Greg & Lisa Smith Global Leadership Scholars

The Greg and Lisa Smith Global Leadership Scholars (Smith GLS) is the Haslam College of Business’ premier honors program. It promotes the development of international and intercultural awareness and leadership, as well as personal and professional growth. Through honors classes, seminars in leadership training, international experiences and extracurricular activities, Smith GLS students work with faculty to develop the skills necessary to become future international business leaders.

Admissions and Applications Process

Students will apply to the Smith GLS program in their first year. All first-year business students are invited to apply. Applications open at the end of the fall semester and close at the beginning of the spring semester.

The Smith GLS Selection Committee will meet to evaluate applicants in February. Applicants who are selected to move forward in the application process will receive an invitation to have an in-person interview with the Smith GLS Selection Committee in mid-March. Semi-finalists will be invited to attend an individual interview in April or May. After final grades are posted, up to 27 individuals will be selected for the new cohort of Smith Global Leadership Scholars. Students will formally begin the program in the fall of their second year.

Application for the Smith GLS Class of 2027 will be open from December 1, 2023, at 8 a.m. through January 31, 2024, at 5 p.m.

Admissions Criteria

Admission into Smith GLS provides scholarship awards contingent upon continued participation in the program and academic performance, including but not limited to maintenance of a minimum 3.25 GPA. To be eligible to receive scholarship awards, students must apply for the Continuing Student Undergraduate Scholarship by February 1, 2023. If for any reason students decide to withdraw from the program or are dismissed from the program, their Smith GLS scholarship awards may be rescinded. The Smith GLS program reserves the right to request a repayment of the awards.

The admissions committee reviews the following material and selects finalists to interview:

  • Online application indicating interest in international business and academic rigor
  • High School data, GPA and standardized test scores
  • College resume including leadership experience, campus involvement and community service (Note: Please utilize the Haslam resume template when submitting your resume)
  • Two UT professional or academic references’ contact information
  • UT GPA, academic history and letter grades
  • BUAD 100 or 107 instructor feedback
  • College disciplinary record

For questions about the Smith GLS application and admissions process, please contact us at gls@utk.edu.

Information Sessions

RSVP Closed

If you were unable to attend an information session, please email gls@utk.edu for more information

Curriculum

Smith GLS students pursue a concentration in international business with whichever business major they declare. They take honors courses in the pre-business core and business core, as well as leadership training seminars in their second, third, and fourth years.

Smith GLS students spend the spring semester of their sophomore year studying abroad in London, England. During the first seven weeks of the semester, students take three honors business courses from Haslam faculty in residence. In the second half of the semester, students undertake a six-week, full-time internship, which results in earning six hours of their international business collateral or concentration.

Internship placements are designed to leverage students’ interests while enabling them to develop and hone professional skills in an international context. Past placements have included: financial institutions, business start-ups, major retailers, marketing and media agencies, law firms, nonprofits and staff positions with members of parliament.

Second Year

Fall

ACCT 208
HONORS: INTRODUCTION TO
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
(3 HOURS)

STAT 207
HONORS: INTRODUCTION TO
STATISTICS
(3 HOURS)

BUAD 217 1
LEADERSHIP SEMINAR:
APPROACHES
(1 HOUR)

ECON 211
PRINCIPLES OF
MICROECONOMICS
(3 HOURS)

INMT 242
BUSINESS SOFTWARE
APPLICATIONS
(3 HOURS)

WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION

(3 HOURS)

Spring – London

ECON 218
HONORS: PRINCIPLES OF
MACROECONOMICS
(3 HOURS)

IB 407
HONORS: INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
(3 HOURS)

MGT 472
MANAGING PEOPLE IN THE
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
(3 HOURS)

INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
INTERNSHIP

(6 HOURS)

Third Year

Fall

BUAD 337
HONORS: SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT
(2 HOURS)

BUAD 338
HONORS: DEMAND
MANAGEMENT
(2 HOURS)

FINC 308
HONORS: FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT
(3 HOURS)

BUAD 341
LEAN OPERATIONS
(2 HOURS)

BUAD 342
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
(2 HOURS)

BULW 301
LEGAL ENVIRONMENT
OF BUSINESS
(2 HOURS)

Spring

BUAD 317 1
LEADERSHIP SEMINAR:
THESIS PREP
(2 HOURS)

DISCIPLINE
(6 HOURS)

ETHICS
(3 HOURS)

VOLUNTEER CORE
COURSE

(3 HOURS)

Fourth Year

Fall

BUAD 457
HONORS: GLOBAL
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
(4 HOURS)

BUAD 417 1
LEADERSHIP SEMINAR:
APPLICATIONS
(2 HOURS)

BUAD 497
HONORS THESIS
(1 HOUR)

DISCIPLINE
(6 HOURS)

VOLUNTEER CORE
COURSE

(3 HOURS)

Spring

BUAD 427
LEADERSHIP SEMINAR:
CAPSTONE
(2 HOURS)

BUAD 497
HONORS THESIS
(2 HOURS)

DISCIPLINE
(6 HOURS)

VOLUNTEER CORE
COURSE

(3 HOURS)

COHORT COURSE

COHORT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONCENTRATION COURSE

INDIVIDUAL COURSE REQUIREMENT 2

FOOTNOTES:

  1. LEADERSHIP SEMINAR COURSES WILL BE TAKEN IN LIEU OF THE HASLAM LEADER SERIES (BUAD 200, BUAD 300, AND BUAD 405).
  2. THIS CURRICULUM GUIDE IS A REPRESENTATION OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND A STUDENT’S ACTUAL INDIVIDUAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS MAY VARY. THE MAJORITY OF SMITH GLS STUDENTS WILL ADD AN ADDITIONAL AREAOF FOCUS SUCH AS A MINOR OR SECOND MAJOR WHICH MAY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF HOURS TAKEN EACH SEMESTER. SMITH GLS STUDENTS WILL MEET WITH AN ADVISOR EACH SEMESTER TO DETERMINE WHICH COURSES ARE NEEDED TO FULFILL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.

Updated Aug 2023

Contacts

Director: Jennifer Rittenhouse, DBA

Assistant Director: Mary Cooper, Ph.D.

Haslam Honors Coordinator: Karson Marsh

General questions can be directed to gls@utk.edu.