Is SMU (Southern Methodist University) a good company to work for?

SMU (Southern Methodist University) has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 1,178 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 78% of employees would recommend working at SMU (Southern Methodist University) to a friend and 66% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about SMU (Southern Methodist University) have been left by employees working as Student Assistant , Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant .

Does SMU (Southern Methodist University) pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, SMU (Southern Methodist University) employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at SMU (Southern Methodist University). This rating has decreased by 7% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at SMU (Southern Methodist University)?

78% of SMU (Southern Methodist University) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated SMU (Southern Methodist University) 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at SMU (Southern Methodist University)?

Research Assistant (69) , Teaching Assistant (41) , Student Worker (29) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (28) , Graduate Research Assistant (24) , Assistant Director (22) , Director (21) , Student Assistant (17) , Tutor (14) , Assistant Professor (13) , Coordinator (11) , Associate Director (10) , Graduate Student (10) , Undergraduate Research Assistant (10) , Administrative Assistant (9)

What are the pros of working at SMU (Southern Methodist University) according to real employee reviews?

"Great benefits and work environment" ((in 85 reviews)); "The campus is beautiful but the infrastructure inside the buildings is bad" ((in 83 reviews)); "All the people here are nice and knowledgable" ((in 69 reviews)); "Depends on class but flexible hours and fun to interact with students" ((in 41 reviews)); "Was a great work environment" ((in 24 reviews))

What are the cons of working at SMU (Southern Methodist University) according to real employee reviews?

"Pay is low; Lack of pay" ((in 80 reviews)); "Low salaries and healthcare covers nothing" ((in 36 reviews)); "Management is poor." ((in 17 reviews)); "Lack of parking & high cost to park far away" ((in 15 reviews)); "lack of diversity in some departments" ((in 11 reviews))

What are employees saying about SMU (Southern Methodist University) layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about SMU (Southern Methodist University) layoffs and their outlook for job security at SMU (Southern Methodist University) in 2026.

What are the top reviewed SMU (Southern Methodist University) locations?

Dallas , Plano , Dallas-Fort Worth , Carrollton , Dallas , University Park , Herndon , New York , Portland , Allen , Frisco , Irving , McKinney , Rowlett , Waxahachie , Houston , Dallas , Dallas , Highland Park

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SMU (Southern Methodist University)

SMU (Southern Methodist University) reviews

4.2

78% would recommend to a friend

(1,070 total reviews)

R. Gerald Turner

92% approve of CEO

66% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.9

Culture & values

3.7

Senior management

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

SMU (Southern Methodist University) has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 1,070 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The SMU (Southern Methodist University) employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

4.0

Sep 16, 2013

Great place to start out and also get an education

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Easy work hours (about 35 hrs per week - sometimes you have to work 1 Saturday out of the month) - Tuition benefits

Cons

- Work is not challenging and can be very boring - Office drama (not much in my department, but very prevalent in others)

3.0

Aug 21, 2013

Low stress, good family/work life balance job on a beautiful campus

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Beautiful campus; caring people; low stress; no overtime; tuition benefit is by far the best reason to work here - you can get any degree (from any program you can get accepted to) for free, with the exception of MBA and JD which are free but taxed on your income. Children can also attend SMU for free, with no tax on tuition.

Cons

There is absolutely no career growth; management lacks experience and knowledge of industry; management provides no incentives to better yourself professionally; management blocks you from moving to other jobs on campus; hierarchical culture

2.0

Aug 11, 2013

Don't Work for DEA!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Lots of "busy work" and "stress" but nothing to really deal with - Great benefits - 38.5 hour work week

Cons

- D.R.A.M.A and office politics! - Working in a silo - Lots of fluff and no real substance - Upper management is too worried about their own careers to invest in yours

Viewing 1021 - 1023 of 1,070 Reviews

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SMU (Southern Methodist University)

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Great place to start out and also get an education

Low stress, good family/work life balance job on a beautiful campus

Don't Work for DEA!

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