Rules

1. Credit earned by examination may be used to fulfill requirements in the Fundamentals, Science/Technology, and Perspectives categories.

2. With the exception of Wellness, courses taken to fulfill General Education requirements may not be taken pass/fail.

3. With the exception of the Co-Curricular component, a single course may satisfy only one General Education requirement.

4. Following SMU matriculation, students must meet the English, Mathematical Sciences, and Information Technology Fundamentals requirements through SMU coursework.

5. Probation and Suspension Rules Related to the Fundamentals component of the General Education Curriculum     
(Applicable to All Undergraduate Students)

Academic Probation

For all undergraduate students, a student will be placed on Academic Probation if he or she fails to meet the following:

  • For a student who enters SMU directly from high school or enters SMU with less than 15 transfer hours, the student fails to complete the Written English and Mathematical Sciences Fundamentals of the General Education Curriculum after the completion of 45 units earned in residence OR

  • For a part-time student, an Evening Bachelor student, or a student transferring more than 15 hours, the student fails to complete the Written English and Mathematical Sciences Fundamentals of the General Education Curriculum after completion of 15 units in residence. Students must be continuously enrolled in the appropriate English course each term until completion of the Written English Fundamentals requirement.

  • Students who do not enroll in the appropriate English course each term will be subject to academic probation. However, certain students who begin their Writing Requirements with ENGL 1302 may defer their initial enrollment for one term. Students may not drop these courses; if they do, a W grade will be changed to a grade of F.

Academic Suspension

For all undergraduate students, a student will receive Academic Suspension if:

  • For a student who enters SMU directly from high school or enters SMU with less than 15 transfer hours, the student fails to complete the Written English and Mathematical Sciences Fundamentals of the General Education Curriculum after the completion of 60 units earned in residence OR

  • For a part-time student, an Evening Bachelor student, or a student transferring more than 15 hours, the student fails to complete the Written English and Mathematical Sciences Fundamentals of the General Education Curriculum after completion of 30 units in residence.

6. A minimum grade of C- is required in each Written English Fundamentals course.

7. A student who uses a writing-intensive departmental course to satisfy the Written English requirement beyond ENGL 1302 may not also use that course to satisfy the Perspectives or Cultural Formations requirements.

8. Ideally, the Science and Technology requirement should be completed within the first 90 hours of undergraduate work.

9. Cultural Formations courses will carry CF, CFA, or CFB numbers and may also carry departmental numbers. However, if such a course is taken with a departmental number, it will not be given Cultural Formations credit. Similarly, a course taken with a CF number will not also count as a departmental course.  (Please note that the departmental co-listing of a CF course may NOT receive Perspectives credit.  Cultural Formations and Perspectives are mutually-exclusive categories; one cannot count for the other.)

10. CF courses must be taken at SMU, either on the Dallas campus, at SMU-in-Taos, or through the Study Abroad International Programs. Courses transferred from other institutions may not receive CF credit under any circumstances.

11. Students must complete two Cultural Formations courses between their sophomore and senior years.

12.  The Perspectives requirement may NOT be satisfied by courses in the department or program of the student’s major, by courses applied to fulfill requirements for a student’s interdisciplinary major, or by the co-listing of a CF course (see #9 above). (“Program” here refers to division, center, school, or other academic unit designated for a course of study in the University bulletin.)

13.  A Perspectives course may double count toward a student’s minor or second major.

14.  No single course may be listed in more than one Perspectives category.

15.  No department or program may list its courses in more than one Perspectives category. (“Program” here refers to division, center, school, or other academic unit designated for a course of study in the University bulletin.)