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Cox School of Business

COX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
PROGRAMS OF STUDY

Curriculum

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 BBA Career Services Office is highly advantageous to the student who wants to maximize major selection, course selection and their future career. 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.

Advising

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 three-part orientation session which includes the BBA Advising Office, BBA Career Services and the Business Information Center (BIC). After the initial orientation, students are required to visit with a BBA 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 BBA 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.

Career Counseling

In conjunction with the University’s Hegi Family Career Development Center, the office of Undergraduate (BBA) 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 BBAs 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. Over 90 percent of the internships are paid.

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 BBAs are conveniently located in Maguire 254.

Business Associates Program

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.

B.B.A. Honors Program

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 Cox School offers honors sections of the following required 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 and 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.

Business Scholars Program

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.

Business Administration Requirements

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.

Business Core requirements	Credit Hours
ACCT 2301, 2302 Fundamentals of Accounting I and II	6
ITOM 2305 Managerial Statistics or STAT 2301 or 2331 or EMIS 4340 or 5370	3
ITOM 2308 Information Systems for Management	3
FINA 3320 Financial Management	3
LT 3335 Introduction to Legal Environment and Ethics	3
ITOM 3306 Operations Management	3
MKTG 3340 Fundamentals of Marketing	3
MNO 3370 Management of Organizations	3
STRA 5370 Strategic Management in a Global Economy or CISB 5397 Entrepreneurship – Starting A Business	3
Business Hours (toward major)	18-21
TOTAL Business Hours	48-51
Non-Business Electives	30-33
	__________
TOTAL DEGREE HOURS	122

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:

Major in General Business

To earn the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in General Business, students must comply with the core B.B.A. degree requirements and satisfy the following additional requirements:

	Credit Hours
Business Electives (any combination of Cox departments)	18

Major in Accounting

	Credit Hours
1. Accounting core:*	15
ACCT 3311 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 3312 Intermediate Accounting II
ACCT 4311 Cost Accounting I
ACCT 4315 Federal Income Tax I
ACCT 5314 Accounting Systems/Auditing
2. Accounting elective hours selected from the following:	3
ACCT 4306 Accounting Controls
ACCT 4307 Business Modeling with Spreadsheets
ACCT 5317 Studies in Accounting Theory
ACCT 5321 Practicum in Financial Statements Analysis
3. Accounting Communications elective hours selected from the following:	3
ACCT 3391 Ethics for Accounting
BLI 3303 Business Communications

*Must be taken in residence.

Major in Finance

To earn the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Finance, students must comply with the core B.B.A. degree requirements and satisfy the following additional requirements:

Twelve credit hours in Finance, beyond the three-hour core requirement of FINA 3320, to be composed of the following:

	Credit Hours
1. Six-hour Finance core:*	6
FINA 4325 Advanced Financial Management
FINA 4326 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
2. Six Finance elective hours selected from the following:	6
FINA 3330 Money and Capital Markets
FINA 4327 Speculative Markets
FINA 4328 Management of Financial Institutions
FINA 4329 International Finance
FINA 5331 Advanced Concepts in Financial Management
FINA 5332 Honors Practicum in Portfolio Management (FINA 5132; FINA 5232)
3. Recommended business electives for Finance majors:	6
ACCT 3311 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 3312 Intermediate Accounting II
ACCT 5321 Practicum in Financial Statement Analysis
RM 3360 Principles of Risk and Insurance
RE 3381 Real Estate Fundamentals
RE 4389 Real Estate Finance

*Must be taken in residence.

Major in Financial Consulting

	Credit Hours
1. Accounting core:*	6
ACCT 3311 Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 3312 Intermediate Accounting II
2. Finance core:*	6
FINA 4325 Advanced Financial Management
FINA 4326 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
3. Required Accounting and/or Finance electives:	6
ACCT 4306 Accounting Controls
ACCT 4311 Cost Accounting I
ACCT 4315 Federal Income Tax
ACCT 4307 Business Modeling with Spreadsheets
ACCT 5317 Studies in Accounting Theory
ACCT 5321 Financial Statement Analysis
FINA 3330 Money and Capital Markets
FINA 4327 Speculative Markets
FINA 4328 Management of Financial Institutions
FINA 4329 International Finance
FINA 5331 Advanced Concepts in Financial Management
FINA 5332 Honors Practicum in Portfolio Management (FINA 5132, FINA 5232)

*Must be taken in residence.

Major in Marketing

To earn the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Marketing, students must comply with the core B.B.A. degree requirements and satisfy the following additional requirements:

Twelve credit hours in Marketing, beyond the three-hour core requirement of MKTG 3340 or ADV 3362, to be composed of the following:

	Credit Hours
1. Six-hour Marketing core:*	6
MKTG 3342 Marketing Research
MKTG 5341 Marketing Management
2. Six Marketing elective hours selected from the following:	6
MKTG 3343 Consumer Behavior
MKTG 3344 Integrated Communication Advertising Management
MKTG 3345 Sales and Distribution Management
MKTG 3346 Retailing
MKTG 3348 International Marketing
MKTG 3349 Product and Brand Management
MKTG 4341 Marketing Implementation and Control
MKTG 4345 Sports Marketing
MKTG 5345 Honors Marketing Practicum
3. Six business elective hours	6

*Must be taken in residence.

