Mini-MBA Certificate Program: Business Essentials

Be a Force on Monday

Be prepared to be engaged and challenged. Bentley's Mini-MBA certificate program has been designed for those wanting to grow and sharpen their knowledge and skills around key business elements. Through interactive engagement and experiential learning with a cohort of peers, participants will gain confidence in strategic business skills.

Gain practical and strategic experience to bring back to your office on Monday morning - and show you're ready for the next challenge.

Immediate Impact

Business acumen to be a catalyst for business-driven impact.
A framework for making better strategic business decisions.
New perspectives to lead and elevate diverse teams.
Increased ability to think critically and act strategically.

An Investment in You

Many companies have career development budgets for programs just like this and will pay the full cost of an executive education program.

We align our programs with your interest in gaining upper-level management skills, in a results-oriented approach that will demonstrate to your organization you are ready to move ahead.

Networking Opportunities

Meet and connect with a variety of up-and-coming leaders from different business backgrounds and organizations. Gain a lasting professional network of peers.

See What Past Participants Say

Take the Next Step

Program Topics & Structure

Strategy and Business Ethics To Make An Impact

Macro Environment of Business
Ethical Decision-Making Fundamentals
Creating Ethical Culture

Financial Decision Making

Understanding and Analyzing Financial Statements
Managerial Finance
Time Value of Money and Analyzing Company Investments

Operations Management, Supply Chain, & Disruptive Technology

Forecasting Demand, Sales, & Operational Planning
Inventory Management
Supply Chain Management

Leading Self & Diverse Teams

Leadership Styles
Organizational Behavior
Leading Diverse Teams

Marketing and Experience Design in the Digital Age

Marketing and experience design fundamentals
Developing data analysis strategy
Evaluating organization change

Design Thinking & Innovation

Understand Divergent & Convergent Thinking
Introduction to Design Thinking

Daily Mindfulness and Creativity practices

Learn mindfulness techniques to enhance focus, decision-making, and innovation
Manage the inner critic, the value of convergent and divergent thinking, and cultivating curiosity to uncover new insights

Who Should Attend?

Bentley's Mini-MBA certificate program has been designed for those wanting a well-rounded perspective encompassing key business elements. Through interactive engagement and experiential learning with a cohort of peers, participants will gain confidence in strategic business skills.

The program will especially benefit:

Experienced managers who need a refresher or a solid foundation in the latest management and inclusive leadership disciplines
Professionals seeking to make an impact and are upskilling themselves to make a career change or in a career transition
Non-business professionals seeking to understand business fundamentals in order to work more effectively with senior management or transition into management roles
Individuals considering a graduate degree and interested in obtaining an overview of MBA fundamentals

Why Bentley?

Proven Reputation

A history of educating and elevating business leaders who make an immediate and lasting impact across all industries.

Expert Faculty

World-class researchers in fields such as leadership, collaboration, change, innovation, creativity, and more.

Business Leadership

Bentley is at the forefront of the latest trends in business from our Gallup Business in Society Report to years of experience in the finance, technology, inclusion, and leadership spaces.

Meet the Faculty

Marcus Stewart

Marcus M. Stewart (Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is Professor and Chair of the Management Department, as well as the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Bentley University. He also holds positions at the Lorange Institute of Business Zurich, Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel.

His current research focuses on diversity, leadership, social justice and career management. He teaches courses in leadership, organizational behavior, human resource management, organizational change, diversity and teams.

A member of the Academy of Management, Dr. Stewart has added numerous scholarly contributions and publications on the topics of leadership, diversity, management, and organizational behavior.

Steve Wasserman

Steven Wasserman has extensive experience as a corporate executive and chief financial officer. He has been part of the executive team of various firms involved in turnaround situations, mergers and acquisitions, and IPOs, and he has significant Wall Street experience raising capital and managing relationships with investors, investment bankers, rating agencies, and commercial banks.

Effie Stavrulaki

In her research Dr. Effie Stavrulaki aims to understand the strategic and operational implications of optimizing the supply chain as well as integrating the supply chain with other important functional areas such as marketing and new product development. She also investigates how sustainable and socially responsible supply chains can operate profitably. Her work spans both manufacturing and service organizations.

Cynthia Clark

Cynthia E. Clark, Ph.D is a corporate governance and business ethics expert. She regularly conducts training sessions on ethical decision-making, shareholder activism and optimal nominating and governance procedures to senior management teams and boards of directors.

Andy Aylesworth

Andy Aylesworth's primary teaching interests include creativity, advertising, integrated marketing communications, marketing research and event marketing. His current research interests include the pedagogy of teaching creativity, the effect of program context on advertising persuasiveness, the impact of elements of commercial messages on advertising persuasiveness, and pet-related consumer marketing.

Gary David

Gary David, Ph.D.'s research focuses on the role that interpersonal interactions play in the formation of intergroup relations. He has conducted research primarily in workplace settings where intercultural/intergroup interactions occur regularly. Past studies include the analysis of interactions between workers and customers in Arab-owned convenience stores in Metropolitan Detroit. Current projects examine the nature of collaborative activity in multicultural worksites and how coworkers build collaborative relationships through engaging in workplace practices.

Mini-MBA Program Details

Program Dates and Schedule

Spring 2026 | Two Days per Week, 8:30AM-4:30PM

Day 1 & 2: Thursday, March 5th and Friday, March 6th
Day 3 & 4: Thursday, March 19th and Friday, March 20th
Day 5 & 6: Thursday, April 2nd and Friday, April 3rd

Schedule

Program Cost: $4,875

Program fee includes tuition, meals, lab fees and instructional materials.
Register 30+ days in advance to receive a 20% discount.

Pilot MBA Fundamentals With the Mini MBA and Receive a Discount

10% discount on the first graduate course for new MBA applicants

Bentley Refund Policy

Bentley University will grant a full refund for cancellations received at least 30 days before the program start date. A 50% refund will be given for those cancellations made prior to fourteen days of the program start date. No refund will be granted for those cancellations received after that time.

Discounts

Group Enrollment Discount 30%

Empower your leaders to learn together and grow together. Bentley offers a special 30% group rate discount to companies that send three participants or more.

Supporting Our Community

50% Discount for Alumni, Non-Profits, Service Members, Law Enforcement, and Job Seekers in Transition. Inquire for more info: execed@bentley.edu.

The communication and connections you make, aside from the knowledge, are the biggest takeaways from this class.

Nimesh Amin

Mini-MBA Participant

SHRM certification

Our learners receive a certificate that is recognized as continuing education credits by SHRM. A SHRM certification is a credential that demonstrates an individual's knowledge and proficiency in human resources (HR). SHRM certification is the only HR certification offered by the world's largest HR membership organization. As the industry leader in HR professional development, SHRM has supported more than 100,000 employers representing 140 million employees worldwide.

Early Registration Discount Ending:

February 5, 2026

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50% Off Holiday Offer

Mini-MBA Program

Spring Session: March 5, 6, 19 & 20, April 2 & 3 | 2026