Advanced Standing in Business Frequently Asked Questions

The MBA degree consists of foundation courses, core courses and elective courses. Most ASB students will have the foundation courses waived through their undergraduate GB and EC courses. That means they will have to take a total of 12 courses (6 core courses and 6 electives).

Undergraduates take four graduate MBA classes that count toward the undergraduate degree. By applying for the ASB program you are also applying for the MBA program. Once you've completed your undergraduate degree, you transfer into the MBA program to complete your 8 graduate courses. To determine which four MBA classes you will take and how they fit with your undergraduate degree requirements, refer to the equivalents spreadsheet on the ASB Blackboard site.

While some of the required graduate courses are available in the summer, we do not recommend that ASB students take summer graduate courses. Financial aid does not apply for the summer term, and taking summer graduate courses will result in additional graduate tuition expenses. If you choose to take one of your graduate courses in the summer, you will be paying full course tuition for that course. It is not included in the ASB program fee.

No, you must start in the fall. Typically, this is the fall semester of your junior year.

You still have the same ability to take undergraduate courses at another institution for credit. Away courses can only be taken during summer or winter breaks and cannot count towards the ASB.

Yes, subject to appropriate planning. You can take undergraduate courses during your study abroad term. You cannot take any of the graduate courses during your study abroad term. If you study abroad during your Junior or Senior year, you will have to compress your four graduate courses into your at-home junior and senior semesters.

Yes. You can take an undergraduate FLP as part of your undergraduate degree only. You can also take a graduate level FLP and use it as one of the MBA electives (counting both for your undergraduate and MBA degrees).

Yes. You are able to do a minor, subject to appropriate planning of your ASB courses. 

Yes, as long as the graduate course is equivalent to an undergraduate course in the LSM and BSM.

Absolutely. Honors students are automatically accepted into the Advanced Standing in Business Program upon application. However, students must maintain their GPA standing and status in the Honors program or they will be automatically removed from the Advanced Standing in Business program.

The Office of Financial Aid will be able to provide you details of the program expenses in light of any financial aid you receive. See the FAQ’s relevant to Financial Aid below.

No. While you will take four graduate courses as an undergraduate, the total number of courses you take as an undergraduate does not change.

In addition to your normal undergraduate tuition, there is an ASB program fee of $8,000 to pay for your MBA classes which count towards both your undergraduate and graduate degree. The $8,000 program fee is normally billed at $2,000 per semester program fee payable in junior fall, junior spring, senior fall and senior spring fall semesters. All ASB students pay a total of $8,000 whether they are at Bentley or abroad, and whether or not they accelerate and finish in fewer than two years. Once your undergraduate degree is complete, you will then pay regular graduate tuition for the remaining eight courses toward your graduate degree. Note that graduate courses are billed on a per course basis, no matter how many you take in a term.

Absolutely. You will receive a regular Bentley BA/BS degree, and after you complete the graduate requirements, a regular Bentley MBA degree. You are taking the full course load of graduate courses, but you are taking four of them as undergraduates.

Of course. It is not unusual for a student who completes an MBA to then enroll in a specialist degree such as the MSF degree. ASB students can apply for another Bentley graduate degree though Graduate Admissions, and may receive the alumni benefits in effect at the time of application, such as waived testing requirements and alumni discounts. However, students who entered graduate school through the Advanced Standing program cannot complete a "dual degree," meaning they cannot share courses between their MBA and another graduate degree.

Some of the graduate courses are offered as separate sections with Advanced Standing students expected to make up most or all of those sections. If the timing of those specific classes does not work with your schedule, you may also select from other sections of those same graduate courses. Graduate courses are normally held from 5:00 to 7:20 p.m. or 7:30 to 9:50 p.m., but other times during the day may also be offered depending on instructor availability.

No. The program does not change Bentley policy as far as taking more than 5 courses. If you qualify as an undergraduate to take a sixth course, it does not matter if one or two of those are graduate overlap courses.

Yes, if you have met all the requirements of your undergraduate degree.

Graduate overlap course grades will be calculated into your undergraduate GPA and your graduate GPA. However, graduate courses are graded on a scale from C+ to A+, with any grade under a C+ considered failing the course. Undergraduate students failing a graduate overlap course will be given one attempt to repeat the course while an undergraduate, and a successful pass will be included in the grade point average, but the F grade will remain on the graduate transcript.

The following is the proper way to represent the program on your cv or on LinkedIn. This format profiles the advanced nature of the program and makes clear to employers you are an undergraduate student who is allowed to take graduate courses. Our experience so far tells us that employers can be confused if you show two degrees, and you may potentially miss out on an undergraduate recruitment opportunity. In addition, you are not literally enrolled in the graduate degree program until you finish your undergraduate degree requirements, so it is incorrect to list the degree – it would be like listing an employer a year before you actually started work and filled out the HR paperwork.

EDUCATION
Bentley University, Waltham, MA
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance & Accounting
Advanced Standing in Business: a selective program that allows high-achieving students to take graduate courses as undergraduates which can then be applied toward an accelerated graduate degree.
GPA: 3.64/4.00
Honors: President’s List (all semesters), Presidential Scholarship

No. You may do CPT as any other international undergraduate while you are registered as an undergraduate.

No. Since you are still completing your undergraduate degree when you enroll it does not have any impact. Students are advised to consult with CISS regarding OPT options.

Bentley grants and scholarships are only available during the academic year for students enrolled full-time and are applicable to the standard academic year terms of fall and spring. Institutional grants and scholarships are not available during the summer term. Some federal aid, such as Pell Grant and Federal loans, may be available to students enrolled less than full time in a term and/or during the summer so long as their eligibility has not been fully used during the standard academic year.

Your undergraduate scholarship and grant is available for up to eight semesters, during the fall and spring academic terms only. The winter intensive is an extra term that is not included. May intensives are also considered an addition to a standard academic year and are not covered by merit scholarships or need-based grant. Tuition rates can be found on the Student Financial Services web site.

Academic scholarships are not available for the graduate portion of this ASB program.

You are eligible for grants and scholarships for up to 8 terms as an undergraduate student. Aid not used in a term when part-time or if a student completes their undergraduate coursework in less than eight terms will not be applied to another term. Amounts are not transferrable between semesters.

If you have unused Federal loan eligibility after fall and spring during the academic year or have moved up in class standing by the summer term, you can complete a summer loan request form for loans to be processed. Federal loan limits can be found here.

Yes, under current regulations Pell grants are available for year-round enrollment at the undergraduate level, as long as you are enrolled at least half time.