Bentley University

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From the College

Bentley University is a national leader in business education. Centered on education and research in business and related professions, Bentley blends the breadth and technological strength of a university with the values and student focus of a small college. A Bentley education combines an unparalleled array of business courses with hands-on technology experience and a strong foundation in liberal arts. Bentley also offers the Liberal Studies Major (LSM), an optional double major, which can be combined with any business program. The result is that students gain expertise for a competitive edge in today’s economy and broad-based skills essential for success in all areas of life. In addition, Bentley has a five-year program that allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in only five years rather than the usual six. Bentley also offers two doctoral programs: accountancy and business.

About 80 percent of Bentley students (97 percent of freshmen) live on the campus, creating a spirited sense of community. Housing includes twenty-three residence halls and apartment-style buildings, featuring a choice of single-, double-, or triple-occupancy dorm rooms; apartments; or suites. Housing is guaranteed to students for all four years. All residence halls are air-conditioned and carpeted and have common areas, which typically include study lounges, exercise facilities, TV lounges, and game rooms. Halls are renovated regularly to keep pace with student needs.

Bentley students live and learn in a multicultural environment that reflects and prepares them to thrive in today’s diverse work world. International students representing more than seventy countries are part of the Bentley community.

All students explore the topic of diversity in courses that promote respect for different perspectives, break down stereotypes, and embrace the vitality that a varied student body adds to the university experience. Supporting this commitment are offices such as the Multicultural Center, Spiritual Life Center, Center for International Students and Scholars, and the Women’s Center.

The Student Center is the hub of campus activity. The center is home to Seasons dining hall, the 1917 Tavern that offers entertainment nearly every night, and more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Opportunities to get involved run the gamut of academic groups, the performing arts, campus media, fraternity and sorority life, and cultural organizations. Sponsored events and informal get-togethers are a regular part of campus life.

The Miller Center for Career Services (CSS) resources include an on-campus recruiting program involving 500 national and international companies, an online job-listing service available to Bentley students and alumni, an online database of student and alumni resumes, career fairs, and workshops on topics such as effective resume writing, interviewing, and job-search strategies. Thanks to these and other programs, more than 90 percent of Bentley students find employment or enroll in graduate school within six months of graduation.

Extensive athletic programs are a Bentley hallmark. Students choose among intramural and recreational sports and twenty-three varsity teams in NCAA Divisions I and II. The Dana Athletic Center houses a weight and fitness complex, an aerobics room, a full-service food court, a suspended track, refurbished locker rooms, and function spaces. It also holds a gym and basketball court, volleyball and racquetball courts, a competition-size pool with a diving tank, and saunas. Outdoor facilities include soccer and baseball fields, a track, lighted tennis courts, and other grass and Astroturf fields.

Bentley’s location, just minutes west of Boston, puts the city’s many resources within easy reach. Boston is the country’s ultimate university town, with the proverbial something for everyone. Options range from theater to art exhibits, dance clubs to alternative rock concerts, and championship sports to championship shopping. Students do not need a car to get around. The free Bentley shuttle makes regular trips to Harvard Square in Cambridge, which is a great area to explore and just a quick subway ride from the heart of Boston. Boston also offers students many opportunities for internships and jobs after school.

Bentley offers a strong curriculum, focusing on business, technology, and the liberal arts, which provides students with many options for shaping an academic program that fits their skills, interests, and career goals. Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree programs enable students to gain in-depth knowledge and skills in specific business disciplines: accountancy, computer information systems, corporate finance and accounting, economics–finance, finance, information design and corporate communication, information systems audit and control, management, managerial economics, marketing, and mathematical sciences.

Bentley also offers Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree programs, with majors in history, international studies, liberal arts, media and culture, and philosophy. In addition, students can choose from a number of minors and concentration programs that offer them the opportunity to develop expertise in an area outside their chosen major. Students can choose to pursue the five-year program, which combines a bachelor’s and master’s degree program in five years instead of the usual six years.

In addition, the Liberal Studies Major (LSM), an optional double major for business students, allows students to combine courses that fulfill general education requirements with related electives to pursue one of many concentrations, such as global perspectives, ethics and social responsibility, or health and industry. Students take the same number of courses but add another credential to their degree, helping them stand out to future employers.

The 4,200 undergraduates who study at Bentley benefit from a unique integration of business and the liberal arts. As the largest business school in New England, Bentley offers remarkable depth in subjects such as accountancy, finance, information design and corporate communication, marketing, management, and computer information systems. In addition, there is a strong commitment to the liberal arts, which allows students to build skills in critical thinking, decision making, communication, and other areas essential to becoming a well-rounded, contributing member of the community. Ethics and social responsibility, which are key themes woven into both business and liberal arts offerings, are supported by Bentley’s internationally renowned Center for Business Ethics and prestigious Service-Learning Center.

Over the course of four years, Bentley students develop a solid understanding of the latest technologies and the ways that businesses use them to stay competitive. They learn how to analyze and manage the mountains of information that drive today’s business world.

The focus on information technology begins early, as all Bentley freshmen receive a laptop that is fully loaded and network ready. With computer ports and wireless coverage all over the campus—in classrooms, residence hall rooms, dining halls, and the library—students have incredibly fast and convenient access to the Internet, the Bentley network, and many other information sources. This commitment to high-tech learning is supported by an array of academic resources, including classrooms equipped with multimedia technology, student computer laboratories, and a Virtual Lab that offers online access to specialized software from anywhere on campus. Bentley is also home to six high-tech learning labs that give students hands-on experience with the technology they need for their careers.