Major in Management

To earn the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Management, students must comply with the core B.B.A. degree requirements and satisfy the following requirements:

Twelve credit hours in Management (MNO) and Strategy (STRA) courses beyond the six hour core requirements of MNO 3370 and STRA 5370 (may be substituted by CISB 5397), to be composed of the following:

	Credit Hours
1. Six credit hours of MNO classes:*	6
MNO 3371 Human Resources
MNO 4371 Leadership and Culture
2. Six credit hours from the following classes*	6
MNO 3373 Negotiations
MNO 3375 Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Leadership
CISB 5397 Entrepreneurship  (if “senior core” is completed with STRA 5370)
CISB 5398 Managing the Entrepreneurial Business
STRA 5370 Strategic Management in a Global Economy (if "senior core" is completed with CISB 5397)
STRA 5371 Advanced Strategic Management (Prerequisite: STRA 5370)
3. Six hours of business electives	6

*Must be taken in residence.

Major in Real Estate Finance

To earn the Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Real Estate Finance, students must comply with the core B.B.A. degree requirements and satisfy the following additional requirements:

	Credit Hours
1. Twelve hours of Real Estate core:*	12
RE 3381 Real Estate Fundamentals
RE 4338 Real Estate Law
RE 4382 Real Estate Markets and Valuation
RE 4389 Real Estate Finance
2. Six hours from the following set of classes MUST be completed:	6
FINA 3330 Money and Capital Markets
FINA 4325 Advanced Financial Management
FINA 4326 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
ACCT/ITOM 4307 Business Modeling with Spreadsheets
FINA 4327 Speculative Markets
FINA 4328 Management of Financial Institutions
FINA 4329 International Finance
FINA 5331 Advanced Concepts in Financial Management
FINA 5332 Practicum in Portfolio Management
INS 3360 Principles of Risk and Insurance

*Must be taken in residence.

Minor Requirements

Minor in Business Administration

Undergraduates with majors outside the Cox School may complete a minor in business administration.

Admission requirements

See "Admission of SMU Students to a Business Major / B.B.A. Degree Program" under Admission in the Cox section of this catalog.

Course requirements

Matriculated students must complete all hours toward the minor in business administration in residence. Transfer students must complete 18 hours in business at SMU. The following six courses (18 hours) are required for the Minor in Business Administration:

ACCT 2301 Fundamentals of Accounting I
ACCT 2302 Fundamentals of Accounting II
FINA 3320 Financial Management
ITOM 3306 Operations Management
MKTG 3340 Fundamentals of Marketing (or ADV 3362)
MNO 3370 Management of Organizations

Grading

Regular grading standards will be used. None of the 18 hours may be completed Pass/Fail for a minor in business. A minimum 2.00 G.P.A. on all business courses attempted is required for satisfactory completion of the minor in business administration.

Minor in Business

Undergraduates with majors outside the Cox School may complete a minor in business. This summer-only minor is an open-enrollment program for all non-Cox SMU students. It has no grade-based admission requirements.

Students must complete all hours toward the minor in business in residence at SMU (or a minimum of nine hours for transfer students). These courses are offered in summer only.

With the exception of Business Processes and Decisions (ITOM 3310), Personal Finance (FINA 3312) and Markets and Freedom (FINA 3311), the courses offered as part of the Minor in Business may not be taken by students in the Cox BBA program or in the Minor in Business Administration. Cox BBA majors and business administration minors may take Personal Finance and Markets and Freedom as free electives; these courses will not count as business hours toward any BBA degree.

The following courses (18 hours) are required for the minor in business:

ACCT 2310 Accounting Concepts (or ACCT 2311)
FINA 3310 Finance Concepts (or FINA3320)
MNO 3310 Management Concepts
MKTG 3310 Marketing Concepts (or ADV 3362 or MKTG3340)
FINA 3311 Markets and Freedom

Minor in Business Elective (select one):

ITOM 3310 Business Processes and Decisions
FINA 3312 Personal Finance

Directed Studies

Business students may pursue independent studies, a research-based project, in a specified department under the sponsorship of a full-time Cox faculty member. This project may involve further study by the student in some aspect not covered in regularly scheduled business courses. B.B.A. students must first complete the basic required course in the field of study.

Business elective or free elective credit will be granted to a maximum of six hours (no more than three hours in one term) and cannot be used to fulfill major requirements. Directed studies courses may be taken Pass/Fail without completion of the business major. Independent studies will be exempted from the maximum credit hour limit. Students on academic probation may not register for independent studies.

Internships

Business students can take up to three hours of internship credit for work experience. The credit cannot be used towards the BBA major or minor requirements. Internships are for Pass/Fail credit only.

Concurrent Degrees

B.B.A. students may simultaneously complete a second baccalaureate degree in a major outside of business. Students interested in a double major should contact the Undergraduate Office in the Cox School in 252 Maguire Building and the appropriate representative of the dean of the school in which the second degree will be earned.

B.B.A. students are encouraged to complete a minor in other schools on campus, including Dedman College, Meadows School of the Arts and the School of Engineering.