The Miller quad at SMU Cox is where many B.B.A. in General Business students congregate.

Undergraduate programs

General business

B.B.A.

Minor

Overview

The general business degree prepares students for a wide range of careers by combining broad business knowledge with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Recognized by employers for its versatility, this degree offers a flexible foundation that adapts to diverse industries, roles and career paths. It is especially well-suited for entrepreneurial students and those who wish to pursue professions, like medicine or law, where business acumen enhances long-term success.

The B.B.A. in general business program offering allows students to use any combination of business electives offered by any combination of Cox departments:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Information technology and operations management
  • Management, strategy and entrepreneurship
  • Marketing
  • Real estate, risk management and business law

No. 25

Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the U.S.

Poets&Quants (2026)

94%

of students with a degree in business completed internships

(Class of 2025)

100%

of B.B.A. general business majors achieve their desired career outcome within three months of graduation

(Class of 2025)

Specializations

AI for Business

This specialization allows Cox B.B.A. students to gain a thorough understanding of the key principles of artificial intelligence and machine learning and the use of these technologies in business applications.

Energy management

The specialization in energy management prepares students for careers in energy, natural resource and power generation industries, financial institutions, government and nonprofit groups.

Entrepreneurship

The entrepreneurship specialization equips students to identify and develop innovative opportunities, launch and finance new ventures, manage and grow entrepreneurial businesses and navigate the legal, strategic and leadership challenges critical to startup and early-stage success.

Management consulting

This specialization combines theoretical knowledge and tangible consultative best practices to prepare students for real-world consulting challenges with clients across a variety of industries.

Real estate

The real estate specialization combines the study of finance and real estate to develop special competency in structuring real estate transactions, real estate valuation techniques, and an in-depth understanding of the capital markets.

Admissions

Business Direct students and B.B.A. Scholars

All undergraduate applications are processed through the SMU Office of Admission. Every student that applies to SMU with a primary academic interest in business will be considered for acceptance to the SMU Cox B.B.A. program. Accepted SMU Cox B.B.A. candidates will be admitted as either a Business Direct student or as a B.B.A. Scholar.

Both designations guarantee admission to the business school and offer students access to the full suite of courses, services and activities offered. B.B.A. Scholars represent an elite group of approximately 100 first-year, fall-entry applicants admitted to the Cox School who have exceptional academic credentials. These select students receive a scholarship and unique academic and networking opportunities. Every student who applies to SMU as a business major is automatically considered for this recognition – no additional application is required.

Deadlines and details

Key dates and admissions information to help plan your application with confidence.

Transfer students

Everything transfer students need to know about admission requirements.

International students

All the essential admission requirements international students need to know.

Additional links

Ready to apply?

Get started here.

Tuition and financial aid

2 out of 3 first-year students are awarded grants and/or scholarships with an average total of $38,598.

Tuition and costs

Explore the cost breakdown of tuition for undergraduate programs.

Financial aid

Find information on scholarships and financial support available at SMU.

Curriculum and learning

Vision statement

The mission of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business is to improve the school’s academic programs and reputation as a top-tier business school by providing a high-quality business education to students and the business community, conducting research that contributes to the understanding of business and management, and participating in the service activities of the University and professional organizations. 

Featured courses

FINA 3320

Financial Management

Survey of concepts, practices and problems surrounding financial markets, securities and decision-making.

ITOM 3306

Operations Management

Introduces concepts, principles, problems and practices of operations management, and discusses methods for building business analytics models to solve operational business problems effectively.

MKTG 3340

Fundamentals of Marketing

Examines the nature of marketing decisions, the environment in which these decisions are made and the relationship of these decisions to the firm, business and society.

View course catalog

Student success

SMU Cox students are set up for success from day one. The intimate, private-school setting; small class sizes; and approachable, world-class faculty all but guarantee an exceptional business education. And – with a 42,000-plus strong alumni network deeply embedded within the Dallas-Fort Worth business community and beyond – students have access to experts and experiences that will open doors.

Read Student Stories

Faculty

At SMU Cox School of Business, our professors are graduates of the world’s leading business schools. They’re consultants to global corporations, top practitioners in their fields and widely published researchers investigating leading-edge topics. The Cox faculty is made up of passionate teachers who bring new ideas and techniques into the classroom, challenge you to question conventional thinking and inspire you to share their excitement about the issues that drive their work.

