SMU challenges students to think hard about the ethics of doing business and giving back to society - traits that will stay with them long after graduation.

Spotlight has come upon business ethics and social responsibility in the wake of corporate scandals connected to the widespread economic crisis. The emerging importance of trust and integrity in leadership as organisations struggle to restore confidence resonates with SMU's belief in character building to be as integral as intellectual development in a university education.

Core courses such as 'Ethics & Social Responsibility' and 'Managing Ethical Dilemmas and Corporate Governance' are built into the undergraduate and MBA curriculum respectively, setting out fundamentals for social consciousness in the classroom.

For direct experiential learning, SMU undergraduates complete a 'Leadership & Teambuilding' course anchored on social projects to meet the needs of the greater community. This, combined with a mandatory two-week community service, allow students to work with the underprivileged, marginalised and impoverished, away from the sheltered campus environment and at times taking them afar to Nepal, China, Cambodia and disaster-struck regions.

While pursuing one of the six degree programmes in SMU: business management, accountancy, law, economics, social sciences and information systems management, students have the flexibility of taking on double degrees or double majors in any combination. This is the broad-based, multidisciplinary education that is signature of SMU, bestowing on them the adaptability and versatility in today's fast-changing world.

Internships bring students closer to the real world of modern business - with more than half enrolling in two or more internships and many clinching job offers thereafter. One-third of SMU undergraduates enjoy overseas opportunities such as exchange studies, business study missions, community outreach, conferences or internship by immersing in a different culture and business environment.

The addition of new courses keeps the curriculum in step with the pulse of the economy. 'Islamic Law, Banking and Commerce', 'World Trade Organization: Law, Economics and Policy', 'Introduction to Chinese History, Culture, Economy and Law' and 'Sports Marketing' are new electives drawing interest to emerging trends in the industry. The holistic SMU experience raises young business leaders with the intellectual maturity and agility to grapple with a broad spectrum of issues while giving back to community at the same time.