the cox bba Bachelor of Business Administration
the smu cox advantage businessweek, the wall street journal and u.s. news & world report all agree smu s cox school of business is one of the top business schools in the nation and throughout the world. the smu cox undergraduate program develops well-rounded, business-savvy graduates the kind of individuals corporations, government agencies, graduate schools and nonprofit organizations find appealing. we offer you a balanced education with the tools, knowledge and experiences you need to succeed in the changing world of business. As a student at the Cox School of Business at SMU, you ll learn from renowned faculty who bring realworld business experience into the classroom. With our small classes and personal interaction with professors, advisors and career counselors, you ll be able to tailor your education to your interests and needs. We also leverage our strong connections to leaders in the local, national and international business communities to provide unique academic programs that connect our students with the world of business. Whatever your goals, SMU Cox offers you everything you need to be successful personal access to professors, individual academic advising and career assistance, superior networking opportunities and entertaining social events. You get all of this and more in the middle of one of the world s best cities for business. The Cox School of Business at SMU offers a strong curriculum in a small, personal environment. Paired with our programs and professional opportunities outside of the classroom, the Cox BBA program gives you everything you need for a successful career. I wanted to attend a school in a large metropolitan area with a large financial presence. Cox has proven to be highly thought of and well-connected, which helped me get a job at a major hedge fund. sam white, bba 08 p. 1
a small, private-school environment Justin Hunt cox bba 2010 hometown philadelphia, pennsylvania majors accounting, economics minor spanish involved in alpha lambda delta, mustang 11, robert s. hyer honor society, university honors, business honors, cox bba scholars, brothers under christ fraternity I recommend SMU and Cox because of the personal interaction that Cox gives its students. Personalized Learning The Cox School brings a world-class faculty together with talented, ambitious students in a small private-school setting. This intimate, collaborative environment allows for close interaction in the classroom and offers students ready access to professors outside of class. The SMU Cox faculty place a strong emphasis on the classroom. Unlike most schools, our faculty members teach undergraduate courses themselves rather than relying on teaching assistants. In addition, SMU Cox is one of the few business schools where faculty teach both undergraduate- and graduatelevel courses, so our BBA students receive the same high-quality education as our MBA students. Diverse Community The Cox BBA program is committed to attracting a student body that reflects the diversity of the global marketplace. Our students come from across the country and around the world, bringing many distinct backgrounds to SMU. Through classroom discussions, team-based learning experiences and extracurricular activities, you will interact with students from a wide range of cultural and educational experiences. Active Students Your education won t stop when you leave the classroom. SMU and Cox offer over 200 clubs and organizations centered around academic interests, networking and professional development, including chapters of both national business fraternities, the national business honor society and interest-based clubs. Participating in these organizations will enable you to take your business education to the next level. Vibrant University In addition to opportunities within the Cox School, SMU offers a vibrant university community. Located in a beautiful residential neighborhood minutes from downtown Dallas, the university s tree-lined campus, broad lawns, sparkling fountains and classically styled Georgian architecture create an atmosphere ideally suited for studying alone or with classmates, socializing with friends and interacting with professors. From football games and tailgates on the boulevard to the university s annual Celebration of Lights, SMU is home to many events and traditions. The university also sponsors hundreds of community events annually, ranging from concerts and theatre performances to lectures and symposia. p. 2
a solid foundation for your future The SMU Cox undergraduate program offers seven business majors, all of which include a strong foundation in core business areas such as accounting, strategy and entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, management, information technology for business, operations management, statistics and business law. Coupled with the university s general education requirements, this core gives you a strong base for a lifetime of learning. The Cox curriculum is designed to give you a broad foundation in the business basics before you declare a major. In your first two years, you ll focus on general education courses and business prerequisite courses like accounting, calculus, economics, information technology and statistics. The junior and senior years are more focused on business major courses and courses for your minor, second major or personal interests. the cox school offers majors in: Accounting Finance Finance with a specialization in Alternative Asset Management Financial Consulting General Business Management Marketing Real Estate Finance Integrated Education Becoming a business major doesn t mean that your education will only be in the business school. Our curriculum is designed to provide a balanced education, rich in the business skills you need for success, but flexible enough to accommodate your unique interests and talents. SMU Cox students are encouraged to take advantage of the diversity of minors and majors offered at SMU; more than 50 percent of our graduates earn minors or a second degree in other majors, including foreign languages, engineering, sciences, music, history and English. SMU students who pursue another major, but who would like to complement their primary academic discipline with a solid understanding of the business basics, can earn a minor in business. Personalized Advising and Career Counseling SMU Cox is dedicated to helping you reach your goals. Our academic advisors help you explore majors, personalize your curriculum and prepare for study abroad opportunities, and our business career counselors provide career education and assist you in developing effective job-search strategies. Cox BBA graduates have gone on to become successful business executives, product development managers, partners in accounting firms, real estate developers, entrepreneurs, and music and film producers. More than 300 current corporate CEOs and presidents got their start in the SMU Cox BBA program. When I visited campus, I could tell that everyone loved SMU; the people here are truly welcoming and friendly. jessica north, bba 08 p. 3