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Yurianna Kimmons headshot- cropped

Yurianna Kimmons

Professor of Practice

Gary Orosy

Adjunct Professor
Gauri Bhat

Gauri Bhat

Associate Professor
Greg Sommers

Greg Sommers

Clinical Professor
Director, Master of Science in Accounting Program
Jim Chester

Jim Chester

Professor of Practice
Nathan Walcott

Nathan Walcott

Clinical Professor
Don Shelly

Don Shelly

Professor of Practice

Nils Van den Steen

Clinical Professor
Angelika Leskovskaya

Angelika Leskovskaya

Clinical Professor

Benjamin Dow

Professor of Practice
Program Director, Master of Science in Management
Marci Armstrong

Marci Armstrong

Professor of Practice

Radhika Zaveri

Clinical Professor
Steven Denson

Steven Denson

Assistant Dean of Student Success

Facilities

SMU Cox School of Business is centered around the David B. Miller Business Quadrangle, a state-of-the-art education hub built expressly for the future of business education. Four wings connect the school’s original three anchor buildings into one large, cohesive space. With a commons area, a courtyard and a plaza, the Miller Business Quad encourages collaboration and camaraderie among students, faculty and staff, offering myriad places to study, walk and talk, and build connections.

Cox School of Business students can connect with alumni and employers through the Career Management Center.

Cox Career Management Center

The CMC partners with students, alumni and employers to build collaborative relationships that culminate in successful careers. All first-year students are assigned a career coach and receive specialized career coaching once they declare a major.

Cox School of Business students can access a purpose-built business library to enhance their studies.

Duda Family Business Library

The library provides access to dedicated business librarians offering classroom instruction, open enrollment workshops and reference services. The library houses the Kitt Investing and Trading Center, a dynamic instructional and research facility that integrates financial data and technology into the school’s curriculum, enhances innovative faculty research, and teaches students practical finance and investment applications.

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Frequently asked questions

A B.B.A. in general business from SMU Cox gives you a broad foundation in key business disciplines from finance and marketing to management and organizational behavior. You’ll take courses on such topics as investments, money and banking, consumer and organizational behavior, sales management and leadership. The degree’s flexibility, relevance and versatility make it a smart choice for students who want broad-based preparation for a business career, such as running a family business, or for those who wish to double major.

General business graduates have gone on to become real estate agents, retail managers, insurance professionals and entrepreneurs, to name a few. Many biology and general business double majors on the pre-health track desire to become physicians but also want the business acumen to run their own practices in the future.

Students who graduate with a general business degree are prepared for careers where broad business knowledge and understanding are combined with effective problem-solving skills. The general business degree is ideal for students who wish to double major or have broad-based knowledge in preparation for a business career, such as running a family business.

Students take the introductory courses in the business core to gain exposure to accounting, finance, marketing and management before selecting a specific major in business. The Cox School of Business also offers specializations which allow you to add additional focus to your academic experience.

The courses in the B.B.A. management major cover the range of issues that managers and leaders will encounter in their careers including motivation, project management, decision-making, teams, negotiations, ethics, organizational design and human resource management, to name a few.

Students have the opportunity to design their own degree programs with assistance from the Cox academic advisors. Coordination with the Cox Career Management Center is highly advantageous for students who want to align major and course selection with their career aspirations. SMU students who are declared business majors may choose to add one of five specializations: artificial intelligence, energy management, entrepreneurship, management consulting or real estate.

Yes! A B.B.A. in general business from SMU is prime preparation for graduate study or an MBA through foundational coursework in all aspects of business. SMU Cox also offers a 4+1 pathway that allows current SMU undergraduate students to gain their bachelor’s and an M.S. degree in a single, streamlined program.

The Bachelor of Business Administration in general business is a degree specifically designed for maximum flexibility. With guidance from faculty and advisors, you will select a set of courses that, when combined, best prepare you for your own personal and professional career goals.

You will have the opportunity at the time you apply for first-year admission to indicate the two areas of study you are most interested in pursuing. If you want to be considered for admission to the Cox School, you need to indicate a Cox major as your primary academic interest at the time you apply. Many students also decide to add a double major later in their academic career.

At SMU Cox, your classroom is located in a city with a hub of Fortune 500 companies. Cox faculty and alumni are real-world experts who advise and shape business leaders – and they’ll connect you. The Dallas region is No. 3 in the country for 5-year job growth and boasts 21 Fortune 500 companies. (Dallas Regional Chamber, 2026)

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