SMU Boot Camps

SMU Boot Camps Reviews and Complete Guide

Southern Methodist University (SMU) offers coding, data science, fintech, and cyber security bootcamps. If you are interested in pursuing a career in these fields, read our SMU Boot Camp reviews to learn about each bootcamp program, payment plans, tuition costs, and locations.

What Are SMU Boot Camps?

Southern Methodist University Boot Camps is a coding bootcamp provided by SMU Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE). SMU offers full-time and part-time coding, financial technology, cyber security, and data science bootcamp programs. The programs are open to beginners. SMU offers pre-course tutorials to prepare you for the bootcamps.

SMU Boot Camps provides career training specific to the in-demand technologies in Dallas. The bootcamps prepare you for a lucrative entry-level tech job. Today, graduates from SMU Boot Camps work at high-profile companies including Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

Are SMU Boot Camps Worth It?

An SMU Boot Camp is worth it for anyone interested in becoming a cyber security engineer, a data scientist, a web developer, or a fintech professional. It is especially worth it if you are looking to find a tech job in Dallas. The courses are designed to meet the demands of the Dallas tech industry.

SMU Boot Camps is a great alternative to traditional college degree programs. It is much cheaper and prepares you for a job in only 12 to 24 weeks.

If you want to study UX/UI design, digital marketing, or product management, an SMU Boot Camp is not for you. You should consider other bootcamps such as Flatiron School, General Assembly, and UCLA Extension Boot Camps.

SMU Boot Camps Job Placement

SMU has not released any data for its graduates’ job placement rate. However, several graduates have acquired lucrative tech positions. This is possible due to SMU’s career counseling services.

SMU offers career support coaching, portfolio reviews, resume critique, and other portfolio strengthening support. The school also conducts interview training for future technical interviews.

Do Any SMU Boot Camps Offer a Job Guarantee?

None of the SMU Boot Camps currently offers a job guarantee. However, the school is confident that its curriculum and career planning support will help its graduates land high-paying jobs.

How Much Do SMU Boot Camps Cost?

The part-time coding program currently costs $12,495, and the full-time coding program costs $13,495. The data science, fintech, and cybersecurity programs cost $12,995, $12,995, and $13,495 respectively. These tuition prices are subject to change. They vary depending on the financing plan you opt for.

How to Pay for SMU Boot Camps: Scholarships, Installments, Upfront Payment

SMU Boot Camps offers several payment plans to help students pay for their bootcamp. Plans include scholarships, monthly installments, loan financing, and upfront payment.

Scholarships

Scholarships are a great way to aid your educational journey. SMU Boot Camps currently offers SMU alumni a $500 scholarship. Contact the school’s admissions counselor to find out more about the scholarships.

Installments

A month-to-month installment payment plan is ideal for anyone who can pay off the tuition in small amounts. SMU Boot Camps offers an interest-free payment plan for its students. The plan requires a small upfront deposit. You can pay the rest of the tuition in monthly installments.

Upfront Payment

If you pay the entire tuition before the deadline, SMU will offer you a tuition discount. You will also be guaranteed a seat in the bootcamp. Contact SMU’s admissions department to find out more details about the discount.

ISAs

Income share agreements (ISAs) are an increasingly popular method of paying for a tech bootcamp. An ISA allows students to defer their tuition until they land a well-paying job, at which point they will owe the school a certain percentage of their monthly income until the tuition cost is covered. At this time, SMU Boot Camps does not feature an ISA program.

SMU Boot Camps Locations

SMU Boot Camps’ primary location is at the university’s Dallas campus. Currently, all courses are offered virtually because of COVID-19. The virtual programs offer the same curricula and career support services as in-person programs.

• SMU Boot Camps Dallas
• SMU Boot Camps Online

SMU Boot Camps Courses

SMU Boot Camps offers several courses for students who want to build a career in data science, cyber security, web development, or financial technology. The courses are open to all skill levels and backgrounds.

SMU Boot Camps Prep Courses

Because the bootcamp model relies on speedy delivery of in-demand skills, many bootcamps expect students to enter their program with some prior knowledge. At the same time, most bootcamps strive to be beginner-friendly. The compromise that bootcamps typically reach is to provide prep courses for students to take before their program starts.

While SMU Boot Camps does not offer one of the best prep courses on the bootcamp market, it does disseminate pre-course tutorials to enrollees before the beginning of each cohort. These materials should help get you up to speed.

Coding Boot Camp – Online

SMU offers full-time and part-time online Coding Boot Camps. The course covers the basic and advanced technologies of software development. It will help you pursue a career in web development, front end development, backend development, or full stack web development.

You will learn development languages including HTML and CSS. The course also covers DOM manipulation, JavaScript, jQuery, RESTful APIs, JSON, Ajax, and API consumption.

The full stack flex course also teaches advanced subjects such as Node, MySQL, MongoDB, and progressive web applications. By the end of the course, you will be able to develop a full stack web application.

