Arts and Sciences
From the Dean of Arts and Sciences
Welcome to the arts and sciences at Bentley, where the liberal arts play a central role in preparing students to succeed in business and related fields and in society. Because we live and work in a multidisciplinary world, Bentley’s Arts and Sciences faculty strongly believe that students need a multidisciplinary perspective to be
successful in their careers and beyond. Accordingly, as students carefully choose their business direction, we also encourage them to further develop passions they have brought with them to Bentley, or to delve into interests as yet untapped. To this end, we in the arts and sciences continuously seek ways to broaden student opportunities through curricular innovations such as the Liberal Studies Major (LSM) and Complex Problems / Creative Solutions (CPCS) as well as co-curricular activities sponsored by the Dan and Jeanne Valente Center for the Arts and Sciences.
The LSM provides an excellent chance for students to combine arts and sciences insights with business perspectives. Any student choosing a business or business-related major (or an arts and sciences major that requires a business component) can enroll in the LSM as a second major. The LSM brings together courses across a wide range of disciplines under the themes of “Global Perspectives,” “Ethics and Social Responsibility,” "Media Arts and Society," “Earth, Environment, and Global Sustainability,” "American Perspectives," "Health and Industry," and "Quantitative Perspectives."
Through the LSM, students take courses from among disciplines such as the behavioral, political, natural, and mathematical sciences, English, history, philosophy, modern languages, and global studies. With help from a faculty mentor, students build an e-portfolio of their experiences and thoughts as they make meaningful connections across these bodies of knowledge. Ideally, they will develop insights as to how these connections extend into their business curriculum as well. As a result, students learn to analyze situations from multiple perspectives, think critically, solve problems creatively and effectively, and relate to others with insight and compassion. Promoting analysis of a broad theme through multiple lenses, the LSM naturally complements the more discipline specific primary majors; by choosing their own combination, students can define an individual and distinctive path through an exciting array of opportunities. The result is a multidimensional education that paves the way not only for professional achievement but for engaged citizenship and a fulfilling, meaningful life in a complex world.
Lynne Durkin
