Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective Students
Q2. Does the business school have a good reputation?
Q3. Are the degree programs flexibe?
Q4. What types of academic and support services are available?
Q6. Are students able to intern? What about finding a job after graduation?
Q8. Are scholarships available?
Q9. When should I study abroad?
Q10. What are the admission requirements for business?
Q11. Can I enter the business school as a freshman?
Q12. What majors do you offer?
Q13. What if I don’t know what I want to major in?
Q14. What about finding a job after graduation?
Q1 Do you accept AP credit?
A1. AP, IB, and concurrent credit are welcome at SMU! For AP credit, students need scores of 4 or 5 on their AP exam. AP credit is offered in most areas, see a complete listing here: smu.edu/registrar/credit_by_examination.asp. Six to eight credits will be awarded for scores of 5, 6 or 7 on International Baccalaureate higher-level exams, with a maximum award of 32 credits. Transfer credit is awarded for college courses taken during high school provided the course is documented on a college transcript, completed with a grade of C- or higher, and equivelant to a course offered at SMU. The only business courses that can be accepted in transfer from community colleges or schools not accredited by the AACSB are the first two accounting courses (ACCT 2301 and ACCT 2302), but these must be completed prior to entering SMU to transfer.
Q2. Does the business school have a good reputation?
A2. Certainly! The undergraduate business program was recently ranked #26 in the nation by Business Week, and is consistently ranked in the top 40 undergraduate programs by U.S. News and World Report and other publications. While rankings never paint a complete picture of a school, they are an indicator of the school’s reputation - and the Cox reputation is very strong!
Q3. Are the degree programs flexible?
A3. Our degree programs are very flexible. We encourage students to diversify their education by pursuing multiple majors and minors in diverse academic areas.
Q4. What types of academic support services are available?
A4. You won't be alone at SMU! Advisors, career counselors, faculty, and staff all work with you to help you make the most of your SMU experience. SMU Cox has a professional academic advising staff to help you navigate the curriculum and work with you to develop a program that best fits you and your personal and professional goals. SMU is also home of the Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center, which offers free tutoring, skills assessments, and individual counseling on study skills and learning styles. The Cox BBA career counselors will help you work through the internship and full-time job search. The faculty and staff are ready to partner with you on your journey through college to professional success.
Q5. What is the faculty like?
A5. The Cox faculty is made up of accessible, interactive teachers who are also nationally known experts in their fields. They excel at research, but are committed to teaching. You will find that our faculty are very involved in the student experience at SMU, so don't be surprised if you find a member of the Cox faculty sitting next to you at an SMU sporting event, club meeting, lecture, or at lunch in the cafeteria!
Q6. Are students able to intern? What about finding a job after graduation?
A6. We strongly encourage our students to pursue internships, and some of our majors require internships. Our location in the heart of Dallas makes internships during the academic year a viable option for any BBA student... in fact, we often have more internships posted than we can fill! In addition to the part time internships available during the year in the Dallas area, full time internships are available nationally and even internationally during the summer. Ninety percent of our internships are paid. Our students also do very well with their full-time job searches. Cox BBAs consistently outpace the national averages for full-time employment and average salary in every business major field.
Q7. What are the class sizes?
A7. The average class size in the business school is in the low 40’s. Many classes include team projects, and we have found that a class size of 35-40 works well in team projects while still enabling faculty to connect individually with students.
Q8. Are scholarships available?
A8. Students are automatically reviewed for most SMU merit based scholarships when they are accepted. SMU offers extensive need based financial aid programs in addition to merit based scholarships. To be considered for financial aid, students should complete the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) and CSS-Profile. Cox has a limited number of merit based scholarships for entering and continuing students.
Q9. When should I study abroad?
A9. The best time to study abroad varies for each student. In general, we recommend that students consider study abroad in the spring of the sophomore year or fall of the junior year. While many students study abroad at other times, you need to be aware of the impact study abroad timing may have on pre-requisite courses, major requirements, and internship and job searches. Luckily, you have plenty of time to work with an academic advisor and career counselor before you have to make the decision on when to study abroad!
Q10. What are the admission requirements for business?
A10. There are two ways to be admitted - as a BBA Scholar, prior to your entrance to SMU and based on your high school curriculum, grades and test scores; or through our regular admission process as a continuing SMU student or transfer student.
Business Scholars are admitted based on their pre-SMU record, and normally have exceptionally high test scores and grades combined with a very rigorous high school curriculum which includes AP, honors, IB, and other advanced courses.
The regular admission requirements for students entering SMU beginning in Fall 2010 are the completion of the seven course business subset with a 3.30 GPA and a cumulative college GPA of 3.30. More detailed information on our admission requirements can be found under the BBA link on this page. While admission requirements may change from year to year, your admission requirements will be based on your year of entry – so we won’t move the target once you’re here, unless you leave SMU for three years. This process means that you’re not competing with other students for admission to Cox, and that you always know exactly what you need to be admitted!
Q11. Can I enter the business school as a freshman?
A11. While most students enter the business school during their sophomore year, a limited number of students are invited to enter Cox as freshmen through the BBA Scholars Program
Q12. What majors do you offer?
A12. We offer majors in accounting, finance, financial consulting, general business, management, risk management and insurance, marketing, and real estate finance. Within our finance major, we also have a specialization in alternative asset management. Most students take the introductory courses in the business core to gain exposure to accounting, finance, marketing, and management before selecting a specific major in business. We also offer two minors for non-business majors.
Q13. What if I don’t know what I want to major in?
A13 Don’t panic! Many students are not sure of their major when they go to college. It helps if you can narrow your major interests down to a few general fields (“sciences”, for example, or “business”). You will have plenty of opportunities to explore majors through general education and pre-requisite courses when you come to SMU. If you are completely unsure of your major, you should focus your college search on universities that offer many different strong majors so you will have many different options. If you should decide to major in business, you do not need to decide your specific business major (accounting, finance, etc.) until your junior year.
Q14. What about finding a job after graduation?
A14. Our students do very well on the full-time job market, consistently outpacing the national averages for full time employment and average salary in every business discipline. The Cox BBA Career Counselors, working in cooperation with the Hegi Family Career Center, assist students in their internship and career planning processes.