Service-Learning Certificate

The Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center (BSLCE) awards a Service-Learning Certificate to graduating students who have displayed a commitment to promoting ethics, service, social responsibility and sustainability in the community. The Certificate is issued in accordance with the Graduation Pledge Alliance in partnership with Fair Trade Campaigns. Students receiving it "pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job [they] consider and...try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which [they] work." Being awarded the Service-Learning Certificate signifies that:

• Students use and develop their civic skills by working with community organizations dedicated to the betterment of society;
• Students connect the work they are doing in their courses to the service-learning work they are doing in their community;
• Students consider the social and environmental values, ethics and practice of employers as they seek jobs and work to better their employers’ practices once they are in the workforce;
• Students embrace the Triple Bottom Line values of People, Profit and Planet, but with an understanding that profit should take a backseat to the deeper, aggregate interests of people and planet.

To qualify for the Service-Learning Certificate, students must complete 120 hours of BSLCE-sponsored community work while attending Bentley. Credit and non-credit service hours can be combined to meet the minimum 120-hour requirement. Certificate holders receive a special notation on their graduation transcripts, and recognition by the university as leaders in social responsibility and civic engagement.

Register

There are two ways to sign up for the Certificate Program. The first is to sign up while registering for the Service-Learning 4th-Credit Option, embedded Service-Learning or co-curricular service via GivePulse during the Academic Service-Learning Application period at the beginning of each semester. While registering, you will be asked if you would like to be enrolled in the Service-Learning Certificate Program. 

If you are not participating in service-learning programming this semester, but would still like to register, please send an email to GA_BSLCE@bentley.edu with “JOIN” in the subject line. Please include your name, class year, major course, if applicable, telephone number, student ID number and email address.

Program Requirements

To receive the Service-Learning Certificate, students must complete at least 120 hours of community work. These hours may be undertaken through the 4th Credit Option, embedded course projects, co-curricular service or BSLCE internships.

There are two distinct ways a student can become eligible to receive the Service-Learning Certificate:

1. At least 60 of the 120 hours are undertaken for credit (e.g., embedded course projects, 4th-Credit projects and BSLCE Nonprofit Internship Program). 
2. At least 20 of the 120 hours are undertaken for credit (e.g., embedded course projects, 4th-Credit projects and BSLCE Nonprofit Internship Program). The remainder of the hours would be non-academic. However, through this pathway, any academic hour below a total of 60 would need to be replaced by double the number of non-academic hours. For example, if a student completes 20 hours of curricular work, that student is 40 hours short of the 60 mentioned above. Therefore, that student would need to complete 80 hours to make up that gap, plus complete 140 non-academic hours (e.g., work as a BSLCE Program Manager) to earn the Certificate. 

See below chart.

In either case:

• Students should aim to complete at least 100 hours by the end of their junior year.
• No more than 20 hours may be credited from each individual 4th-Credit experience, embedded course project, nonprofit/government internship or co-curricular activities.
• Students must enroll and participate in the Service-Learning Certificate Program by spring semester of their senior year.

Upon submission of complete, accurate and verified application materials, participation in the Service-Learning Certificate Program and completion of all required hours of service, the BSLCE will award the certificate and request that the Registrar include the certificate designation on your transcript. 

*For more information about the Bentley Civic Leadership Program please contact the BSLCE at GA_BSLCE@bentley.edu.

Service-Learning Certificate Program FAQs

Q1. Does volunteer work during the summer or during winter break count toward the Certificate?
A1. It does not count unless it is sponsored or verified by the BSLCE. When in doubt about whether a service project can be applied toward the Certificate, contact the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center beforehand.

Q2. What should I do if I have technical difficulties signing up for the Certificate Program?
A2. Email GA_BSLCE@bentley.edu and a BSLCE staff member will assist you.

Q3. Are there types of volunteer work that do not count toward the Certificate?
A3. Yes. Only direct community engagement activities such as mentoring/tutoring, program facilitation, and other opportunities in which one directly interfaces with affected groups and populations will apply. Activities such as planning service events, hosting fundraisers and creating fliers, while valuable in creating a social impact, will not count towards the Certificate hours. For more information, we advise that you contact the BSLCE prior to any experience that you think may count toward Certificate hours.

Q4. Can service hours performed prior to my Bentley years apply toward the Certificate?
A4. Service completed prior to attending Bentley, such as community service done during high school, will not be applied towards the Certificate Program.

Q5.  Do hours spent working on projects sponsored by my church count towards the Certificate?
A5. These hours will count if they involve service to the wider community, irrespective of religious affiliation, and if they are completed with a BSLCE community partner program. These hours will not count if they involve a religious purpose, such as teaching church doctrine.

Q6. If I am participating in a 4th-Credit or embedded project and I spend more than 20 hours on that project, will I receive credit for the actual number of hours served?
A6. No. The maximum number of hours credited for a 4th-Credit or embedded project is 20 hours. The same applies to a nonprofit/government internship and co-curricular service activities.

Q7. Who oversees the Service-Learning Certificate Program?
A7. The Service-Learning Certificate Program is overseen by the BSLCE staff. Please contact GA_BSLCE@bentley.edu if you need further assistance. 

Q8. What happens if I sign up early in my college experience and later realize I don't have time to complete the program requirements, or that the program is not the right fit for me?
A8. There are no penalties for withdrawing from the program. Participation is completely voluntary, and choosing to withdraw will not affect your academic standing grades, transcript, or any other academic outcomes. If you decide that you are unable to complete the requirements or that the program is not the right fit for you, simply email GA_BSLCE@bentley.edu to let us know that you will be withdrawing. There is absolutely no penalty for doing so.