Meadows School of the Arts
The Meadows School of the Arts educates visionary artists, scholars, and arts and communication professionals so that they may have a sustainable, transformative impact on both local and global society.
Founded through the generosity of Algur H. Meadows, his family and the Meadows Foundation, the Meadows School is recognized as one of the nation’s premier arts schools. It offers intense specialized education in the communication, performing, and visual arts and and provides a rich variety of coursework for students from other disciplines exploring the arts as part of their liberal arts education.
In addition to working closely with a nationally renowned full-time faculty, Meadows students have access to eminent visiting professors, artists and scholars.
The Meadows School also offers one of the nation’s finest university complexes for instruction, performance and exhibition in advertising, art, art history, corporate communication and public affairs, creative technology, dance, film, journalism, music, and theatre.
Academic, Performance and Exhibition Spaces
The Owen Arts Center houses the Greer Garson Theatre (a classical thrust-stage design), the Bob Hope Theatre (a proscenium theatre), the Margo Jones Theatre (a black-box theatre), Caruth Auditorium (which includes a 51-stop, 3,681-pipe Fisk organ), the Charles S. Sharp Performing Arts Studio, the O’Donnell Lecture/Recital Hall, and several other performance spaces, as well as classrooms, studios and rehearsal areas. Completed in 2022, a renovation to the north side of the building offers new spaces to the school, including the Gene and Jerry Jones Grand Atrium.
The Doolin Gallery and the William B. Jordan Gallery, housed in Owen Arts Center and the Pollock Gallery, housed on SMU’s East Campus, are the art exhibition spaces of the Division of Art. Student work is exhibited and critiqued in the Doolin Gallery. The new William B. Jordan Gallery is named in honor of Bill Jordan, founding director of Meadows Museum and former chair of the Division of Art, and hosts critique sessions, temporary exhibitions and gallery talks. Exhibitions organized in the Pollock Gallery provide students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community with opportunities to experience a thoughtful and wide array of exhibitions representing diverse artists, time periods and cultures.
The Meadows Museum exhibits one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain, including works of such masters as Velázquez, Ribera, Sorolla, Murillo, Goya, Picasso, Miró and El Greco. The Elizabeth Meadows Sculpture Collection contains important works by such modern sculptors as Rodin, Maillol, Lipschitz, Henry Moore, Marini, Giacometti, Noguchi, David Smith and Claes Oldenburg.
The Center of Creative Computation has a new lab with an advanced presentation system that combines multiple wall-to-ceiling projections and surround sound. The lab also includes facilities for 3D printing, physical computing, and Web3 and AI development.
The Umphrey Lee Center serves as home to several of the communication arts areas, including a journalism complex that houses a high-definition television studio, a control room, computer labs and editing suites. The Temerlin Advertising Institute, one of the nation’s only endowed collegiate advertising programs, is also on the first floor; amenities include a focus group facility, graduate seminar room, computer lab, creative suite, and “Praxis” lab where the National Student Advertising Competition team develops campaigns.
The four-story Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library is adjacent to the Owen Arts Center and houses all arts library collections, the Lady Tennyson d’Eyncourt Visual Resources Laboratory, an audio/visual center and the Mildred Hawn Exhibition Gallery. The G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, a part of the library’s holdings, is housed in the Greer Garson Theatre’s 3,800-square-foot refrigerated storage vault. The Bywaters Special Collections hold works on paper and archival materials illuminating the cultural history of the Southwest.
Instructional Units and Programs of Study
The Meadows School of the Arts consists of 10 undergraduate and graduate academic units, including three academic units that offer undergraduate programs only. The seven academic units that offer graduate programs include Advertising, Art, Art History, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Creative Computing, Music, and Theatre. Each division is outlined in detail in this catalog. Information on undergraduate programs in the arts is available in the SMU Undergraduate Catalog.
Meadows School of the Arts offers the graduate degrees listed below. In addition, the Temerlin Advertising Institute offers a graduate certificate as a Strategic Advertising Specialist and the Meadows Department of Music offers Performer’s Diploma and Artist Diploma programs.
Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Arts
- Advertising
- Art History
- Arts and Nonprofit Leadership with a Master of Business Administration (in conjunction with Cox School of Business)
- Creative Technology
- Design Innovation (in conjunction with Lyle School of Engineering)
Master of Fine Arts
- Art
- Theatre: Acting
- Theatre: Entertainment Design
Master of Management
- International Arts Management
Master of Music
- Choral Conducting
- Instrumental Conducting
- Music Composition
- Music Education
- Musicology
- Performance (various brass, keyboard, percussion, string, and woodwind instruments)
- Piano Performance and Pedagogy
- Theory Pedagogy
- Voice Performance
Master of Sacred Music
- Sacred Music (in conjunction with Perkins School of Theology)
SMU DataArts
SMU DataArts, a National Center for Arts Research, acts as a catalyst for the transformation and sustainability of the national arts and cultural community. The center employs cutting-edge research techniques and high-powered computing to test hypotheses, build theory, and increase understanding of the arts and cultural sector. SMU DataArts’ research efforts range from academic papers published in leading journals, applied research undertaken with community partners, and actionable insights shared directly with arts practitioners.
The mission of SMU DataArts is to provide and engage organizations and individuals with the evidence-based insights needed to collectively build strong, vibrant, and equitable arts communities. The scope of this work involves the collaboration of multiple national organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Theatre Communications Group, TRG Arts, and OPERA America. More information is available at www.smu.edu/artsresearch.
Admission
The application for admission to the graduate Meadows programs is available at www.smu.edu/Meadows/Admissions/GraduateAdmissionGuide. For information concerning auditions or interviews, assistantships or fellowships, scholarships, and degree programs, students should contact Office of Graduate Admissions, meadowsgrad@smu.edu, 214-768-3217, Meadows School of the Arts, PO Box 750356, Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX 75275-0356.
The online application and all supporting documents – including official transcripts from all institutions previously attended, recommendations, and GRE and GMAT graduate school admission test scores and/or TOEFL English language proficiency test scores when required – should be filed with the Office of Graduate Admissions for the Meadows School of the Arts as early as possible.
Qualifications
Applicants holding a four-year equivalent degree from an appropriately accredited college or university are eligible to apply for admission to graduate studies. Graduates of colleges not accredited may be required to demonstrate their qualifications by submitting satisfactory scores on the GRE. Any student whose bachelor’s degree preparation is not judged equivalent to the comparable baccalaureate preparation from SMU may be required to take additional coursework to make up the deficiency. In exceptional cases, unusually qualified applicants not holding degrees may be considered for admission.
Student auditions or samples of creative work are requested by certain academic units as part of the application process.
After the application and supporting documents have been examined, the student will be notified of an admission decision. No student is allowed to enroll unless notified of admission. All transcripts and letters of recommendation become the property of SMU. International applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit their scores for the TOEFL English language proficiency test.
Academic Regulations
Master’s Degrees
The Master of Arts degree assumes a goal of general cultural development in the arts, communications and humanities, while the Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music and Master of Sacred Music degrees suggest professional graduate training, with activities more concentrated in one area. The M.F.A. and M.M. degrees are normally predicated upon a bachelor’s degree that has provided up to 65 credit hours in the major field of study. Consequently, a student who has earned a B.A. degree and enrolls for an M.F.A., M.M. or M.S.M. degree in Meadows School of the Arts may be handicapped by not having had sufficient undergraduate concentration in their field. It may be necessary for the student to extend graduate study to compensate for limited preparation.
Graduate Adviser
Each student will have a graduate adviser assigned by the appropriate academic unit chair or director in Meadows School of the Arts. Additional information is found in this catalog under the following headings: 1) course scheduling and enrollment cycles in the Enrollment Policies section and 2) academic advising in the Academic Advising and Satisfactory Progress Policies section.
Transfer Credit
Official college transcripts are required for all college-level work attempted, regardless of transferability. Military transcripts are also required for students receiving VA benefits; more information is available at www.smu.edu/registrar (“Veterans Affairs” link). Students are responsible for making sure a transcript of all transfer work attempted is sent to the University Registrar’s Office immediately following completion of the work.
