College Profile:
Bentley College

Facts On Bentley College Full-time undergraduate population: 4,250 64% of students live in on-campus housing, which includes 13 residence halls and apartment-style buildings More than 90% of students find employment within six months of graduation 70 student clubs and organizations 422 full-time and part-time faculty members; 82% hold doctoral degrees Average class size is 25 to 30; Student-faculty ratio is 16:1

About Bentley College
Bentley College is a business university, focusing on educating students interested in business and related professions by blending the breadth and technological strength of a university with the values and student orientation of a small college. With its beautiful landscaping and attractive buildings, the college represents the best of New England college campuses and provides an inviting atmosphere for study and socializing. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, just 10 miles west of Boston, Bentley's 163-acre suburban campus puts the city's many resources within easy reach.

Majors and Degrees
A strong curriculum focusing on business, technology, and the arts and sciences provides students with many options for shaping an academic program that fits their skills, interests, and career goals. Bachelor of Science degree programs enable students to specialize in a specific business discipline: accountancy, accounting information systems, computer information systems, corporate finance and accounting, economics-finance, finance, information design and corporate communication, management, managerial economics, marketing, or mathematical sciences. Bentley also offers Bachelor of Arts degree programs, with majors in English, history, international studies, liberal arts, philosophy, and public policy and social change. Students may also receive a BA in mathematics or design their own arts and sciences concentration in areas such as behavioral sciences, communication, or environmental studies.

Minors and concentration programs give students the opportunity to develop expertise in an area outside their major. Bentley also has a number of special programs, including those through which students can earn a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in five years.

Academic Program
Known for distinctive programs at the intersection of business and technology, Bentley offers more than impressive computer resources alone. Here, students learn to use information technology the way business does, as an important tool for planning, producing, marketing, and managing.

The integration of technology into the academic program stretches back more than 15 years, when Bentley, which was established in 1917, became one of the first colleges in the U.S. to require students to have personal computers. Today, laptops are required for many Bentley courses, with most offering online access to syllabi, discussion groups, course assignments, and other materials. A growing communication network gives students access to the library catalogue, centralized computing facilities, e-mail, and the Internet from their campus residences.

Hands-on experience is another key element of Bentley's academic program. Internships, group consulting projects, service-learning assignments, and other opportunities allow students to apply classroom theory in the real worlds of workplace and community.

Academic Facilities
Bentley College prepares students to meet the new demands of an information-rich, technology-driven workplace through a business curriculum that integrates technology at every level. Supporting this curriculum is an array of academic resources, including classrooms equipped with multimedia computers and display technology, student computer laboratories with both IBM-compatible and Macintosh computers, and a Virtual Lab that offers online access to specialized software for courses.

Combining state-of-the-art technology and real-time data, the financial Trading Room is a virtual laboratory of world financial markets. The Trading Room offers firsthand exposure to financial concepts such as risk management and asset valuation.

The Center for Marketing Technology is a "best practices" center for studying the forces that drive buying and selling in an increasingly global, electronic economy. A range of high-end applications exposes students to the latest innovations in marketing.

The Accounting Center for Electronic Learning and Business Measurement (ACELAB) introduces students to the cutting-edge tools and technologies that have reshaped the profession of accounting.

The Design and Usability Testing Center offers unparalleled up-close exposure to the information design field and puts into student's hands the same applications employed by technical communicators, web developers, user interface designers, and usability specialists.

The Solomon R. Baker Library supports Bentley's curriculum with resources that include approximately 200,000 books and journals, 8,000 periodical subscriptions, an extensive collection of annual and 10K reports, and access to numerous electronic databases. Videoconference equipment is also available in the library.

Campus Life
On-campus activities include a wide range of athletic events, music; and theater programs. The Dana Athletic Center features an indoor track, volleyball and racquetball courts, a competition-size indoor pool and diving tank, a weight room, and other facilities. College athletic facilities also include lighted tennis courts and five athletic fields.

The college offers 23 varsity sports for men and women, with teams and individual players routinely qualifying for postseason competition. Students may also take part in intramural sports such as floor hockey and flag football and in recreational activities that include dance and fitness training.

Financial Aid
Bentley administers more than $36 million in undergraduate financial assistance every year, on the premise that no academically qualified student should have educational choices restricted by lack of financial resources. Bentley offers financial assistance in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, employment, and payment plans. Currently, seven out of 10 Bentley undergraduates receive some form of financial assistance.

Admission Requirements
Bentley suggests that students applying for admission complete a solid college-preparatory program, including four years of English, four years of mathematics (preferably algebra I and II, geometry, and a senior-year math course), and three to four years each of history, laboratory science, and foreign language.

Along with the application, students must submit a secondary school transcript, letters of recommendation from a teacher and a counselor, and official results of either the SAT or ACT test. The application deadline for students planning to enter in September is February 1. For students planning to enter in January, the deadline is November 15.

Editorial provided by Kerry O'Leary, Assistant Director of Marketing at Bentley College.