Cox School of Business
(2010 Undergraduate Catalog)
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 Bachelor of Business Administration 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. program offers eight academic majors within business. Admission is available to entering SMU students through the BBA 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 program 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 generally are 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 program 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 majors or students enrolled in the Minor in Business Administration program.
- All B.B.A. majors and students enrolled in the Minor in Business Administration program are required to have a laptop computer for use in the classroom. Many prebusiness students enroll in ITOM 2308; this course requires students to bring their own laptops to class. During ITOM 2308 classes, students will run Windows-based software on their laptops.
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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 BBA Scholars Program (see Applying for Admission as a First-Year Applicant).
Regular admission to any B.B.A. major requires:
- Completion of a minimum of 39 hours.
- A minimum all-college cumulative GPA of 3.300.
- A minimum 3.300 GPA 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 2331, or EMIS 4340 or 5370
Please note that:
- For admission purposes to the Cox B.B.A. program, the all-college cumulative GPA is recorded at the end of the term the student completes the business subset AND has at least 39 cumulative credit hours. The all-college cumulative GPA includes all SMU coursework and courses completed at all other colleges if these courses have content-based equivalents at SMU. If credit is nontransferable because the grade earned is below C-, but the course is equivalent in content to an SMU course, the grade will count toward the all-college cumulative GPA.
Once a student enters SMU, all remaining subset courses must be completed through enrollment at SMU.
- With the exception of courses completed under the SMU first-year grade-repeat policy (see Grades for Repeated Courses in the Policies and Procedures section of this catalog), the subset GPA is calculated using the first graded attempt of these courses, even if the course was later repeated.
- The subset GPA for students who have advanced placement or International Baccalaureate 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 in the Policies and Procedures section of this catalog, 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 or cumulative all-college GPA.
Admission via the Extended Subset
Students who do not achieve a 3.300 GPA in the business subset and/or a 3.300 all-college cumulative GPA may seek admission to Cox through the extended subset option by adding the first graded attempt of ACCT 2302 to the original subset. Students who have completed at least 39 credit hours and who earn both a minimum 3.300 GPA on the extended subset and a minimum 3.300 all-college cumulative GPA as of the term in which the extended subset is completed will be admitted to the Cox B.B.A. degree program. Once a student enters SMU, ACCT 2302 must be completed through enrollment in a course taught by the faculty of the Cox School of Business.
Applying for Admission as a First-Year Applicant
First year applicants submit an application for admission to the SMU Division of Enrollment Services and follow the University requirements for admission (see the Admission to the University section in this catalog). 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 BBA Scholars (see BBA Scholars Program section).
Admission to the Cox BBA Scholars Program is by invitation only to students entering SMU directly from high school. Transfer students are not considered for admission in the BBA Scholars Program. 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 BBA 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. Business majors normally enter Cox in January of their sophomore year; students who enter later may need additional time to complete degree requirements.
Admission of external transfer students to a B.B.A. major requires:
- Admission to SMU.
- Completion of a minimum of 39 hours of transferable college credit.
- Minimum all-college cumulative GPA of 3.300.
- A minimum GPA 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 2331, or EMIS 4340 or 5370
Please note that:
- For admission purposes to the Cox B.B.A. program, the all-college cumulative GPA is recorded at the end of the term the student completes the business subset AND has at least 39 cumulative credit hours. The all-college cumulative GPA includes all SMU coursework and courses completed at all other colleges if these courses have content-based equivalents at SMU. If credit is nontransferable because the grade earned is below C-, but the course is equivalent in content to an SMU course, the grade will count toward the all-college cumulative GPA.
- The subset GPA 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 in the Policies and Procedures section of this catalog, 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 or all-college cumulative GPA.
- The subset GPA for students who have advanced placement or International Baccalaureate credit is based on the remaining (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 via the extended subset option or to pursue a nonbusiness major.
Transfer Admission via the Extended Subset
Students who do not achieve a 3.300 GPA in the business subset and/or a 3.300 all-college cumulative GPA may seek admission to Cox through the extended subset option by adding the first graded attempt of ACCT 2302 to the original subset. Students who have completed at least 39 credit hours and who earn both a minimum 3.300 GPA on the extended subset and a minimum 3.300 all-college cumulative GPA as of the term in which the extended subset is completed will be admitted to the Cox B.B.A. degree program. Once a student enters SMU, ACCT 2302 must be completed through enrollment in a course taught by the faculty of the Cox School of Business.
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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 program 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 generally are offered throughout the academic year. The Minor in Business program 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 majors or students enrolled in the Minor in Business Administration program.
Minor in Business Administration
The Minor in Business Administration program 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 program (see Minor Requirements section). Students in this minor must meet the same admission requirements as students in the Cox B.B.A. program as described above and will be enrolled in the same sections of business courses as business majors.
Minor in Business (Summer Program)
The Minor in Business program 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 program does not have GPA-based admission requirements. The minor offers courses that are designed to provide a general overview of business topics to complement a variety of academic interests. Students may pursue this minor by enrolling in the appropriate courses and completing a minor declaration form with the academic adviser for their major.
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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 Division 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 Division 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 through enrollment at SMU.. Exceptions to this policy require concurrent approval of the associate dean for Undergraduate Studies, the appropriate department chair, and the director of B.B.A. 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 through enrollment at SMU. Of the 51 or more required business hours, a minimum of 30 must be completed through enrollment at SMU or SMU-approved international programs.
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 Admission to the University and Policies and Procedures sections of this catalog.
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