Bentley’s future-focused curriculum ensures that students will acquire essential communications, math, problem-solving, teamwork, and digital and information literacy skills before embarking on their own uniquely designed academic journey. The flexibility built into a Bentley education allows students to explore exciting business and liberal arts combinations. Students will graduate prepared for a rewarding career and ready to make a positive impact in the world.
Students may pursue a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Arts, or a combined bachelor's/master’s program of studies. All bachelor’s degrees require course work totaling between 120 and 122 credit hours. Degree requirements vary by major and degree type. Course and graduation requirements are listed in the sections that follow.
Foundations for Success (15 Credits)
Course requirements in Foundations for Success ensure students build the skills to thrive academically at Bentley. The kick-off to a Bentley education is the Falcon Discovery Seminar, where students explore a multi-disciplinary problem and discover the Bentley community with a faculty expert. Across their first year, students develop essential communication, quantitative, and technological skills through the Foundations courses. Students must complete the five (15 credits) Foundations courses during their first academic year.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FDS 100 | Falcon Discovery Seminar | 3 |
| Communications and Writing | ||
| Select one from: | ||
| EMS 101 | Critical Reading and Writing | 3 |
| or EMS 101L | Critical Reading and Writing with Lab | |
| or EMS 102 | Critical Reading and Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| or EMS 102L | Critical Reading and Writing for Multilingual Students with Lab | |
| And one from: | ||
| EMS 104 | Multimodal Communication | 3 |
| or EMS 105 | Multimodal Communication for Multilingual Students | |
| Information Technology | ||
| CS 100 | Solving Business Problems with Information Technology | 3 |
| Mathematical Sciences | ||
| Select one from: | ||
| MA 105 | Mathematical Foundations for Business | 3 |
| or MA 105L | Mathematical Foundations for Business with Lab | |
| or MA 107 | Applied Calculus for Business | |
| or MA 107L | Applied Calculus for Business with Lab | |
| or MA 131 | Calculus I | |
| or MA 131L | Calculus I with Lab | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Context and Perspectives (18 Credits)
The courses designated in the Context and Perspectives requirement help students gain insights on becoming a well-educated working professional and civic-minded individual. Students acquire the tools to make informed, ethical decisions and gain invaluable insights on the world. See Context and Perspectives for more information.
Business Dynamics/Business Administration Minor (18 Credits)
Required courses in Business Dynamics expose students to the fundamentals of business operations and practice and how successful businesses operate. The six required (18 credits) Business Dynamics courses are completed during the first several semesters of a student's academic program.
All students are automatically be enrolled in the Business Administration Minor, as successful completion of the Business Dynamics courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 will result in earning the minor. Students who do not meet the 2.00 requirement for the minor must still successfully complete (with a grade of D- or above) the Business Dynamics courses, but will have the minor removed from their academic record prior to degree completion.
Students may not earn both a Business Administration Minor and a Business Administration Major.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| All courses are required: | ||
| AC 115 | Introduction to Financial Reporting and Analysis | 3 |
| EC 111 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| FI 118 | Introduction to Finance | 3 |
| LA 100 | Business Law | 3 |
| MG 116 | Human Dynamics in Organizations | 3 |
| ST 113 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Communication Intensive (0-6 Credits)
All students are required to take a three-credit course designated as a Communication Intensive. This requirement can be met within a variety of course subjects in both Arts & Sciences and Business. Communication Intensive courses are designated with a "Communication Intensive" course tag in Workday. Transfer students with a minimum of 30 credits will be waived from the Communication Intensive requirement.
Please note that certain majors have an additional three-credit Communication Intensive built into their major requirements, separate from the general CI requirement.
Additional Requirements
The additional requirements that each student must complete will vary based on the student's program of study. For specific information about course requirements and credit hours, see the catalog page for the appropriate Undergraduate Major.
The Business Environment (6 Credits)
Doing business requires that students understand how the different parts of an organization fit together and how that organization interacts with the outside world. To give that perspective, students pursuing any business major will take the following required courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CS 305 | Business Processes and Systems | 3 |
| MG 300 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Modern Language Requirement (6 Credits)
Students pursuing a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree (ex. English, History, Film and Media Studies) must complete two semesters of the same modern language, regardless of proficiency levels. Students may apply modern language credits earned through the Context and Perspectives requirement towards their Modern Language Requirement as well. Credits earned from AP classes and other institutions approved by Bentley (including abroad) will be considered.
Modern Language credits are not required for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree within the Arts and Sciences (ex: Actuarial Science, Data Analytics, Mathematical Sciences, Psychology).
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Two Modern Language courses (must be two semesters of the same language, regardless of proficiency level) | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Arts and Sciences Electives (15 Credits)
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree in a business discipline must complete 15 credit hours of Arts and Sciences coursework of their choosing. Students may not double count Arts and Sciences courses taken as part of the Context and Perspectives requirement as part of their required Arts and Sciences electives.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select five Arts & Sciences elective courses | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Unrestricted Electives
Students are required to take additional courses in any discipline. This requirement gives students the flexibility to pursue a second major, additional minor, or other optional program.