unparalleled networking and professional opportunities Collin Aufhammer cox bba 2011 hometown pasadena, california major real estate finance minor spanish involved in mustang 11, cox ambassadors, campus crusade for christ, mustang maniacs, college republicans, university honors, cox bba scholars What really persuaded me to attend SMU Cox was the fantastic professors who were able to get me excited about my major and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. one of the cox school s greatest advantages is our location in one of the world s best cities for business. since the school was founded in 1920, cox has forged strong relationships with the area s leading companies and most influential business leaders. as smu and dallas have grown, so have our connections to the best and brightest in the business world. as a result, you will interact regularly with business leaders and professionals through our corporate mentoring program, internships and speaker series featuring executives from companies like american airlines, the dallas mavericks, ernst & young and morgan stanley. In fact, The Economist ranks SMU Cox #4 in the United States and #10 in the world for Potential to Network. As a student at SMU Cox, you ll have unmatched access to professional advice, networking opportunities and social connections in a variety of industries and fields. The Cox School s strong professional network nearly a century in the making serves as a rich educational and career resource for students and alumni. Cox schedules regular events for alumni in Dallas and around the world. Alumni events which are open to current students give you an opportunity to network with professionals in targeted regions. Students and alumni also take advantage of Cox programs like the Ernst & Young Management Briefing Series and Bank of Texas Business Leaders Spotlight, which feature CEOs and senior executives from companies such as Travelocity.com, the Baseball Hall of Fame, Wal-Mart, Humana Healthcare, the Dallas Cowboys and Romano s Macaroni Grill. BBA Career Services also works closely with the Cox Alumni Relations office to help students make connections with alumni in targeted industries and to bring alumni to campus for career planning programs and workshops. p. 4
Nicole Roberts cox bba 2008 hometown grand prairie, texas majors management, psychology involved in smu toastmasters, beta gamma sigma business honor society, delta sigma pi business fraternity, national society of collegiate scholars, psi chi psychology honor society, alpha lambda delta honor society, leadershape dfw, connect mentor program, mustang corral My career counselor helped me identify positions of interest and develop a plan of action, but most importantly, she calmed my nerves and made me feel confident in my job search. One-on-One Mentoring with Business Leaders The Business Associates Program (BAP) connects Cox BBA students with members of the Dallas-area business community through one-year mentoring relationships. Corporate mentors provide students with an inside view of the world of business. Students participating in the BAP might sit in on meetings with senior executives as they grapple with the challenges facing their company, spend a day shadowing an executive or attend a meeting of a professional society. The BAP is one of only a few programs in the country that matches undergraduate students with corporate executives, so you can begin building a valuable business network and gain an understanding of effective leadership skills. Real-World Experience and Job Opportunities Internships are a key component of the undergraduate experience at Cox. Our BBA Career Services staff works closely with a wide variety of companies and industries to connect Cox students with employment opportunities both locally and across the country. Our strategic location in Dallas offers many local internship opportunities during the academic year to supplement the national and international internships available during the summers. These internships provide you with valuable professional experiences that will prepare you for the job market when you graduate. Year after year, over 90 percent of SMU Cox graduates are employed, in graduate school or otherwise off the job market within three months of graduation. More detailed employment and salary information for our graduates is available online from our BBA Career Services Office at coxbba.com. Lifetime Relationships No matter what path you choose to pursue after graduating, you will become part of both the internationally ranked Cox alumni network as well as the SMU Alumni Association. The Cox Alumni Association hosts numerous events throughout the year that provide alumni with opportunities to socialize with friends, make valuable business contacts and explore new professional opportunities. In addition, the Cox Online Alumni Community is a convenient networking tool that is available for alumni 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. If you are interested in business, you should absolutely consider SMU Cox. The courses are interesting and applicable to whatever field you want to go into in the future. scott geppert, bba 09 p. 5