All credit for work transferred from another institution is subject to the approval of the academic unit offering the major. Unless special permission is granted by the student’s academic unit chair or director, no more than six credit hours of work from another institution may be counted toward a graduate degree at Meadows School of the Arts. No credit is allowed for study by correspondence. Courses taken as an undergraduate or as a special student at SMU will be regarded in the same way as transfer courses.
Thesis, Thesis-Equivalent or Recital
All candidates for the master’s degree will be expected to complete at least one of the following, unless modified by the appropriate department/division/institute of the student’s major study: 1) a written thesis, 2) a period of directed internship, 3) a creative project, 4) recital or 5) a comprehensive exam.
A thesis that demonstrates original research may be offered in lieu of two to six credit hours. The student may elect to pursue a full- or part-time internship. Hours so earned are applied toward the total number of hours required for the degree.
Following initial enrollment for thesis, project or recital credit, graduate students are required to enroll each term until the thesis, project or recital has been completed and accepted.
For any term in which satisfactory progress has been made, but in which the thesis or project has not been completed, the student will receive a grade of I (Incomplete). Upon completion and acceptance of the thesis or project, the adviser may change up to six credit hours (three for project, two for recital) of a grade of I to letter grades, according to the policy of the academic unit. A total of six credit hours (three for project, two for recital) with grades of P (Pass) or letter grades not below a grade of C must be accrued toward the thesis, project or recital to satisfy degree requirements.
If the student fails to enroll for thesis, project or recital credit in any term for which it is required, they must enroll for the equivalent number of credit hours upon filing an application for candidacy to graduate.
Course Load
Enrollment for nine credit hours of coursework per term is recognized as a full-time load for persons engaged in graduate study. Graduate students not enrolled for the required number of hours may be certified as full-time or part-time students if they are officially enrolled for at least one course and are recognized by their academic dean as meeting one of the following conditions: 1) they are enrolled in a music program requiring fewer than a total of 36 credit hours, 2) they are working on the completion of a required thesis, internship or performance recital requirement on a full-time or part-time basis, 3) they are a third-year theatre student working on the completion of a required series of production projects on a full-time or part-time basis or 4) they have a required instructor appointment as part of a teaching assistantship. Additional information is found under Term Hour Loads in the General Policies section of this catalog.
Credits
Candidates for a master’s degree must have completed a minimum of 30–75 credit hours of graduate work, depending upon the degree or department involved. All courses attempted for credit must average a grade of B or better, with no grade lower than a grade of C (2.000) applying toward the degree. In studio art, all courses attempted for credit must average a grade of B or better, with no grade lower than a grade of B- (2.700) applying toward the degree. In art history, a graduate student who receives a grade of B- or less for a course or seminar taken for credit toward the Master of Arts degree will be placed on probation. A graduate student who receives a grade of B- or less for more than one course or seminar taken for credit toward the Master of Arts degree in art history will be suspended from the University.
Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship graduate students in pursuit of the Master of Arts/Master of Business Administration degree must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.000 in their M.A. coursework and in their M.B.A. coursework, independently, to graduate from the program. If a student’s cumulative GPA in either program falls below 3.000 for any term of study that student will be placed on academic probation. If the student fails to bring the cumulative GPA to 3.000 within the next term that student may be dismissed from the program.
In all courses attempted by graduate students, with the exception of a thesis or project, a grade of I may be changed to a grade of F (Fail) if not removed within one year after the grade is entered on the student’s record.
Academic Progress
Failure to meet established minimum acceptable standards of academic or disciplinary performance can result in probation, suspension or dismissal. Information regarding disciplinary action can be found under Code of Conduct in the Student Affairs section of this catalog.
Graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.000. If in any term the student falls below this cumulative GPA, the student will be placed on probation for one regular term. If at the end of the term of probation the cumulative GPA is not up to 3.000, the student may be removed from the program at the discretion of the dean’s office or records office.
Residence
A residence (enrollment in courses offered at SMU’s main campus) of at least two full terms or the equivalent of this residence period in the summer is required. Most graduate programs will require more than the minimum. Work done in absentia will not be accepted, except in unusual conditions with the prior approval of the division chair.
World Language
A reading knowledge of a world language or languages will be required by those departments that deem it necessary for the student’s research or creative project.
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