The Guildhall, a graduate-level digital game development program, is located at SMU-in-Plano.

As the sun sinks into the western horizon, the school day is just beginning for those driving into the SMU-in-Plano parking lot.

“Our student profile is very different from that of the main campus,” says campus director Kate Livingston. “In a single class, people may range in age from 22 to 72. More than 47 percent of those age 25 and older in Collin County have a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Most are working professionals, so evening classes are ideal for their schedules.”

Daytime classes also are offered at the University’s 16-acre facility, located off the Dallas North Tollway on Tennyson Parkway. Approximately 800 students from the Dallas-Fort Worth area are enrolled in graduate studies and professional development programs in business, technology, engineering and education.

SMU appears to be in the right place at the right time. According to a 2008 U.S. Census Bureau report, Plano is the wealthiest of U.S. cities with a population of 250,000 or more, and Collin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas. The campus opened in 1997 in the heart of the Legacy Business Park in four two-story buildings formerly occupied by Electronic Data Systems (EDS).

“SMU-in-Plano boosts the business IQ of Plano,” says Jamie Schell ’79 of AR Schell & Son Agency-Insurance, president of the Plano Chamber of Commerce. “The quality of the educational experience through the Cox Professional M.B.A., The Guildhall [graduate-level digital game development], Dispute Resolution, Engineering Master’s and other programs adds measurable value to the local business community.”

And an online recruitment tool offered by Cox’s M.B.A. Career Management Center, Coxmbatalent.com, “offers local businesses the chance to tap into an excellent talent pool,“ Schell says.

Programs mine the resources of the entire University. For example, the Cox School of Business offers part of its evening PMBA program, ranked 10th in the nation by Forbes magazine, at the Plano campus. In the first year, students take core classes together in Plano, and in the second year, they take electives at the main campus.

When Jason Degele, a client director in AT&T’s wireless division, researched graduate program options, SMU’s strong academic reputation and the convenience of the Plano campus to his Denton County home made it an easy decision.

Although he will not complete the PMBA program until August or December, his graduate studies already have had the desired effect. “I wanted to advance my career at a faster pace, and the PMBA program has opened doors already,” he says. “I’m now in AT&T’s leadership development program. I see good things in store for the future.”

Also at SMU-in-Plano

• Cox School of Business: Executive Education, custom executive education programs.
• Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development: Master of Science in counseling and continuing education for counseling professionals. Master of Science in education with certification, dyslexia learning therapy certifications and advanced placement teacher training.
• Enrichment: Non-credit personal and professional workshops and seminars on a range of topics.
• Services: The Center for Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management offers low-cost mediation services to qualified parties. The new Center for Family Counseling provides affordable help for North Texas families. The Diagnostic Center for Dyslexia and Related Disorders evaluates learning disorders related to reading acquisition and comprehension.
• Summer Youth Programs: More than 1,800 children in kindergarten through high school attend more than 60 different workshops in 13 content areas.
• Facilities: Classrooms, computer labs and large multiuse spaces may be rented.