www.smu.edu/TowerCenter/TowerScholars
Diana Newton, Director
The minor in public policy and international affairs is a selective course of study for students who have been accepted to the Tower Scholars Program in their first year at SMU. Students in the program are exposed to both the theoretical and practical aspects of policymaking through courses taught by both faculty who study policy and policymakers who craft it. The program trains students in policy analysis, critical thinking, and concise writing while providing them with experience in making practical, actionable policy recommendations for real-world clients. The Tower Scholars Program is open to students of all majors.
Tower Scholars Program Application Process
A first-year student currently enrolled at SMU may apply to become a Highland Capital Management Tower Scholar via the competitive application process outlined below. To be considered for admission, applicants must have a GPA of 3.300 or higher, and must agree to complete the prerequisites/corequisites for the selective minor.
The selection process for choosing Highland Capital Management Tower Scholars will be based on merit and determined by the application and interview process. Applicants must submit the following items:
- Application form, including essays as described on the application;
- Two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a current SMU faculty member who has taught the applicant in an SMU course;
- A copy of a current transcript.
The applicant pool will be evaluated using a variety of relevant criteria, including, but not limited to, the following: the relevance of the minor in public policy and international affairs to a student’s goals; a strong academic record; a strong extracurricular record at SMU; demonstrated leadership and a sense of social responsibility; and excellent written and oral communication skills. The Tower Scholars Program accepts students from a variety of majors and schools and will consider diversity, broadly defined.
Once the applicant pool has been evaluated, a select number of students will be invited to the final stage of the application process, which is an interview with the selection committee. In addition to the criteria listed above, the selection committee will seek to evaluate the verbal communication skills of each candidate and will expect candidates to be able to discuss policy issues of interest to them and express why being accepted into the public policy and international affairs minor would be meaningful to their academic and professional goals.
Students accepted to the Tower Scholars Program are expected to commit to participating in all aspects of the program (courses, program events, networking events, etc.)
Prerequisites/Corequisities for the Minor
The following prerequisites/corequisites for the minor must be completed before students begin their junior year:
- A grade of C- or better in one economics course (ECO 1311 or ECO 1312 ) or a score of 4 or better in the Macroeconomics Advanced Placement Test, or the Microeconomics Advanced Placement Test.
- A grade of C- or better in one quantitative course (MATH 1309 or MATH 1337 , SOCI 3311 or SOCI 3312 , or STAT 2331 or STAT 4340 ) or a score of 4 or better in the Statistics Advanced Placement Test.
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