Southern Methodist University Course Catalogs

[SMU Course Catalog, 1969-1970,
Graduate School of
Humanities and Sciences]

Southern Methodist University.
General Information.
University College. 1973-74

Southern Methodist University.
Perkins School of Theology.
1973-74

Southern Methodist University.
School of Law. 1973-74

SMU Southern Methodist University
Dallas 1994-1995
Undergraduate Bulletin

About the Collection

Holding library: SMU Archives, DeGolyer Library

View more collections held by DeGolyer Library.

Overview

The SMU Course Catalog is Southern Methodist University’s annual listing of courses, but it is also much more. Throughout the years, the course catalog has, at times, included the academic calendar, costs and fees, names of trustees and administrators, professors’ credentials, campus maps, lists of graduating students, statistical information about students, student club listings, curriculum plans, admission criteria, academic policies, and the history and aims of our university. The Course Catalog has also been known as:

• Annual catalog
• Catalog
• Catalogue
• General catalogue of the University
• General catalog of the University
• General bulletin
• General information undergraduate catalog
• Bulletin of Southern Methodist University
• Undergraduate Catalog (2000-)
• Graduate Catalog (2000-)
• SMU Catalogue

The first issue was Bulletin #1 and was produced in July 1915 before SMU opened. It was a scant 34 pages.  Four of those pages included the requirements for admissions.

The Course Catalog has served as a source of up-to-date information for current students, as a recruiting document for prospective students, and as a primary source showing what happened each academic year, making it a rich resource for scholars. Throughout its history at SMU, the catalog has been written and produced by the faculty, the publicity department (later the Office of Publications Services), and now by the Office of the University Registrar. However, many people throughout the university contributed the information (now known as content) found in the catalog.

The Course Catalog followed larger national trends—both in design and content. In its beginnings, the cover’s only decoration was the university seal. There were no pictures. Starting in 1926, a hand drawn map was added. In 1956 a black and white photograph was added to the cover. In 1998, a color photo was on the cover.

Today, the catalog is presented as an interactive academic catalog management system. It can be continually updated throughout the year. Fortunately for historians, an official PDF version will be saved for each academic year.

The SMU Course Catalog digital collection currently covers primarily years in the 2000s, with historical volumes being included as they are digitized.

To see, touch, and browse copies of the actual SMU Course Catalogs, please visit the Fondren Library. The call number for the books is LD5101 .S365c.

About the SMU Archives

The Southern Methodist University Archives serves as a research repository for the official administrative and historical records of the University. In addition, the Archives serves as the collective memory of Southern Methodist University.

Material in the SMU Archives consists of non-current university records, regardless of medium, generated by faculty, staff, and students while conducting the business of this institution. This material includes office files, minutes, photographs, films, correspondence, artifacts and memorabilia, publications, scrapbooks, blueprints, oral history tapes, and manuscript collections.