ABOUT SMU COX

History

From its beginning as the Department of Commerce at SMU to its current stature as one of the world's top business schools, the SMU Cox School of Business has been committed to excellence in business education and professional and personal development.  The Cox School was founded in 1920 as the Department of Commerce at SMU, at the request of the Dallas business community. In 1921 the Department was renamed the School of Commerce. In 1941, the Board of Trustees established the School of Commerce as a separate entity from the University, thereby creating the School of Business Administration. At the same time, the Trustees also approved the Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA). The graduate program began in 1949 with the approval of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

In 1965, the SMU Foundation for Business Administration was created. Once again, the School worked in partnership with leading Dallas businesses, as this group of corporate advisors helped guide the School's direction and strategy. Today, this group is called the Cox Executive Board and consists of corporate executives, successful entrepreneurs, and civic leaders from around the world.

Renamed in 1978 in honor of Dallas businessman Edwin L. Cox, SMU Cox has in recent years solidified its position as one of the top business schools in the country and throughout world. Today, the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs are nationally and internationally recognized by leading publications such as BusinessWeek, Financial Times, Forbes, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report.

SMU Cox offers a full range of business education programs, including BBA, full-time MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), Master of Science in Management (MSM), and Executive Education. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, ranging from its Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship, Maguire Energy Institute, and American Airlines Global Leadership Program (AAGLP) to its Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program and an international alumni network with chapters in more than 20 countries.