Graduate Program Information
Welcome to graduate studies at Southern Methodist University. SMU is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational institution, and it provides more than 3,000 graduate students with a wide range of outstanding professional and non-professional programs. Students from all 50 states and more than 65 countries are pursuing masters and doctoral level studies in the University's six Graduate Schools. They are drawn to SMU by exceptional opportunities to participate in individually designed research projects, internships, and independent study and to learn from faculty who are committed to both teaching and research.
The faculty of more than 500 includes many nationally and internationally prominent scholars, among them more than 50 holders of endowed chairs. In small classes and outside of the classroom, they offer a personalized approach to education, as part of SM U's tradition of academic excellence.
Given below are some features which make SMU a prime candidate for consideration
as a suitable university for your graduate studies.
Now that your curiosity to find out more about our programs has been aroused, I invite you to move on to your selected graduate school for information on programs. I wish you the best in your preferred choice.
James E. Quick,
Located five miles north of downtown Dallas, the University offers the tranquility of a 164-acre suburban campus with neo-Georgian architecture, spacious lawns, and tree-lined walkways. University Park, a beautiful, family-oriented community surrounding SMU, features a variety of small businesses, banks, restaurants, and specialty shops within walking distance of the campus.
Students who live in University Park or Highland Park, another nearby suburb, may enroll their children in the Highland Park Independent School District, regarded as one of the best public school systems in the nation.
SMU's tree-lined, 164-acre campus is located in University Park, a residential area just five miles north of downtown Dallas. Neighborhood shops, small businesses, banks, and restaurants are within walking distance of the campus.
The University provides housing specifically for graduate students. Students who live in University Park or in Highland Park, a neighboring area, may enroll their children in the Highland Park Independent School District, regarded as one of the best public school systems in the nation. They also may enroll their preschool-age children in SMU's licensed day-care center.
Graduate students who pay a modest fee can see SMU's Memorial Health Center doctors at no additional charge. They also may obtain prescriptions and other services for a small charge, typically below usual and customary fees. Full-time students and their dependents are eligible for optional group insurance programs offered through the University.
SMU students have the opportunity to live and learn in an international city that serves as an extension of the classroom. Consistently cited by Fortune magazine as one of the 10 best business locations in the U.S., Dallas recently has been ranked among the top 10 headquarters in the world for multinational companies. The city is a center of high technology, communications, the arts, the oil and gas industry, medicine and biomedical technology, retail and wholesale fashion, finance and insurance, and research and development.
Dallas is known for its pleasant Sunbelt climate, its diversified economy, and its quality of life. Independent surveys, including those conducted by the National Apartment Association, consistently rank Dallas as one of the most affordable major metropolitan areas in the nation. A recent survey named it as one of the 10 "most livable" cities in the world.
The city offers a range of recreational, sports, entertainment, and cultural opportunities, many of which are free of charge. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is an international gateway, and students can fly to most cities within the continental United States in three hours or less. Love Field, an airport within 10 minutes of the University, offers flights to many regional destinations.
SMU has eight libraries that collectively hold more than 2.4 million volumes and subscribe to more than 7,000 periodicals. These include Fondren Library (humanities, social sciences, and business administration); the Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library; the Business Information Center; the DeGolyer Library (rare books and manuscripts in the history of the American West); the Science and Engineering Library; the Bridwell Library (theology and early printing collections); the Underwood Law Library; and the Southwest Film/Video Archives. For ease and convenience of research, the library collection catalog has been automated and is accessible from computer terminals throughout campus. Almost all libraries feature open-stack access.
SMU provides many laboratories and other research facilities for students these include the Solid State Technology Laboratory, the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man, the Dallas Seismological Observatory, the Geothermal Laboratory, the Engineering Material and Failure Analysis Laboratory, the Design Computation Laboratory, the Graphics Laboratory, the Robotics (CAM) Laboratory, the Thermal Design Laboratory, and the Fort Burgwin Research Center near Taos, New Mexico. The Bradfield Computer Center houses the University's mainframe computers that provide support for student and faculty research.
The University sponsors a number of academic publications, including The Southwest Review, the Perkins School of Theology Journal, The Southwestern Law Journal, the Journal of Air Law and Commerce, and The International Lawyer.
International students are required by the U.S. Immigration Service to register as full-time students (at least nine hours per semester). They also must score a minimum of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), unless they have obtained a degree from a country where the predominant language is English. IELTS scores are also accepted.
Dallas and SMU offer students a truly international setting. The city is base to more than 500 foreign-owned companies, more than 35 international companies, and 29 foreign consulates. SMU's 150 student organizations include about 25 dedicated to ethnic, international, religious, or political interests.
Each school determines its own admission criteria. Applicants must apply directly to the appropriate graduate admissions office of the school which they wish to attend and send their official transcripts and scores on tests such as the GRE, LSAT, and GMAT to that school. Some schools admit non-degree students in specific programs; others allow non-degree students to audit classes.
All applications to be considered for department assistantships must be completed by the priority deadline of February 1.
Exception: for Ph.D. Psychology - the deadline is January 1.
Final deadline for Fall admission is May 1.
For departments that have spring admission, the final deadline is November
30.
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