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Non-Business Majors Find Help in Tough Job Market Cox School's Summer Business Institute Attracts Students Throughout the Region

DALLAS, Texas (SMU) — The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that overall college hiring for the Class of 2002 is down 20 percent from last year, resulting in increased competition among graduates for fewer jobs. To give recent and soon-to-be graduates a competitive edge in today's tight job market, the Division of Executive and Management Development at SMU's Cox School of Business has designed the Summer Business Institute, a four-week business boot camp for non-business majors to be held June 3-28, 2002.

In two weeks, the Summer Business Institute achieved 100 percent of its enrollment goal, confirming a large demand and need for a program of this type. Because of the greater demand, the Division of Executive and Management Development has created more seats to accept students until May 24, 2002. Students currently enrolling in the Cox program come from universities throughout the region, including Baylor University, Rhodes College, Texas A&M University, Tulane University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Vanderbilt University. The Cox School's Summer Business Institute is the only program of its type in the southern United States. Similar programs are offered at The University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce, Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, and the University of Washington.

The Summer Business Institute is designed for non-business majors – such as those in the liberal arts, communications, engineering, the fine arts, or sciences – who have completed their junior or senior years in college or who have recently graduated. The program offers a challenging and comprehensive exposure to the most essential topics of business. Students will learn the business skills that not only complement their major fields of study but boost their résumés, creating more competitive and employable job candidates.

"The skills learned in the Summer Business Institute are the leverage needed to successfully compete in the job market," said Bob Gardner, executive director of the Division of Executive and Management Development. "We have designed this program so that non-business majors can balance their specialization, whether liberal arts or science, with business skills and enter into the workforce as knowledgeable and well-rounded employees. This program is going to be an intensive learning experience, covering critical business knowledge."

During the four-week program, students will concentrate on the "hard skills" of business, including accounting, finance, marketing, information technology, and operations management. The program offers 40 class sessions, including Accounting Principles, Market Pricing and Demand, Understanding Annual Reports, Brand Management, E-Commerce, Evaluating Financial Performance, and Investment Decision Making. Cox School faculty members, all experts in their subject areas, will teach the Summer Business Institute sessions. Besides developing these hard business skills, students will learn career planning strategies and tactics to assist them in their future job searches.

The SMU Cox Summer Business Institute is the only program of its kind in the Southwest. Students may attend on either a residential or a non-residential basis. Applicants must have completed at least three years of college before attending. For more information or to apply online, visit http://execdev.cox.smu.edu.

The Division of Executive and Management Development at SMU's Cox School of Business provides working professionals access to both tactical and strategic business seminars. In 2000/2001, open enrollment executive education offerings included 46 different programs attracting some 2,871 participants from 33 countries. Cox has been offering executive education programs in Dallas and around the world for more than 20 years through its Division of Executive and Management Development.

SMU's Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, from BBA and full-time MBA to Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), and Executive Education. Cox is ranked among the top business schools nationally and internationally by major publications including BusinessWeek, Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the school's Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute of Owner-Managed Business, American Airlines Global Leadership Program (GLP), and Associate Board executive mentoring program are recognized nationally and internationally.