Data Science Boot Camp – Online

If you are interested in becoming a data analyst, data scientist, data visualization expert, or follow a career in big data, this course is for you. SMU offers a part-time program for this bootcamp. It is ideal for students with busy schedules. The course will cover everything from foundational data science to advanced topics.

You will learn Microsoft Excel, statistical modeling, Python, APIs, JSON, pandas, Matplotlib, Beautiful Soup, and NumPy. The course also covers SQL, the ETL process, MongoDB, AJAX, JavaScript, CSS, Tableau, machine learning, and Hadoop.

In addition, this bootcamp includes plenty of hands-on projects. You will participate in a group project to create a data visualization application. You can use the projects to build your portfolio.

FinTech Boot Camp – Online

This financial technology bootcamp teaches all the essential industry skills for careers in hedge funds and other financial positions. This course is ideal for people with a business and finance background. It covers financial fundamentals including financial analysis, financial modeling, time-series analysis, and financial ratios.

You will also learn about blockchain, cryptocurrency, smart contracts, solidity, distributed ledgers, and Truffle Suite. The course also covers technical concepts such as programming and financial libraries and machine learning in finance.

Cybersecurity Boot Camp – Online

If you want to pursue a career in cyber security, digital forensics, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, or security operations and analytics, then SMU’s Cybersecurity Boot Camp is a great option for you. This part-time program will make you job-ready in just 24 weeks.

The course covers networking, ethical hacking, penetration, systems, and programming and scripting. You will learn about packet analysis, Wireshark, risk management, secure network design, cloud security, Bash scripting, Powershell scripting, Kali Linux, Metasploit, and Hashcat.

What Are the SMU Boot Camp Schedules?

SMU Boot Camps offers full-time and part-time programs for its students. Currently, all courses are offered online, which allows you to learn in-demand tech skills from the comfort of your home.

Full-Time

The SMU Coding Boot Camp offers a 12-week full-time program. You will attend classes online, Monday to Friday, from 10am to 2:30pm. You will also spend more than 25 hours outside of class on projects and assignments. The full-time schedule is ideal for anyone who can commit 100 percent of their time and effort to the course.

Part-Time

SMU offers part-time programs for its Coding, Data Science, FinTech, and Cybersecurity Boot Camps. These programs are 24 weeks long. This schedule is ideal for professionals and students with busy schedules.

For the Coding Boot Camp, you will spend four hours in class at scheduled times every week. You will devote at least 20 hours outside of class to self-paced learning and projects.

For the Data Science, FinTech, and Cybersecurity Boot Camps, you will have classes on two weekdays from 6:30pm to 9:30pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Self-Paced

Self-paced learning schedules are perfect for people who learn best at their own pace through online videos or text instructions. Unless you count the pre-course tutorials, SMU Boot Camps does not offer any self-paced programs.

How to Get Accepted into SMU Boot Camps

Getting into SMU Boot Camps isn’t particularly difficult because it accepts tech beginners. All you need is hard work and dedication, plus a way to pay the tuition costs. You can begin by researching the bootcamp programs and finding out how they will help you achieve your career goals.

SMU Boot Camp Acceptance Rates

SMU Boot Camps does not have a public record of its acceptance rates. It offers tech courses to beginners. Unlike other advanced coding bootcamps, it’s relatively easy to get accepted into SMU Boot Camps.

Application Process

The application process for SMU Boot Camps is pretty straightforward. It includes an online application, a preliminary interview, and assessment tests. Below are the steps for SMU Boot Camps’ application process.

1. Start by reading more about its course curricula. Then fill out the online application. Be sure to enter the correct and relevant information.
2. If you are invited to a preliminary interview, SMU’s admissions department will schedule one between you and an advisor.
3. During the interview, you will discuss your interests, tech background, payment plans, and ask other questions.
4. If your application moves forward, you will be asked to take an assessment. The assessment test consists of critical thinking and problem-solving questions.
5. If you pass the assessment, you will be accepted into the bootcamp.

Interview Questions

SMU Boot Camps’ interview questions are designed to get to know you. They aren’t very technical. Make sure to read about the programs and payment plans so you can ask the advisor questions about them.

Below are some common bootcamp interview questions you can use to prepare.

• Why are you interested in SMU Boot Camps and what do you hope to get from your desired program?
• What are your career goals?
• Do you have any tech background? If so, please state your background.
• How do you plan on paying for the bootcamp and which payment plan suits you best?

Is an SMU Boot Camp Right for You?

An SMU Boot Camp is right for you if you want to learn cyber security, data science, financial technology, or web development. If you are a tech beginner and want a credential from an accredited, reputable university, then an SMU Boot Camp is right for you. You will have many options to pay for tuition.

If you are looking for a bootcamp that offers a job guarantee, or if you want to study UX/UI design or digital marketing, then SMU Boot Camps might not be right for you.