Pre-Major Students
Starting Your Academic Career
Students who have not yet declared their major through official paperwork are considered “pre-majors.” All students enter SMU as pre-majors and must meet the subset requirements (see below) for their major. This pre-requisite may differ for transfer students.
Students applying to SMU intending to major within Lyle should indicate this on their application to SMU and with their admissions counselor. They can list a specific engineering discipline or simply put “engineering.” This designation makes students eligible to be considered for engineering scholarships.
Engineering pre-majors are assigned to one of the engineering pre-major advisors who guide them through the required engineering subset, which takes an average of two semesters to complete.
Students are required to meet with their pre-major advisors at least once a semester but may wish to meet more often to discuss opportunities such as 4-year degree plans, courses, co-op, study abroad, etc.
Digital Resources
The Degree Progress Report (DPR) is found under the “Academic Progress” tile on my.smu.edu. It is updated by advisors and the Registrar’s Office when students enroll and receive a grade in a class, and will track the student’s progress toward their majors and minors at SMU.
The SMU Catalog is the roadmap that outlines in detail everything that is expected of students, the course of study for majors and minors and University policies. Make sure to reference the catalog that is the same as your year of entry at SMU.
Students use this worksheet to plan their four years at SMU. This resource helps organize required classes and when to take them. The planner can be filled out with a student’s academic advisor but is not an official document.
