2003-04 Undergraduate Catalog -

Southern Methodist University's mission is to be a leading private institution of higher learning that expands knowledge through research and teaching. Among its faculty, students, and staff the University develops skills and cultivates principled thought and wisdom. The University is dedicated to the values of academic freedom and open inquiry and to its United Methodist heritage.

To fulfill its mission the University strives for quality, innovation, and continuous improvement as it pursues the following goals:

To enhance the academic quality and competitiveness of the University.
To improve teaching and learning.
To strengthen scholarly research and creative achievement.
To support and sustain student development and quality of life.
To broaden global perspectives.
To advance the University through select, strategic alliances.

Southern Methodist University

As a private, comprehensive university enriched by its United Methodist heritage and its partnership with the Dallas metroplex, Southern Methodist University seeks to enhance the intellectual, cultural, technical, ethical, and social development of a diverse student body. SMU offers undergraduate programs centered on the liberal arts; excellent graduate, professional, and continuing education programs; and abundant opportunities for access to faculty in small classes, research experience, international study, leadership development, and off-campus service and internships, with the goal of preparing students to be contributing citizens and leaders for our state, the nation, and the world.

SMU comprises six degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Meadows School of the Arts, the Edwin L. Cox School of Business, the School of Engineering, the Dedman School of Law, and Perkins School of Theology.

Founded in 1911 by what is now the United Methodist Church, SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and is committed to the values of academic freedom and open inquiry.

The University has 101 buildings, a total enrollment that has averaged more than 10,000 the past five years, a full-time faculty of 535, and assets of $1.382 billionincluding an endowment of $831,116,000 (Market Value, May 2002).

Offering only a handful of degree programs at its 1915 opening, the University presently awards baccalaureate degrees in more than 80 programs through four undergraduate schools and a wide variety of graduate and professional degrees through those and professional schools.

Of the 10,955 students enrolled for the 2002 fall term, 6,210 were undergraduates and 4,745 were graduate and professional students. The full-time equivalent enrollment was 5,980 for undergraduates and 3,051 for graduate and professional students.

Nearly all the students in SMU's first class came from Dallas County, but now 38 percent of the University's undergraduate student body comes from outside Texas. In a typical school year, students come to SMU from every state, from 92 foreign countries, and from all races, religions, and economic levels.

Undergraduate enrollment is 55.4 percent female. Graduate and professional enrollment is 41.8 percent female.

A majority of SMU undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. In 2002-2003, 78.2 percent of first-year students received some form of financial aid, and 36.6 percent of first-year students received need-based financial aid.

Management of the University is vested in a Board of Trustees of civic, business, and religious leaders -- Methodist and non-Methodist. The founders' first charge to SMU was that it become not necessarily a great Methodist university, but a great university.

Academic Accreditation

Southern Methodist University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone number 404-679-4501) to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees.

Individual academic programs are accredited by the appropriate national professional associations. The Edwin L. Cox School of Business is accredited by AACSB-International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The Dedman School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association. Perkins School of Theology is accredited by The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Undergraduate programs in mechanical engineering, computer engineering, and electrical engineering are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society. In the Meadows School of the Arts, the Dance Division is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance; the Music Division by the National Association of Schools of Music; and the Theatre Division by the National Association of Schools of Theater.