Undergraduate Catalogue

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A strong curriculum focusing on business, people and technology provides students with many options for shaping an academic program that fits their unique skills, interests and career goals. Students may pursue a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Arts, or a combined Bachelor/Master's Five-Year program of studies. All bachelor's degrees require course work totaling not less than 122 credit hours. Course and graduation requirements are listed in the sections that follow.
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Degree Requirements

General Education Core Curriculum
(47 credit hours)

Academic work begins with a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. These foundation courses are referred to as the General Education Core. There are 16 courses totaling 47 credit hours of General Education course requirements for all Bentley students.

Course Title Credit Hours
First-Year Seminar1 1
Information Technology 3
Expository Writing (I and II) 6
Literature 3
Mathematical Sciences I 3
Mathematical Sciences II 3
Natural Sciences 4
Behavioral Sciences 3
Microeconomics 3
Macroeconomics 3
Government 3
History 3
Philosophy 3
Math/Natural Science Elective2 3
Humanities/Social Science Elective 3
Total (16 courses) 47

Note 1: Course is not required for transfer students with 15 transfer credits or more. These students will complete 121 credits for graduation.

Note 2: Computer Information Systems majors must take MA elective.


Major Core Requirements
(from 24 to 30 credit hours)

Students must satisfy departmentally determined major course requirements in one of the majors listed below. Each major has a particular course and minimum credit hour requirements.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree may major in any of the following academic 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
  • Mathematical Sciences*

* Students pursuing a mathematical sciences major must complete a specially designed General Business core. 

Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree may major in:

  • History
  • International Studies
  • Liberal Arts**
  • Media and Culture 
  • Philosophy

**A general major in liberal arts is available to all students who wish to design: 1) a single, traditional concentration in disciplines such as economics, government, mathematical sciences, modern languages, natural sciences, and behavioral sciences; or 2) an interdisciplinary concentration in areas such as communication, environmental sciences, gender studies, and legal studies. 

Diversity, International, and Communication-Intensive Focused Course Requirement

All students must satisfy these three focus requirements by selecting from a list of approved courses that have diversity, international studies, and/or communication-intensive material as their focus. In addition, all students complete one communication-intensive course in their major. Courses that meet the Diversity, International and Communication requirements are listed in each course registration book. These requirements can be fulfilled anywhere on the DAS (Degree Audit Summary). Transfer students with a minimum of 30 credits will be waived from the focus requirements.

GPA Requirements for Graduation

All students must earn a passing grade of at least D- (.7) in each course; meet a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in all courses completed at Bentley; and attain an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in all courses in the major.

Students electing or required to complete a minor must attain a minor GPA of at least 2.0.

Residency and Course Away Limitations

Day students are permitted to take courses away only during interim periods (i.e. Summer and Winter sessions).

  • After matriculating to Bentley College, 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 college.
  • File a petition for graduation (see the Academic Calendar for specific dates).