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Office of Student Success

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Internships & Directed Study

Field-based learning is an important part of the graduate curriculum allowing students to gain valuable industry experience and networking opportunities. Students can explore interests and use knowledge gained from coursework in their work environment. 

Field-based options include internships, courses with fieldwork projects, and Global Business Experience courses.

Students are limited to taking no more than two of the following to satisfy elective or concentration requirements: 

  • Credit-bearing internships 
  • Field-based directed studies 
  • Global Business Experience courses 

General Policies & Requirements

  • All required work for an internship must be completed during the term of registration. 
  • Students are expected to work 20 hours per week for a minimum of 12 weeks, unless otherwise noted. 
  • Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0, unless otherwise noted. 
  • Graduate assistants must obtain permission to register for an internship course. Please email Associate Dean of Business, Heikki Topi or bring the form to Morison 305. 
  • Entire application process, including faculty submission of student information to Registrar, must be completed no later than the add/drop deadline of each semester. 
  • Any courses dropped to accommodate internship course registration beyond the add/drop deadline of each semester are subject to published refund deadlines
  • Regular withdrawal deadlines and penalties apply once the student has been registered for the internship course through the Registrar’s Office. 
  • Regular grade reporting deadlines apply. 

Obtaining an Internship

Step 1: Review the Internship Policies & Requirements governing internships for credit to determine eligibility. 
Step 2: Review the available internships. Career Services advisors are available for appointments to discuss the internship options. 
Step 3: Complete the Internship for Credit form (below). 
Step 4: Schedule an advising appointment with an academic advisor to review academic qualifications. 
Step 5: Obtain permission from the Internship Coordinator for your program (see program specific requirements below). 

Note: International students must consult with CISS (STU 350) to determine requirements and eligibility for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT). Present the signed CPT form and offer letter to CISS who will process the new I-20 in 3-5 business days. 

Internship Options

One-Credit Internships

One-credit internship are subject to the following policies 

  • All required work for an internship must be completed during the term of registration. 
  • Students are limited to a single one-credit internship. 
  • A one-credit internship experience cannot be used to extend a three-credit internship; students completing both must clearly distinguish the two in terms of work responsibility and supervision. 
  • All one-credit internships are 500-level courses; students should consult program guides for degree requirements. 
  • A student may not take a one-credit and three-credit internship in the same semester. 

Three-Credit Internships

A three-credit internship is subject to the policies governing field-based learning 

  • All required work for an internship must be completed during the term of registration. 
  • MS and MBA students may only take a total of two field-based learning courses. 
  • Dual Degree students may take a total of three field-based learning courses; however, only one field-based learning course can be shared across masters and MBA degrees. 
  • A three-credit internship experience cannot be used to extend a one-credit internship; students completing both must clearly distinguish the two in terms of work responsibility and supervision. 
  • A student may not take a one credit and three credit internship in the same semester. 

Program Specific Requirements

Select Your Program

Other Internship Courses

Accountancy

Completion of nine credit hours of accounting courses at the 600-level or higher. 

Completion of two semesters of grad coursework at Bentley or demonstrated academic understanding of accounting from undergraduate studies at an intermediate or higher level. 

Must have a 3.0 GPA overall and in all accounting courses. 

May only do one one-credit internship and one three-credit internship in the Master of Accounting program. 

Internship CoordinatorScott Boss

AC 701 Internship in Accounting Practice 

Prerequisites: 3 AC courses at the 600-level or higher 
Note: Students are expected to work 35 hours per week for a minimum of eight weeks 

AC 590 Internship in Accounting Practice 

Note: Students must work a minimum of 15 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks  

Business Analytics

May only do one one-credit internship and one three-credit internship in the Master of Business Analytics program. 

Internship CoordinatorPiaomu Liu

ST 701 Internship in Business Data Analysis 

Prerequisites: ST 625
Note: Students are expected to work 15 hours per week for a minimum of 12 weeks.

