Special Programs
SMU BRITE Scholars Program (Biomedical Researchers in Training Experience): For students majoring in Biology, Biochemistry, or Chemistry and planning research careers in biomedicine (not clinical practice). Through collaboration between Dedman College at SMU and the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, students may apply for admission to SMU and simultaneously for acceptance to a Ph.D. program at the UT-Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, contingent upon satisfactory performance in the BRITE curriculum and lab research experiences.
APT Program (Advancing Physical Therapy): Intended to provide a direct path from the undergraduate degree at SMU to the Master of Physical Therapy program at UT-Southwestern, APT is also a collaboration between Dedman College and the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center. APT students may major in any Dedman College undergraduate discipline. Specific courses are designated for APT, including biology, physics, calculus, chemistry, and psychology. The program involves summer internships.
University Honors Program/Departmental distinction The University Honors Program involves students in a variety of small, interdisciplinary classes and out-of-classroom events on campus and in the city throughout the year. Honors students are encouraged to propose original international research done abroad and fully funded through the Richter International Fellowship. Students graduate with "Honors in the Liberal Arts." Several departments also offer Departmental Distinction programs.
The Hilltop Scholars Program gives students with strong academic backgrounds and leadership abilities the opportunity to enrich their first year at SMU through a common living/studying experience. Hilltop Scholars live together in Perkins hall and take English and one or two additional General Education courses in common each semester. Small classes are taught by some of the most popular faculty on campus, and since many of these classes meet right in the residence hall, getting to class couldn't be easier. Next-door neighbors become lab partners, study buddies, and friends. Small classes and familiar faces encourage a significant engagement with coursework and classmates during and after class as well as a sense of community, all of which lead to greater academic success.
BBA Scholars
The BBA Scholars Program preselects highly qualified applicants to SMU for
admission to the Cox School of Business BBA Program. Students are invited to
join this program prior to entering SMU based on a comprehensive review of their
SMU application for admission. Candidates are advised in the business school as
early as December of their first year - over a year earlier than students who
enter Cox under the traditional, deferred admission process. BBA Scholars also
have early access to Cox Career Counselors.
Summer courses at SMU's campus in Taos, New Mexico include archaeology, geology, arts, and literature.
