Cox School of Business - Programs of Study
The requirements summarized below must be satisfied to earn the Bachelor of
Business Administration Degree. A core of required fundamental courses has been
designed by the faculty of the Cox School as specified below. Each core course
must be passed for a student to be eligible for graduation. Generally, calculus,
English and economics should be completed in the student’s first year; accounting,
managerial statistics and information systems requirements in the sophomore year;
finance, legal environment and ethics, marketing, management and operations
management requirements in the junior year; and the business strategy requirement
(STRA 5370 or CISB 5397, also known as Capstone courses) in the senior year.
Students are responsible for designing their own degree programs with assistance
from one of the Cox academic advisers. Coordination with the B.B.A. Career
Services Office is highly advantageous for students who want to maximize major
selection, course selection and their future careers. Close attention should be given
to course and knowledge prerequisites as well as course content to maximize the
value of each course and to avoid the possibility of enrolling in a course with
insufficient preparatory background. It is expected that students will consult with
faculty and academic advisers in determining their course selections.
Each student’s file, reflecting his or her total academic record, is located in the
Undergraduate Office, 252 Maguire Building. Transcripts of the student’s official
record should be requested from the Office of the Registrar.
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The undergraduate program of the Cox School of Business is strongly committed
to the academic advising process and believes that advising is effective only if the
adviser and the advisee assume equal responsibility. Cox academic advisers are
available in 252 Maguire Building for student appointments. All students admitted
to the Cox School are required to attend a two-part orientation session, which
includes the B.B.A. Advising Office, B.B.A. Career Services and the Business
Information Center (BIC). After the initial orientation, students are required to
visit with a B.B.A. adviser every term until graduation.
Students are not assigned to a specific adviser. Many students prefer to meet
with the same adviser; it is the student’s choice when his or her appointment is
scheduled to either express a preference for a particular adviser or schedule with
whomever is next available.
Students must bring a current copy (no more than 24 hours old) of their electronic
degree progress report (eDPR) to their advising appointments. This computerized
degree plan should be carefully examined, as it is the student’s responsibility to
help assure the eDPR’s accuracy. After meeting with an adviser, students register,
swap, and drop on ACCESS.smu. The Director of B.B.A. Advising and Student
Records will add students to a closed class only if the student is a graduating senior
and there are no other course options for completing a degree requirement.
Cox faculty members provide assistance in the areas of their professional expertise,
offering guidance in selecting and sequencing courses appropriate for meeting
specific academic and career goals.
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In conjunction with the University’s Hegi Family Career Development Center,
the office of Undergraduate (B.B.A.) Career Services focuses on providing exposure
to various careers and helping students learn lifelong, career decision-making and
job search skills. In addition to individual appointments, each term a number of
special events and workshops are offered to B.B.A.s such as: career fairs, business
dining etiquette, resume and interviewing tips, networking skills, internships and
job search resources.
The primary focus is to help students early in their college education to identify
and explore careers in relation to their own values, interests, personality and skills.
The goal is to help students have more direction regarding their career interests,
and therefore, better manage selecting a major and activities, and pursuing internships
and full-time positions.
Career-related experience, often referred to as “internships,” is encouraged and
considered a key component of the undergraduate experience at Cox. SMU’s location
in Dallas allows students to pursue both part-time internships during the academic
year and part- and/or full-time internships during the summer worldwide.
Students are encouraged to make an appointment with a career counselor the
term they are accepted to Cox. Since meeting with a career counselor is not required,
taking the initiative to do so early is up to the student and also encouraged by
faculty and staff. The three counselors available exclusively to Cox B.B.A.s are
conveniently located in Maguire 254.
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The Business Associates Program (BAP) is a corporate mentoring experience
that pairs business undergraduates one-on-one with executives in the Dallas-area
business community. The program enhances a student’s collegiate experience by
providing firsthand insights into the business world while teaching the value of
effective networking.
Eligibility for the program requires a declared major in business, junior or senior
status and good academic standing. B.B.A. students on academic probation are
not eligible to participate. After acceptance into the program, students are matched
with a mentor for an academic year. Students are eligible to participate during their
junior and senior years.
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The Cox B.B.A. Honors Program is designed to enable outstanding business
students to participate in an enhanced curriculum that challenges their intellectual
abilities and sharpens their professional skills. A smaller class size promotes greater
interaction between students and professors which, in turn, leads to a more meaningful
educational experience. The Cox School offers honors sections of the following
business courses:
The sophomore sections of honors business courses are available to declared
Business and Pre-Business students who have a minimum 3.6 cumulative G.P.A.
Students who have a 3.6 cumulative SMU, all-college G.P.A., and Business School
G.P.A. by the spring of their sophomore year and have been officially admitted to
the Cox School are eligible to enroll in Cox Honors classes (except senior practicums).
Those in the program who achieve a 3.6 G.P.A. in a minimum of four honors
courses (three of which must be at the junior/senior level) and a 3.6 cumulative
SMU G.P.A. will receive an honors notation (“Honors in Business”) on the transcript
and diploma. The Cox Honors distinction is separate from the cum laude
distinctions awarded at graduation.
See the
Course Descriptions section for further information about the courses.
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The Business Scholars Program affords numerous special opportunities including
networking with Cox faculty and the Dallas business community, invitations
to special events, and tailored academic advising and career services. Participation
in this program enhances students’ educational experience and helps develop the
skills and connections necessary for professional success. Business Scholars are
encouraged to participate in honors-level business courses to enhance their educational
experience in the Business School.
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All candidates for the Bachelor of Business Administration degree must satisfy
the following requirements:
General Education Curriculum: 41 hours
Please see the General Education Curriculum section of this catalog for information
on this requirement.
The applicable requirements for each Cox major are those in effect during the
academic year in which the student is officially admitted to the Cox B.B.A. Program.
The Cox School offers the following majors:
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