ST 590 Internship in Statistics 
Note: Students must work a minimum of 120 hours 

Computer Information Systems (CIS)

Internship Coordinator: Lincoln Matra

Three-Credit Option: CS 701 Internship in Information Process Management 

Three-Credit option for STEM MBA students is CS 881
 

 

 

One-Credit Option: CS 590 Internship in Information Process Management 
 

Note: Students must work a minimum of 120 hours 

 

Finance

 

Internship CoordinatorClaude Cicchetti

FI 701 Internship in Finance 

 

FI 590 Internship in Finance 
Note: Students must work a minimum of 200 hours 

Human Factors in Information Design

Internship Coordinator: Janelle Estes

HF 790 Internship in Human Factors in Information Design 

 

HF 590 Internship in HFID 
Note: Students must work a minimum of 120 hours 

Marketing

May only do one one-credit internship and one three-credit internship in the Master of Marketing program. 

Internship Coordinator: Erin Flynn

MK 701 Internship in Marketing Practice 

Prerequisites: 2 MK courses at the 600-level or higher 
Note: Students are expected to work 12 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks 

MK590 Internship in Marketing 
Note: Students must work a minimum of 120 hours 

Taxation

Internship Coordinator: Scott Boss

 

TX 781 Internship in Tax Practice 

 

TX 590 Internship in Tax Practice 
Note: Students must work a minimum of 15 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks 

MBA

Full-Time MBA (formerly Emerging Leaders MBA and Masters/MBA): Must complete at least two semesters in MBA program. 

Part-Time MBA (formerly Evening/Professional MBA): Must complete all MBA foundation courses, plus two additional courses. 

 

 

MG 701 Internship in Management 

Prerequistes: none 
Note: Students are expected to work a minimum of 200 hours across one term 

MG 590 Internship in Management 
Note: Students must work a minimum of 200 hours 

Other Internship Courses

Business Ethics

(Internship Coordinator: Jeffrey Moriarty)

Three-Credit Option: ETH 701 Internship in Business Ethics 

 

Economics

(Internship Coordinator: Sacha Gelfer

Three-Credit Option: EC 701 Internship in Business Economics 
Prerequisites: none 

Important Information for International Students

International students must meet immigration regulations in order to complete an internship. 

A student in F-1 status at Bentley is eligible to participate in practical training after he/she has completed one full academic year (fall and spring semesters) of full-time study in a valid visa status immediately prior to the CPT experience. 

During the Academic Year (fall/spring semesters), CPT cannot be the only course a student with an F1 visa takes in their final semester; they must also register for an in-person, degree-counting course. 

Please visit CISS for more information about Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT). 

Directed Study

Students are limited to taking no more than two of the following to satisfy elective or concentration requirements: Global Business Experience courses, field-based directed study courses or credit-bearing internships. Individual programs may have further restrictions. Consult with a program director for details. 

Preparation for Directed Study 

Students interested in pursuing a directed study must prepare a syllabus in collaboration with the faculty member who will be supervising the directed study. 

The syllabus should include the following: 

  • A brief description of the investigation 
  • Goals and objectives for the investigation 
  • A required readings bibliography 
  • Explanation of course deliverables 
  • Percentage attributed to each course deliverable 
  • Timeline for course deliverables and course completion 
  • Faculty evaluation methods for deliverables 
  • Students must also complete a Directed Study Petition and submit the proposed syllabus with the petition. 
  • Once complete, supervising faculty and department chairs will be required to sign off on the merit of the proposal. If approved, the student will be registered for the approved course. 

Deadlines for Directed Study 

  • Requests for directed study must be submitted by the first day of the semester that the course will be taken. 
  • Approval must be granted prior to beginning the study. 

Cost of Directed Study 

  • Current tuition is charged for each directed study. 

Transcript Notation for Directed Study 

  • These courses will be recorded on the transcript with a notation of the topic investigated along with a corresponding course number assigned by an academic department.