SMU Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE) offers courses available to anyone wanting to advance in their career, prepare for a certification exam, transition into a new career or simply augment their personal skills. Our professional education courses are specifically designed for working adults, with convenient scheduling and registration.
Enrollment requirements for continuing education programs vary, so please read the prerequisites for the specific course or program in which you plan to enroll. Generally, transcripts or SAT scores are not required, though some certification programs may have particular requirements or credentials.
On average, no. Some courses may require a certain level of education or prior training in order to enroll. Be sure to read the prerequisites listed for a course.
No. You are only considered a graduate of SMU when you earn an academic degree from a degree-granting unit or department. However, you can earn a certificate from SMU and have the benefit of an educational experience from a highly reputable institution.
Certificate programs generally award certificates denoting successful completion of the program to participants, but do not give university credit.
Certification programs are designed to provide training to individuals who are required to have and maintain specific levels of knowledge and skills in their job categories, often as a legal requirement to perform their duties. Certification programs may carry credits and/or may be prerequisites for licensure.
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Courses are available to students 18 years old and older. Due to liability issues, we are unable to offer these courses to students younger than 18 years.
Most courses have no prerequisites. Should a course require experience in a certain field or enrollment in a previous class, this will be clearly marked in the online course catalog.
For more information, or to request a record of attendance, please contact our office in advance of your course by calling 214-768-2273.
If you must withdraw from the certificate program, please notify us in writing (via email: smupro@smu.edu or fax 214-768-1071) prior to the start of the program. If a withdrawal request is received in writing more than three (3) full business days prior to the start date of the first course, students may receive a refund, minus a $250 processing fee.
SMU CAPE professional certificate enrollment is final as of three (3) business days prior to the start date of the first course. After that date, you will not receive a refund if you withdraw or quit the course before completion. We do not provide prorated refunds or credits for incomplete or partial certificate program completion. Students enrolled in a certificate program may have the option to transfer to another cohort; this option is outlined in the student terms and conditions of each program, pending space availability and time remaining to successfully complete the program. If withdrawing prior to program start date, students may also put funds in escrow for up to 12 months for use by themselves or someone else.
Failure to attend class does not constitute withdrawal.
All refunds will be made in the form of the original payment. Please allow up to six weeks to receive check refunds.
Full details are available on the certificate application.
If you must withdraw from the certificate program, please notify us in writing (via email: smupro@smu.edu or fax 214-768-1071) prior to the start of the program. If a withdrawal request is received in writing more than three (3) full business days prior to the start date of the first course, students may receive a refund, minus a $250 processing fee.
SMU CAPE professional certificate enrollment is final as of three (3) business days prior to the start date of the first course. After that date, you will not receive a refund if you withdraw or quit the course before completion. We do not provide prorated refunds or credits for incomplete or partial certificate program completion. Students enrolled in a certificate program may have the option to transfer to another cohort; this option is outlined in the student terms and conditions of each program, pending space availability and time remaining to successfully complete the program. If withdrawing prior to program start date, students may also put funds in escrow for up to 12 months for use by themselves or someone else.
Failure to attend class does not constitute withdrawal.
All refunds will be made in the form of the original payment. Please allow up to six weeks to receive check refunds.
Full details are available on the certificate application.
While rare, SMU CAPE reserves the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment. Should SMU CAPE cancel a course, a full refund will be granted to enrollees. Every effort is made to notify students of a course cancellation in advance, but often the majority of a course's enrollments are received within a few days of its start date. Therefore, a course that is very close to its minimum enrollment may not be cancelled until one day prior to its start date in an effort to give the course every opportunity to achieve the necessary enrollment. Students are encouraged to register early to secure a place in the courses of their choice and to help ensure the course's success.
Classes may also be cancelled due to inclement weather. For more information on SMU's inclement weather policy, please click here.
A student may choose to be added to the waitlist, free of charge, for any course that has already reached its maximum enrollment. If space becomes available in the course, or if a new section of the course is added to the schedule, those on the waitlist will be notified in the order in which they were listed. Students on the waitlist are not obligated to register if/when a space becomes available. We encourage students to add their names to the waitlist for courses they are interested in, since this can be a factor in whether or not new sections of the course are added to the schedule.
SMU students, alumni, faculty/staff, veterans and employees of nonprofit organizations receive a 10% discount off our courses. If you qualify for a discount, contact the SMU CAPE office at 214-768-2273. Discounts are applied to the standard tuition rate.
Certain programs have been approved by the VA for use with the GI Bill®. See Veterans page for more details.
Select corporate and group rates are available; contact a program advisor for more details.
If you qualify for more than one special rate, you will be given the one with the most savings.
No. Students must register and pay before attending a course. Instructors cannot accept registration fees.