox in January of their sophomore year; students who enter later
may need additional time to complete degree requirements.
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Admission of external transfer students to a B.B.A. major requires:
- Admission to SMU, and
- Completion of a minimum of 42 hours of transferable college credit, and
- Minimum cumulative academic G.P.A. of 2.5, and
- A minimum G.P.A. of 3.300 in the business subset:
ENGL 1301
ENGL 1302
ECO 1311
ECO 1312
MATH 1309 or MATH 1337
ACCT 2301
ITOM 2305 or STAT 2301 or STAT 2331 or EMIS 4340 or EMIS 5370
Please note that:
- The subset G.P.A. is calculated using the first graded attempt of the subset
courses, even if a course was later repeated.
- Current University grading policy, as summarized under Academic Forgiveness
(page 26) permits forgiveness of academic work taken 10 or more years
prior to the term of admission. Academic work forgiven under this policy will
not be included in the subset G.P.A.
- The subset G.P.A. for students who have AP or IB credit is based on the other
(graded) subset courses.
- Students must have passing grades in all subset courses before entering the
Cox School.
Transfer students who have not completed the business subset courses may be
eligible for admission to SMU as prebusiness majors and will then follow the
admission requirements outlined above for current SMU students. Those who have
completed the subset, but who do not meet Cox admission requirements, may be
eligible for admission to SMU to pursue a nonbusiness major.
Transfer Admission via the Extended Subset
Students who do not achieve a 3.300 G.P.A. in the business subset may add the
first graded attempt of ACCT 2302 to the original subset. Students who achieve a
minimum 3.300 G.P.A. on this extended subset will be admitted to the Cox B.B.A.
degree program. Once a student enters SMU, ACCT 2302 must be completed in
residence at SMU.
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SMU students who are NOT seeking a major in the Cox School may select from
two different business minors. The Minor in Business Administration provides a
comprehensive introduction to business for SMU students who have majors outside
the Cox School. Students in this minor take specified B.B.A. core courses, which
are generally offered throughout the academic year. The Minor in Business offers
non-Cox students a foundation in business concepts to complement their primary
areas of academic interest. Courses in this program are taught only during the
summer and are open to all non-Cox SMU students.
Minor in Business Administration
The Minor in Business Administration operates concurrently with the B.B.A.
degree program, and includes seven courses that can apply toward either the B.B.A.
degree or the Minor in Business Administration (see Minor Requirements section).
Students in this minor must meet the same admission requirements as students in
the Cox B.B.A. program outlined above, and will be enrolled in the same sections
of business courses as business majors.
Minor in Business (Summer Program)
The Minor in Business is offered only in the summer and is open to all SMU
students who are NOT pursuing a B.B.A. major or the Minor in Business Administration.
The Minor in Business does not have G.P.A.-based admission requirements,
and offers courses that are designed to provide a general overview of business
topics to complement a variety of academic interests. Current SMU students may
pursue this minor by enrolling in the appropriate courses and completing a minor
declaration form with their current academic adviser.
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If a student is readmitted to SMU after an absence of three years or longer, the
student will be readmitted under the university catalog in effect at the time of
readmission, and will be subject to degree and admissions requirements in that
current catalog.
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A prospective transfer student must present to the Office of Enrollment Services
official transcripts containing a full record of all previous college work attempted.
Failure to provide full records of all work is grounds for dismissal from the Cox
School. To avoid delay, students should forward transcripts to the SMU Office of
Enrollment Services no later than July 1 for the fall term and December 1 for the
spring term.
In general, transfer credit will be accepted for degree credit only if the courses
completed are equivalent in content to those offered at SMU and if the university’s
school of business at which the courses were completed is accredited by The Association
to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). In the
case of transfer credit completed at a junior/community college, only those courses
with equivalents at the first-year and sophomore level at SMU (1000- and 2000-level
courses) will be accepted for degree credit. The Cox School will grant a maximum
of three credit hours per course for transferred Introductory Accounting.
Prior to matriculation, the Cox School will accept transfer business credit toward
the B.B.A. degree from schools accredited by AACSB International regardless of
the student’s classification if there are equivalent/appropriate courses at SMU.
Courses completed with a grade of D+ or less or those completed without letter
grades (pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory) will not be transferred for any
degree credit. Grades earned elsewhere will be considered for admission purposes
and in determining graduation with honors.
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Students enrolled in the Cox School who are seeking to fulfill any portion of
their degree requirements through transfer credit must file a petition for approval
of their intentions with the Undergraduate Office in 252 Maguire Building prior
to enrollment for such courses. With the approval of the appropriate SMU departmental
chair, SMU students may complete a maximum of 30 transfer hours for
degree credit. Students are cautioned to check the current SMU catalog before
enrolling in courses at other institutions and to verify transferability with the
appropriate offices. Matriculated students must complete all required business
courses in residence. Exceptions to this policy require concurrent approval of the
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, the appropriate department chair, and
the B.B.A. Director of Advising and Student Records.
Regardless of the number of acceptable transfer hours, at least 60 hours of the
total 122 baccalaureate hours must be completed in residence at SMU. Of the 51
or more required business hours, a minimum of 30 must be completed in residence
in the Cox School.
Detailed information regarding enrollment procedures, orientation, student file
number, name changes, address changes, transcript service, classification of students,
changes of school, policies for adding and dropping courses and for auditing
classes, enrollment for no credit, class attendance, withdrawal from the University,
final examinations, term-hour loads, grading policies and grade reports is included
in the University Enrollment and Academic Records section of this catalog.
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