Prior to this new law, candidates were required to have a 120 hour baccalaureate degree with 30 hours of accounting, including introductory, and 20 hours of business. The law has not changed the business hour requirement so the additional non-accounting credit hours may be taken in any area of study and fulfilled by an undergraduate liberal arts major, for example. SMU started a 30 credit hour Master of Science in Accounting degree in the 1998 fall semester, which together with the school's 120 hour baccalaureate degree, will satisfy the 150 hour requirement. Undergraduate accounting students not wishing to pursue the Master's degree may take additional courses, both accounting and non-accounting, to help satisfy the requirements. SMU offers a number of undergraduate accounting courses beyond the minimum required courses to graduate.
Undergraduate students can add additional hours by taking courses during the summer as well.
Students will be required to take fifteen hours of accounting. To satisfy college accreditation requirements, twelve of these hours must be in classes reserved for graduate students. The student will be required, by accreditation standards, to take nine hours of graduate credit in a department other than accounting, and will have one free elective. For at least the 1998-1999 academic year, all courses will have to be graduate level courses. Yes, students will be required to take only eighteen hours of accounting beyond introductory and six hours of business law, to get a BBA with an accounting major.