innovative programs to help you succeed the cox school is a pioneer in developing innovative programs that combine the latest business theories with real-world best practices. by anticipating and even shaping the changing business environment, we enable our students to stay on the leading edge of business. at cox, you ll enjoy dynamic opportunities to learn, grow and advance your life and career. T.J. Chakravarthy cox bba 2011 hometown southlake, texas majors finance, computer science involved in delta sigma pi, intramural football, president s scholar, cox bba scholars Cox has been very flexible in allowing me to pursue my interests across two different schools on campus. SMU is perfect because it allows students to create a combination of coursework unique to their goals. Leadership Training The BBA Leadership Institute (BLI) enhances students technical education in the classroom with the soft-skills that often differentiate one job candidate from another. Through the BLI, you ll have access to courses and special programs on topics such as presentation techniques, leadership skills, business writing and teamwork skills that are vital to success in any industry. International Experience At SMU Cox, you can experience firsthand how other countries and cultures conduct business by participating in one of SMU s many study abroad programs. Learning from senior SMU faculty as well as local scholars, participants can study in Australia, Great Britain, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain and Taiwan. You can also customize your curriculum by adding a second major in international studies or a foreign language to further enhance your global vision. These unique educational experiences allow you to immerse yourself in the local culture while expanding your perspectives and building a foundation for understanding global business. The factors that persuaded me to choose SMU Cox were the small student-to-faculty ratio and the fact that the staff were easily available and attentive to my needs. mercedes ulibarri, bba 11 p. 6
Lauren Irwin cox bba 2009 hometown springdale, arkansas majors marketing, spanish involved in cox ambassadors, delta sigma pi, delta delta delta sorority, national society of collegiate scholars, order of omega, university honors Through workshops and classes, Cox teaches the importance of networking and helps students position themselves to discover opportunities that might otherwise be impossible to find. Unique Academic Opportunities Through the Cox BBA Scholars Program, the Cox School identifies a small group of highly qualified SMU applicants who are interested in a business major and pre-selects them for admission to the school as first-year students, where they have early access to Cox programs, advisors and career counselors. BBA Scholars receive special invitations to Cox lectures and events as well as other activities designed exclusively for them. The Business Honors Program brings together faculty and exceptional business students in smaller classes for an enhanced educational experience. Honors versions of the core business classes promote interaction and fast-paced learning. The Business Honors Program also includes senior-level practicum courses in which select students apply their education to real-world management situations, from marketing consultation to managing a financial portfolio valued at over $2.5 million. Directed Studies and independent research courses are also available for students who want to work individually with faculty on in-depth research projects. From exploring the natural gas market in Russia to examining the entertainment industry, these projects allow students to further focus their studies under the direct guidance of a faculty member. Recent full-time and internship employers include: apple computer at&t bain & company bank of america boston consulting group deloitte & touche ernst & young frito lay ge goldman sachs jpmorganchase kpmg merrill lynch mtv networks neiman marcus pricewaterhousecoopers the richards group teach for america ubs the walt disney company p. 7
how to apply Ana Herrera cox bba 2003 hometown dallas, texas major finance minor psychology involved in college hispanic american students, smu program council, sigma lambda gamma sorority My education and experience at SMU Cox prepared me for a successful career in anything I set out to achieve. In my current role as executive director of the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico in Dallas, my degree allows me to use my business skills in a career I m really passionate about. At SMU, we place high demands on applicants academic and extracurricular work and accept only the best. Admission requirements for the Cox BBA are also rigorous, but our two admission methods give students every opportunity to succeed. All applications for admission to SMU are processed through SMU s Office of Enrollment Services. Students who indicate a business-related major as their primary academic interest are automatically considered for Cox scholarships as well as the Cox BBA Scholars Program. Students not selected for the Cox BBA Scholars Program enter the business school in the spring of their sophomore year after earning a predetermined grade point average in a group of business prerequisite courses. The Cox BBA admission requirements for continuing SMU students and transfer students are clearly defined and objective, putting you in control of your admission process. Additional information on applying to SMU is available at www.smu.edu/admission; information on the admission process for the SMU Cox BBA program is available at www.coxbba.com. Scholarships and Financial Aid SMU is committed to providing a highquality education to students, and is equally committed to making that education financially attainable. With a variety of scholarship programs, grants, loans and payment options, SMU will work with you to help you finance what could be the most important investment in your future your education. SMU s merit scholarships have been named among the best in the United States by The Student Guide to America s Best College Scholarships. To be considered for merit scholarships, you must apply to SMU by January 15. For need-based aid, the FAFSA and CSS:Profile are required. Most SMU merit scholarships do not require additional application materials. Additional information on scholarships and financial aid is available online at www.smu.edu/admission/ financial. In addition to SMU s scholarships, a limited number of merit-based scholarships are available to students entering SMU as BBA Scholars. To be considered for these scholarships, you must list a businessrelated major as your first major on the application for admission. No additional scholarship application is required. A limited number of merit scholarships are also available for junior and senior business majors. Your Cox Academic Advisor will work with you to review the selection criteria for these scholarships, and to determine if you are a strong candidate for junior/senior scholarships. For more information on SMU, the Cox School and the BBA program, please visit us online at www.coxbba.com. p. 8
Contact Us Mailing Address: Cox BBA Admissions P.O. Box 750333 Dallas, Texas 75275 Courier Address: Cox BBA Admissions Southern Methodist University 6214 Bishop Boulevard Dallas, Texas 75275 Telephone/Electronic: 214.768.1110 bbaadmissions@cox.smu.edu www.coxbba.com Southern Methodist University will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status. SMU s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
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