Proposals for Alternative Study require the  approval of an associate dean and must be submitted prior to the last day of the add/drop period.

Independent Study

Independent Study courses provide an opportunity for individual pursuit of knowledge in an area not covered in a regularly scheduled classroom course at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Independent Study courses include directed readings, advanced problems, or specialized research.

Co-op Requirement

As a requirement for graduation, undergraduate program students must complete two cooperative education semesters. Transfer students must complete at least one semester in residence at Wentworth before being eligible for the cooperative education program. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher as a requirement of co-op. Students who do not meet the minimum GPA by the end of the semester immediately preceding their co-op will not be eligible for co-op and dropped from their co-op registration.

Students must register for a co-op course for their work experience during the pre-registration period and will maintain full-time status during their co-op semester. Students are required to complete two (2) semesters of COOP;   COOP3500 for their first required COOP and COOP4500 for their second required co-op. Students should refer to their specific program requirements to determine the semesters for the COOP sequence 

Optional/Additional co-op courses are:

• COOP3000: Optional Cooperative Education  is offered only in the student’s summer semester prior to the Junior year and does not satisfy the  either of the  semester COOP requirements. Enrollment in the Optional COOP3000 will impact the  student's enrollment status; students are strongly urged to contact their Financial Aid Advisor for more  information. 
• COOP5000: Additional Cooperative Education. (Prerequisites for COOP5000 are successful completion of COOP3500 and COOP4500 and requires permission of the students’ Co-Op + Career Advisor.). Enrollment in the Additional  COOP5000 will impact the  students enrollment status; students are strongly urged to contact their Financial Aid Advisor for more  information. 

Upon completion of the co-op and assignments, students earn a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grade, which is recorded on the student’s official transcript.

Occasionally students enter the baccalaureate programs with substantial work experience in their major field. With the approval of the associate dean of the school, with consultation from the director of the Center for Cooperative Education and Career Development, this work experience may be substituted for one of the cooperative education requirements. Students must formally petition to receive this course substitution to the Co-ops + Careers Office.

Military Service

To qualify for advanced standing credit, students must provide official documentation of military service and follow the process listed below. Veteran students, spouses and dependents will work with the Director of Military Connected Services and complete the following steps:

• Obtain your DD-214/Separation papers (if applicable)
• Apply for benefits
• Obtain Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
• Send COE and DD-214 via fax (617-989-4201, ATTN: SCO) with your Full name, Wentworth ID number and Major

Evaluated Non-College Sponsored Learning 

Students may have acquired college-level learning from non-college professional development programs, training experiences offered by an employer, professional associations, community-based organizations, or military experience. This non-college learning might have been evaluated for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) credit program. Students  can find more details about this program. If such an evaluation exists, Wentworth can accept the recommended credits into a student’s degree plan if it fits within the degree requirements for BSPM and undergraduate certificates CPFM,CMPC, CPPM and PLS. 

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) 

Degree seeking students in BSPM  are eligible to  earn a maximum of 45 credits in a bachelors’ degree program a for learning experiences that took place outside of the classroom, through work experience, training programs, or volunteer opportunities. Students must be admitted into the BSPM degree program and must enroll and successfully complete the PLA course within their first two semesters. Credits through PLA are considered as part of your incoming credits and therefore cannot be taken or applied at the completion of your program.

The PLA course helps students identify learning outcomes and develop a portfolio that documents learning content so that they may demonstrate how previously acquired knowledge aligns with the learning necessary to earn college-level credit. During the 3-credit course, faculty work closely with students to ensure that their portfolio content is accurately documented and reflects the requirements of the college level credit for which they are applying. Students will not be awarded credit for PLA portfolio without successful completion of the course. This course is graded as a Pass/Fail.

Course Section Restrictions

Courses with a 'C' designation preceding the section number ( ECON3200-C71) are offered  to degree seeking students enrolled in the following programs; ABCM, AENT, BBCM, BSFM, BSPM and undergraduate certificates;  CPFM, CMPC, CPPM and PLS.  Students enrolled in all other programs must obtain approval from the associate dean of the relevant school.