Major Requirements
Students must satisfy departmentally determined major course requirements in one of the undergraduate majors, which may be found under the Undergraduate Majors page. Each major has particular courses and minimum credit-hour requirements.
While students may pursue double majors in a Business program and in an Arts and Sciences program, students pursuing an Arts and Sciences major cannot apply more than 30 credit hours of business courses to their degree requirements for an Arts and Sciences major.
Students may also choose to pursue the Business Administration Major as an optional second major. Students who opt for a Business Administration Major cannot also take the Business Administration Minor, as the courses overlap.
Course Sharing Policy
- Courses fulfilling Foundations for Success requirements may not be applied to a minor.
- A business course can apply to an unrestricted elective requirement but cannot serve as an arts and sciences elective. Students are strongly encouraged to maintain an awareness of where courses taken for a minor apply to their degree requirements. The Electives Guide defines all classes designated as Arts and Sciences and Business.
- No more than three courses may count toward two majors (i.e., primary and additional major).
- Major courses (including courses applied to the Business Administration Major) may not be applied to a minor.
- A single course may be used no more than three times across the entire Bentley curriculum.
- A single course may only apply to one minor.
- Courses that satisfy the Context and Perspectives requirements do not count toward a student’s required Arts and Sciences electives.
- Courses used to fulfill the modern language requirement for BA students cannot be applied to a minor.
- Modern Language courses that satisfy the Context and Perspectives requirements may also be used to satisfy the Modern Language Requirement for BA majors.
- Courses taken to fulfill a minor can be applied as arts and sciences electives, unrestricted electives, or Context and Perspectives courses.
- Courses fulfilling Business Dynamics or Business Environment requirements can only apply to the Business Administration Minor.
Policies Related to Minors
- Some major/minor/major combinations are prohibited. See the major/minor/major exclusions list for more information.
- Courses fulfilling Business Dynamics or Business Environment requirements can only apply to the Business Administration Minor.
- A course taken under the Pass/Fail/D policy may be applied to the minor.
- Students may apply only one course not taken at Bentley (from sources such as transfer, IB, AP, course away, non-Bentley study abroad program, etc.) to the minor.
- Students may only complete a maximum of three minors, including the required Business Administration Minor.
- To be awarded a minor, students must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in the minor.
- A minor may not be declared after a student has been awarded their bachelor's degree.
- Please note: some courses have prerequisites that must be completed before beginning the minor and some minor requirements/electives have prerequisites that must be completed.
Residency and Course-Away Limitations
- Students are permitted to take courses away only during interim periods (i.e., summer and winter sessions). See the Course Away Policies and Guidelines for more information.
- After matriculating at Bentley University, students may take no more than 10 percent of the remaining credits at other institutions. At least 60 credits toward a Bentley degree must have been earned at Bentley.
- Students must complete substantial work in the major field at Bentley. Only six credits in a student’s major area may be transferred from other institutions.
Graduation Policies
Completion of Degree Requirements for Graduation
Bentley confers degrees three times per year after the conclusion of the fall, spring, and summer terms. Students will be awarded a degree at the conclusion of the term in which they complete their degree requirements.
Students completing degree requirements during one of the intensive sessions (e.g., May Intensive or Winter session) will not have their degrees awarded until the conclusion of the corresponding term. Winter session courses are part of the spring term and May Intensive courses are part of the summer term.
Students are required to apply for degree completion. Specific dates of each conferral are listed in the online Academic Calendar. Students must have met all financial obligations to be eligible to participate in the May commencement ceremony. Once a degree is awarded, the record is sealed and no grade changes may be recorded.
Undergraduate students that are within two courses (or seven credits) of completing their degree by the end of the spring term are eligible to participate in the spring ceremony as a "Commencement Participant." Commencement Participants must apply for program completion and meet the 2.0 GPA requirements both cumulatively and for the major and have all financial obligations met prior to the ceremony. Commencement Participants must fill out a contract with Academic Services and meet with an academic advisor for approval of the contract.
GPA Requirements for Graduation
All undergraduate students must meet the minimum overall, major(s), and minor GPA of at least 2.0 and attain an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in all courses in the major. They must earn a passing grade of at least D- in each course in order to earn course credit.
Students must earn a minimum of 2.00 in the required Business Administration Minor1 and any elected minor in order for the minor to be awarded. Students that do not meet the minimum GPA will be dropped from the minor.
1All students will automatically be enrolled in a Business Administration Minor. In order to graduate with a designated minor, a student must earn a 2.00 GPA for the courses comprising the minor. All Bentley students are required to successfully complete the courses for the Business Administration Minor, no matter what major(s) they select. Students who pass the required courses for the Business Administration Minor, but do not meet the minimum required 2.00 GPA, will have the minor removed as a program of study prior to being awarded an undergraduate degree.
Other Graduation Requirements
- Meet all financial obligations to the university.
- Submit an application for program completion through Workday (see the Academic Calendar on the Registrar's Office webpage for specific dates).