December 9, 2005

SMU Trustees Approve New Master's Program in Management, Name Changes for Other Graduate Programs

DALLAS (SMU) – Southern Methodist University’s Board of Trustees has approved a new graduate business program and name changes for two other graduate programs, reflecting changing professional needs.

SMU’s Cox School of Business will offer a new Master of Science program in management, taking advantage of first-year M.B.A. courses in the Cox School’s existing graduate programs.  The 10-1/2 month, 30-credit-hour degree plan will focus on basic business disciplines such as project management, leadership, budgeting, financial planning, accounting and marketing.  The university will enroll its first M.S. in management class in fall 2006.

“We expect this program to attract young professionals who realize that to advance their careers they need exposure to core business content,” said William R. Dillon, the Cox School’s Herman W. Lay Professor of Marketing and senior associate dean for academic affairs. “We believe it will be attractive to a wide range of prospective students, from English and history majors to individuals in technology-related industries and the health sciences.”

The Board also approved a name change for the biological sciences graduate program in SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. The department’s Master of Arts, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in biology will now list a specialization in molecular and cell biology. The change in name does not require any curricular changes to the department’s advanced degree plans.

“All our research-intensive faculty conduct projects in the area of molecular and cell biology,” said Professor Larry Ruben, Biological Sciences department chair. “The name change will help us expand our graduate applicant pool and will allow us to target candidates whose interests most closely align with those of the department.”

The Board also approved a name change for the Master of Liberal Arts program. The program will now be named Master of Liberal Studies and will be part of the School of Education and Human Development.

The actions reflect SMU’s response to trends in graduate education and the professions, better serving the specialized needs of individuals who seek advanced degrees.

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Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas with more than 10,000 students and offers degree programs through seven schools. More information about SMU is available at www.smu.edu.