Degree Requirements | Bentley University Catalogues (2024)

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 theFalcon 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.

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 decisionsand 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.

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 "CI" in the course schedule.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 catalogue 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:

Modern Language Requirement (6 Credits)

Students pursuing a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree(ex. English, History, 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 Arts and Sciences (ex: Actuarial Science, Data Analytics, Mathematical Sciences, Psychology).

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.

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 can not also take the Business Administration Minor, as the courses overlap.

Degree Policies

GPA Requirements for Graduation

All students must earn a passing grade of at least D- in each course in order to earn course credit; meet a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0; and attain an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in all courses in the major.

Students must earn a minimum of 2.00 in the required Business Administration Minor¹and any elected minor in order for the minor to be awarded.

¹_{All 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.}

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.

Other Graduation Requirements

• Meet all financial obligations to the university.
• Submit anapplication for program completionthrough Workday(see the Academic Calendar on theRegistrar's Officewebpage for specific dates).

Policies Related to Minors

• Some major/minor/major combinations are prohibited. See themajor/minor/major exclusions listfor 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.

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.