Bentley University
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Bentley University: Business education with impact

The passion of the people at Bentley University was obvious from the get-go to Anastasya Putri. When the Jakarta native learned more about the facilities and opportunities Bentley University had to offer during a campus tour, she didn’t think twice before applying for the MBA programme with a major in Finance. “I have always loved using numbers and data to make an informed business decision. They tell a coherent story through the analysis and that can be turned into actionable plans,” shares Putri.

Ecuadorian student Estefania Barnuevo chose the Bentley MBA for different reasons. She wanted to specialise in areas like corporate finance and international business to improve her managerial skills. Presentation proficiency, computer programming, and project management were the top three skills she picked up from the programme. “All these skills can be applied every day to improve my work and allow me to adapt easily.” For Enri Dervishi, from Albania, the top skills he gained from his Bentley MBA were “the ability to use and analyse financial statements; forecast various business metrics using different models, and the hands-on experience with tools such as Bloomberg and FactSet.”

For more than 100 years, Bentley University has been attracting smart and ambitious students like Putri, Barnuevo and Dervishi from around the world. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts — just 10 miles away from the heart of Boston — the university combines business education with arts and sciences, providing students with the critical thinking and practical skills to help them collaborate effectively, communicate clearly and lead successful, rewarding careers. Programmes are offered at the undergraduate, master’s and PhD levels.

Here, education is built on technology just like the business world — and Bentley means business in this. Bentley graduate students obtain specific skills through their core courses and customise their programme through a broad range of electives — providing them with the skills they need for the job they want.

Future growth and economic prosperity will be driven by leaders who have the skills and knowledge to inspire excellence, growth and change while navigating a complex world. These are the skills and knowledge at the core of a Bentley MBA. The programme allows students to customise their qualification through a range of options, including: Accountancy; Business Analytics; Finance; Information Systems and Technology; Law and Taxation; Leadership; and Marketing. Many MBA students choose to extend their concentration to a dual master’s degree with just six additional courses.

With the pandemic causing a shift to online learning last year, students and teachers have had to adjust to remote learning quickly. At Bentley, that move has come with perks. Dervishi said that with e-learning, he was able to save time on commuting and attend his MBA classes from the comfort of his home.

His most memorable class so far is the programme’s IT Strategy and Global Strategy case-based modules in which students analyse different companies in every class. “It is very engaging because the students interact in discussions and recommendations for different situations the company, the CEO or a manager may face. I find it particularly interesting because I believe that sooner or later, we will face similar challenges in our future positions,” Dervishi adds.

Bentley University ranks first in the US News and World Report’s Best Regional Universities (North category) 2021 rankings. The university has also proven its success in helping graduate students thrive after graduation — with 89% of graduates finding job placement within three months of graduation.

Bentley University

Source: Bentley University

The university’s award-winning career development team recognises that a great degree is only part of landing that dream job. The other elements to career success sit outside theory and beyond the classroom.

While applying for an internship, Dervishi “had the support of my career adviser during the whole application process from resume and cover letter review to interview preparations.” Putri is currently a Production Accounting Intern at A24 Films Company where she tracks and manages how money is spent on a film and TV production. “Before I secured the internship, I was really anxious about the interview piece. The Graduate Career Development office helped me through the interview workshops and industry-specific networking events held,” she shares.

At Bentley, students get help with their resume, job search, interview preparation, and more. Barnuevo met recruiters at an information session hosted by Novartis in collaboration with Bentley’s Graduate Career Development office. She joined the Global Drug Development programme as a finance intern, where she helped to build a finance curriculum for the R&D finance college, a research and development training programme for employees in the Novartis Finance Academy. She also helped create content for the programme’s online version. Last summer, she was offered a full-time position there. “[Bentley’s] Career Services are the best … I used every resource and worked closely with the Graduate Career Development office,” she says.

As for Putri, she has come a long way since her first campus tour of Bentley University. Armed with a variety of hard and soft skills, she is now ready to pursue a finance role in the media and entertainment industry. “My time at Bentley has exposed me to various frameworks and strategies when it comes to analysing business decisions and communicating with people from different disciplines,” she shares.

Learn more about Bentley University here.

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