get a jump start on your graduate degree
The world of business is getting more complex and competitive every day. That’s why Bentley now offers an Advanced Standing in Business (BA/BS & MBA) program. In the four years you would spend getting an undergraduate degree, you can also complete your first four graduate courses. Once you graduate from the Advanced Standing in Business program, you move into the MBA program, combining the start of your career with a commitment to continued learning.
Program Details
- Accessible from any Bentley major, both business and arts and sciences.
- Applications submitted during sophomore year and overlap courses begin in junior year.
- Four graduate courses are completed during junior and senior years. The remaining eight graduate courses are completed once in the MBA program.
- All MBA Foundation courses waived.
- Honors students offered automatic admittance.

A major advantage at Bentley was the network. The ability to connect with the right people in my field made it much easier to create a path to reach one of my career goals.
Remy Cofield
MBA
Curriculum
The Advanced Standing in Business program is easily accessible for all business and arts and sciences majors. Depending on your major, you'll replace four undergraduate courses with graduate courses. Read more below about how the curriculum will work for each major.
- All students will be required to take IPM 300 and MG 300 as part of their core; these courses will be taken as GR 602 and GR 604.
- Students take 2 MBA electives using 2 unrestricted electives.
- In some isolated instances, there may be an opportunity/need to use graduate courses that have undergraduate course equivalents to either replace a course required for your major, or an arts and sciences elective instead of the standard process above.
- To complete the foundation waivers, students will be required to take EC 112, AC 215, and MK 250 (or two of the graduate equivalent courses as explained above). Students can take these courses standalone, or as part of completing the Business Administration double major.
- Students will need to take grad equivalents GR 602 and GR 604 in lieu of IPM 300 and MG 300, which is not part of their core.
- Students take 2 MBA electives using 2 unrestricted electives.
- In some isolated instances, there may be an opportunity/need to use graduate courses that have undergraduate equivalents to either replace a course required for your major (this likely only applies to Actuarial Science, Data Analytics and Mathematical Sciences majors) instead of the standard process above.
- To complete the foundation waivers, students will be required to take EC 112, AC 215, and MK 250 (or two of the graduate equivalent courses as explained above). Students can take these courses standalone, or as part of completing the Business Administration double major. Because there would be only one more course that these students would need to take (MG 215), it is recommended that arts and sciences majors who do the Advanced Standing in Business also do the Business Administration double major. (In the case of business majors, there are two extra courses that would have to be taken to upgrade to the Business Administration double major: MG 215 and ID 313 – so business majors may find it slightly less attractive to simply do the Business Administration double major to fulfill the waiver/grad substitute course needs).
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the Program

Iris Berdrow, MBA, Ph.D.
Program Director and Associate Professor of Management
Program Director and Associate Professor of Management
781.891.2130
Have Questions? Connect with the the Program Director.