Hands-on experience is emphasized across the Bentley curriculum. Internships, group consulting projects, study abroad, service-learning assignments, and other opportunities allow students to apply classroom theory in the workplace and community.

Each year, through Bentley’s Service-Learning Center, hundreds of students build valuable skills in business, communication, and teamwork while assisting nonprofit and community-based organizations both locally and internationally.

Bentley students can gain valuable insight into different countries and cultures by studying abroad. Programs that run for one week, one semester, or a full academic year take students to places such as Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Italy, and Spain.

Internships in the U.S. and abroad enable students to fine-tune skills, explore interests, and make valuable connections. About 94 percent of students complete at least one internship during their Bentley career. Students can customize the experience to fit their career goals and timetable. The Center for Career Services works with academic departments to coordinate internships, which typically offer course credit toward a Bentley degree. Many student internships lead to job offers before graduation.

Concepts and theories taught in the classroom are put to use in several hands-on, high-tech learning laboratories—each among the first of its kind in higher education—that include the financial Trading Room, Center for Marketing Technology, Accounting Center for Electronic Learning and Business Measurement, Center for Languages and International Collaboration, Media Arts Lab, and Design and Usability Center.

Bentley’s financial Trading Room, the largest in higher education, combines state-of-the-art technology and real-time data to offer firsthand exposure to financial concepts. In simulated trading sessions, students build investment portfolios and analyze financial risk. Trading Room resources include Bloomberg, FactSet, DataStream, Wonda, and Thomson One Analytics.

The Center for Marketing Technology (CMT) houses the high-end hardware and software applications that are revolutionizing the marketing of products and services. Students learn the latest strategies for testing consumer preferences, creating ad campaigns, using databases to make marketing decisions, and more. CMT resources include Perseus Survey, SPSS, Qualitap, QuarkExpress, and other tools for exploring the complex forces that drive buying and selling in a global economy.

The Accounting Center for Electronic Learning and Business Management (ACELAB) introduces students to the cutting-edge tools and technologies that are reshaping the accounting profession. Students gain experience with auditing, tax preparation software, and other professional applications—skills they apply to tasks such as developing an accounting system and analyzing operational data for management decision making. Resources include software from industry leaders such as SAP and Oracle.

The Center for Languages and International Collaboration (CLIC) is a key resource for language courses, international studies majors, and all students who have an interest in global issues. The center features two satellite dishes and videoconference technology to promote collaboration among Bentley students and their counterparts overseas.

The Media Arts Lab features state-of-the-art resources for video production and editing as well as digital photography. The lab also provides students with industry-standard software programs for screenwriting, sound mixing, graphic design, and DVD authoring.

The Design and Usability Center (DUC) offers one of the most sophisticated testing facilities in the world. The DUC features two state-of-the-art testing labs ideal for usability testing, focus groups, and design workshops. Students use the same applications employed by technical communicators, Web developers, user-interface designers, and usability specialists. The goal is to create information technology products that users can intuitively understand and easily employ.

The Bentley library supports the school’s academic programs with more than 140,000 book titles and 700 periodical subscriptions. The library is also well connected to sophisticated electronic databases such as Dow Jones/Bridge News Retrieval, LexisNexis, Westlaw, and InfoTrac 2000. The library also houses group study rooms, research computers, an art gallery, and a café.

Tuition for resident and nonresident students in the 2008–09 academic year is $33,030. Room and board (double room, meal plan) costs are $11,320. Additional expenses included books, supplies, laptop computer, and personal and travel expenses.

Bentley administers about $70 million in undergraduate financial aid every year to ensure that all academically qualified students have access to educational choices regardless of financial resources. Assistance comprises scholarships, grants, loans, employment, and payment plans. Currently, more than 70 percent of Bentley’s undergraduates receive some form of financial assistance.

Bentley faculty members are respected teacher-scholars known equally well for their classroom skills and cutting-edge research. They bring practical, real-world experience to the classroom, based on years of professional involvement in their chosen fields. Faculty research focuses on issues of prime importance to current business practice, particularly topics where business intersects with technology and/or with the liberal arts. Much of the research is conducted in partnership with leading corporations and organizations. A student-faculty ratio of 12:1 and average class size of 24 ensure a personal experience for Bentley students. All courses are taught by professors; there are no teaching assistants.

Bentley has a number of student governing associations, including the Student Government Association, Senior Class Cabinet, Greek Council, Hall Council Advisory Board, Media Board, Panhellenic Council, and the Graduate Student Association.

Students applying for admission to Bentley are encouraged to complete a competitive university preparatory program. Recommendations include 4 years of English, 4 years of mathematics (preferably algebra I and II, geometry, and precalculus or its equivalent), and 3 to 4 years each of history, laboratory science, and a foreign language.

Along with the application, students must submit a secondary school transcript, letters of recommendation from a teacher and a counselor, and official scores of either the SAT or ACT, including the ACT writing test. The University has special applications for international students and transfer students. Applicants who are nonnative speakers of English must also have official scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) forwarded to the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Bentley University accepts the Common Application. The application deadline for students planning to enter in September is January 15. For students planning to begin study in January, the deadline is November 15. Candidates for the fall semester are notified by April 1; spring semester candidates are notified on a rolling basis.

The early decision program is designed for academic achievers for whom Bentley is their first choice. Students who are admitted through this binding program agree to withdraw any applications submitted to other universities. The early decision application deadline is November 15.

The early action program is designed for students who are seriously considering Bentley but are not prepared to commit through the early decision program. This program provides students with an earlier admission decision but gives them the ability to consider other options. The application deadline is November 15.

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