We take your success personally.
At SMU Cox, we take your success personally. From day one through your life as an alum, we help you transform yourself and your career. Count on tailor-made support — from small classes led by top-ranked faculty who take a personal interest in your future, to a hands-on career center and a tight-knit global alumni community that's waiting for you to reach out. We'll open doors to the boardrooms of Dallas, turning this booming city into your testing ground and classroom-at-large.
Advisory Board to MSA
SMU Cox is very grateful for the leadership, support and insight provided by its Accounting Alumni and Professional Advisory Board to our MSA Program and undergraduate internship program. This group gives of their time and expertise through interactions with potential and current students and through assistance to faculty both in the classroom and through feedback on curriculum.
The support of our Advisory Board is one more reason why an SMU Cox MSA assures you of an experience that will prepare you for a career full of opportunities.
Learn more about the advisory board to MSA
Create Your Career Path: The Career Management Center
As your world expands through Cox, the CMC goes to work for you. The staff's main purpose is to give you the advice and resources you'll need to pursue and build your ideal career — before, during and after your MSA studies. Take advantage of a range of services, including the Associate Board Mentoring Program. Through the Associate Board, Cox’s executive mentoring program, you’ll gain real-world insights and connections in your area of interest.
MSA Career Management
In 2023, 100% of MSA graduates accepted a position within six months of graduation, with starting salaries ranging from $63,000 to $100,000. Hiring companies included: Alvarez & Marsal, Armanino, BDO, Deloitte, EY, Houlihan Lokey, Hunt Energy, KPMG, Legacy Knight, PwC, RSM, S2 Capital, Tolleson Wealth and Whitley Penn.
Other recent accolades include:
- SMU Cox is ranked #6 in the nation on the CPA Exam Success Index. Nationally, only 53% of students who ever start the CPA exam end up passing all four parts. The goal for SMU Cox MSA students is to pass all four sections of the CPA Exam within 3 months of graduation. 45% of recent SMU Cox MSA students accomplished this goal (compared to 3% nationally), and that number increased to 75% of SMU Cox MSA students within six months of graduation (compared to 11% nationally).
- Several students have been recipients of the Elijah Watts Sells Award. which is granted to CPA candidates who pass all four sections on their first attempt while obtaining a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections. Sells Award recipients score in the top 0.1% of all CPA Exam takers.
- Our students have been selected to serve in prestigious programs such as the FASB Postgraduate Technical Assistant program and several Big 4 firms programs providing a one-year rotation to first year staff who stand out in the crowd. These opportunities reflect the level of technical and soft skills students gain during the program.
Our motto is: Get in and get it done!
The goal for our students is for them to pass all four sections of the CPA Exam within 3 months of graduation. The last data available showed nationally 3% of students accomplish this while for our MSAs it was over 45%! At 6 months following graduation, nationally the rate is 11% and ours was 75%. We were ranked #6 in the nation on a CPA Exam Success Index which measures students taking and passing the exam quickly.
- Our students have been selected to serve in prestigious programs such as the FASB Postgraduate Technical Assistant program and several Big 4 firms programs providing a one-year rotation to first year staff who stand out in the crowd. These opportunities reflect the level of technical and soft skills students gain during the program.
- SMU Cox was ranked as the #10 university offering a Bachelors in Accounting by Best Value Schools.
- SMU Cox is ranked in the top 25 universities for accounting in the USA by big4accountingfirms.org.
- SMU Cox named a “Great School for Accounting Majors” by Princeton Review.
We are excited to see national recognition of our rigorous program as we seek to build both our quality and enrollments. A recent alum offered her thoughts on the benefits of the SMU Cox MSA:
Thank you for making the MSA program what it is today. I couldn’t have done it without you and the rest of the faculty. While I didn’t know this at the time, my CPA review started day one of this program.
I can’t thank you enough for fostering a challenging yet supportive environment in this program. I am confident that I have both the technical and professional acumen to enter public accounting at the top of my class.
Learn more about why students and recruiters are choosing the SMU Cox MSA Program!
Learn how the CMC can support your career success
Grow as a Leader
You can't learn leadership from a textbook — you need firsthand experience. That’s why the Cox Business Leadership Center develops your leadership abilities through a variety of programming that will broaden your horizons and hone your skills. The BLC offers you a chance to engage your studies in real-world application and readies you for the road ahead.
See the full range of BLC programming
Highlight: Business Leadership Center Seminars
This is where industry heavy-hitters bring leadership lessons to life. The BLC offers an average of four seminars every week, with each one developed and led by pros from such companies as Accenture, Dell Services, Walt Disney Company, Texas Instruments and Xerox. From personal branding to conflict management, these practical, hands-on seminars make the connection between the classroom and the boardroom. BLC seminars appear on your Cox MSA transcript — where potential employers can see the extra miles you’ve covered.
Learn more about the BLC seminars
Faculty: Learn from the Best
We don't just teach business — we're immersed in business. When they’re not educating you in applicable knowledge and skills, your professors are consulting for Fortune 500s, publishing books and research, running their own businesses and serving in government. Small class sizes and a calendar full of events where you can mingle informally mean you’ll be able to build one-on-one relationships with the academics and professionals who are invested in your future.
