Student & Advisor Resources
Tools
SMU is developing a new my.SMU tool called HighPoint Degree Planner. This tool will permit Common Curriculum students to plan courses for the attainment of their degree and aid SMU in course scheduling and seat planning to permit timely graduation. Common Curriculum students are those who matriculated in the fall 2020 semester or after. In the coming months, academic departments will be asked to verify their degree plans while advisors & students will be provided with training resources and opportunities.
What is Degree Planner and why would I use it?
HighPoint Degree Planner helps students & advisors develop and sequence a personalized path to on-time graduation. All data used within Degree Planner is real-time as it leverages my.SMU’s system. As a student adjusts their academic plan and complete courses, the Degree Planner recognizes those changes and makes the appropriate adjustments. Students can run a “What If” degree plan if they are considering another academic plan; major and/or minor. Degree Planner should help students stay on track and give guidance when adjustments are made to the academic plan.
Degree Planner is a planning tool for a student’s degree plan while the Degree Progress Report (DPR) is the authoritative source for graduation requirements.
How do I use Degree Planner?
With the implementation of Degree Planner, students & advisors can develop a degree plan to graduation. Together, advisors & students evaluate and update the plan each term and then move the degree plan into a Course Schedule and Shopping Cart for enrollment when the registration periods arrive each term. Specific training information will be available in mid-October 2022.
When is the implementation of Degree Planner?
SMU will be asking departments to review their degree plans in September so that updates can be made when degree plans are rolled out to students in November 2022.
The CC Requirement Tracker below provides a visual overview of all the CC components. Use this page to record different CC requirements that you can fulfill as you explore classes and experiences in your areas of interest.
Peruna Passport is a practical workbook that prepares students to navigate academic life at SMU. Its contents provide a valuable introduction to the Common Curriculum, important guidelines on the expectations we have of students, and resources to help you make the most of your college experience.
The Office of General Education facilitates a number of petitions related to SMU's general education and graduation requirements. We strongly recommend that you work with your academic advisor to complete the petition form successfully.
Review and submit a petition to the Office of General Education.
SMU welcomes transfer students from all colleges and universities! Transfer students comprise a large and important component of the total student body and their diverse academic backgrounds enrich the educational experience for all students.
These transfer guides are prepared by SMU’s Transfer and Transition Services. They are designed to allow students to easily match transfer coursework with requirements at SMU. Other helpful information such as admission procedures and requirements, academic programs, and course conversions are also included. Careful review of transfer guides should facilitate a seamless transfer to the University and minimize the loss of credit. Transfer counselors in the Office of Admission are available to answer your questions and provide more information.
When using the guides, please keep in mind a degree from SMU is typically comprised of a minimum of 120 hours, 60 of which must be completed in residence at SMU. Components of the degree include:
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Courses in your major
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Courses required for the Common Curriculum (CC)
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Elective courses. These electives may also be used to add a second major or minor.
Interactive course equivalency guides for many transfer institutions are available on the Transfer and Transition Services’ website. These guides allow students to build a report to see how their courses will transfer to SMU.
Specific requirements for transfer admission are found under Transfer Admission Criteria in the Admission section of this catalog.
Policies & protocols
SMU grants credit and placement for Advanced Placement examinations taken in high school according to the table listed on the Registrar's website. Credit is awarded only for exams taken while in high school. AP test scores are evaluated and SMU course credit is assigned based on the articulation policies in effect for the term you matriculate to the University, regardless of when the test was taken.
You may not receive credit for an AP exam, an International Baccalaureate exam and a college course covering the same subject matter; i.e., the course equivalency is only awarded once. You may decline all or part of your test credit in favor of taking the equivalent credit at SMU; declining credit is an irrevocable declaration. Credit granted by SMU is not considered resident credit and does not count towards the 60 resident hours required for an SMU degree.
Students may satisfy up to three (3) Common Curriculum Breadths with Advanced Placement credits or other test credits and/or post-high school transfer work.
An official copy of test results must be sent from the testing agency to the University Registrar’s Office for credit. To facilitate advising and enrollment, submit your official scores no later than the first day of class.
Dual credit work is accepted by SMU, and students with dual credit work will receive SMU credit hours for those courses.
Many of the courses will come in with SMU equivalent numbers and may be used to fulfill major or minor requirements.
Dual credit work can be used to satisfy the Proficiency and Experience graduation requirements. In fact, if a course comes in with an SMU number that has a Proficiency and Experience tag attached, it will fulfill that requirement automatically.
In cases where it Proficiency and Experience credit is not automatically attributed, but a student believes a course taken meets the content criteria and learning outcomes for a Proficiency and Experience requirements, students can use the Request for Alternative Fulfillment of Proficiency and Experience Requirement petition.
Transfer and test credit rules are determined by a student’s status (FYR, FYT, or TRN). The chart below details requirements and transfer policies for students in each category.
