There are many SMU students who graduate from the university as class scholars, beacons or intellectual lights shining through their liberal arts studies. But many find themselves lost upon graduation.
They are overwhelmed without formal business training, ill-prepared for what the corporate world has to throw at them. The Cox school has created a program to combat this situation.
The SMU Cox Executive Education program will be offering its 8th annual “business boot camp” this summer targeted at liberal arts majors. The intensive certificate program entitled “Summer Business Institute,” is designed to give non-business majors instruction in accounting, marketing, finance, information technology, business law and career planning.
The program will be four weeks over the summer from May 31 through June 26. The program will offer housing for those needing residence and supply a breakfast and dinner meal plan. The program is taught by SMU Cox faculty and will consist of classroom instruction combined with field trips to prominent Dallas businesses.
“The Summer Business Institute is extremely valuable for any non-business junior, senior or recent graduate,” Heman Desai, the Robert B. Cullum professor of accounting said. “This program is designed to provide an exposure to the conceptual foundations of the major business disciplines.
“The field trips and company visits allow students to see how some of the concepts learned in the classroom apply in a real world setting. As a result, it increases their business savvy, as well as gives the student an edge when competing with other job candidates,” Cullum said.
Previous participants have found that the program was able to provide a business foundation that helped them to succeed in their careers.
“I had a great liberal arts education, but really didn’t know much about business,” international studies major Tyler Fields said. “I thought the Summer Business Institute would bridge the gap between now and when I get my MBA. The practical experience we got was incredibly comprehensive. I was able to get hands-on experience.”
To register or get more information, contact the executive education office at www.exed.cox.smu.edu/sbi or call the office at 214-768-2918.
