Bentley University is one of the nation’s top business schools with low-sized classrooms where students can have a closer academic relationship with their professors and faculty members with a student to faculty ratio of 11:1. Bentley ranks #24 in Best Undergraduate Teaching (Universities North, 2021). 

Since Bentley is a business school, there are fewer majors and minors on offer than at other universities, but these degrees can be specialised in a way that is unavailable at other institutes; 25 majors and 35 minors at undergraduate level can be combined to fit the needs of the individual. Bentley offers degrees in accountancy, finance, management, marketing, English, History, and more. 

The layout of Bentley is three campuses for a total size of 163 acres. Waltham is about 9 miles from Boston but the B-Line Shuttle and Harvard Shuttles can connect students to the other campuses and further afield. 

The three campuses are Upper, Lower, and North. Upper contains most of the academic buildings of Bentley and the dorms for students. Lower holds the Dana Athletic Centre and Multi-Purpose Arena and is even connected to Upper campus via a bridge. North Campus is half a mile north of Upper and is the most recent addition which houses the sharply rising undergraduate student population. 

The Bentley Library is also state-of-the-art and located in the centre of campus where students can access 123 computer workstations, 24 study rooms, and other facilities such as cafes, the RSM Art Gallery, and special collections.

Being a business school primarily, Bentley has access to faculty members who have achieved great feats in regards to entrepreneurship. Students can approach the entrepreneurial staff members with queries in regards to starting up their own businesses. 

Successful startups that have spun off from Bentley include Ethyca, a data privacy technology platform, and Botkeeper, a bookkeeping automation platform powered by human-assisted AI. 

Students can take a minor in entrepreneurial studies too, allowing for a closer and a more academic approach towards learning the ropes of starting up one’s own business or non-profit.

Even with Bentley’s reputation firmly as a business school, there are still decent opportunities for students to engage in research activities while studying here. By enrolling onto the honours programme, students can engage in research projects with academics and their peers. Whether it’s in a lab or field work, independently, or with a faculty member, students will get the chance to engage in interesting research projects that often involve travel to present said research. 

The Centre for Integration of Science and Industry is one of Bentley’s prime research institutions, marrying the worlds of natural science and business to create solutions to life’s problems.

Bentley is well positioned to give its students the perfect start to professionalism by offering excellent career services and internships through its industry partners and community connections. In fact, 99% of their class of 2018 were in employment or graduate school in just six months of their graduation. 

Bentley also utilises Handshake, an online recruiting platform used by many universities in America that helps students locate the best and more relevant opportunities for them. Campus recruiting accounts for more than 3,000 internships and jobs a year at Bentley and companies recruiting from Bentley’s array of talent include JP Morgan, Boston Scientific, Dell, Fidelity Investments, and many more.

The close-knit population of students at Bentley get to know each other well in their time here with over 100 student organisations and 200+ campus events every year. 

Students can also get to know each other through Bentley’s sporting presence, with teams in the NCAA Divisions I and II. The Falcons play all sorts of sports including basketball, football, volleyball, etc. If participating in sports means more, the fitness facilities are top notch with fitness classes and gyms across the three sites. 

Bentley’s position in Waltham, on the edge of the Boston greenbelt, makes it easy for students to get into either the city of Boston (20 minute ride away) or escape the city into the green space west of campus.

For students looking to focus on business, management, marketing, or associated degrees or subjects, then Bentley can offer a lot for them academically. The university has branched out of just the business school formula but it still serves those subjects the best out of its majors and minors. Its location between green space and city also makes it an enticing prospect for students wanting the best of both worlds. 

However, for the price of the tuition fee, perhaps other universities can offer students more in the way of research opportunities and startup business support.