College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
As a student in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS), you will undergo a rigorous mix of classroom, laboratory, and experiential learning. Through our program, you will gain more than just knowledge about science. You will also learn how to build relationships with your patients and be a leader in your field.
Pharmacy Program
In your first two years, you'll complete a pre-pharmacy curriculum, followed by four years of professional study toward the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The Butler pharmacy program is one of only a few in the nation that guarantees your admission into the professional pharmacy phase. We call it the Butler Promise. Provided you meet the criteria listed below, you will automatically advance into the professional phase without having to re-apply.
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- GPA greater than 3.0 in the 10 critical pre-pharmacy courses (two semesters of general chemistry, calculus, cell biology, first-year English, organic chemistry, speech, human anatomy, health sciences seminar, and ethics)
- Final course grades above a C- in all of the critical pre-pharmacy courses stipulated above
- Must take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) no later than January of their second pre-professional year and achieve a minimum composite percentile score of 55 and a PCAT average writing score of 3.0
- Successful completion of an in-person standardized interview including evaluation of verbal communication and interpersonal skills, ethical and professional characteristics, intellectual curiosity, leadership and emotional maturity, respect and empathy for others, and creativity.
Physician Assistant Program
Our Physician Assistant (PA) program prepares students to practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians by education them to deliver quality healthcare in today's cost-conscious environment.
The PA program requires the completion of two years of pre-professional coursework followed by a three-year professional curriculum. The professional phase consists of a two-year pre-clinical component and a 12-month clinical component. Our partnerships with multiple healthcare institutions in Indianapolis and surrounding areas allow many opportunities for you to complete clinical rotations in a variety of settings.
Auto advance pre-PA students will be automatically advanced to the PA1 year of the professional phase of the PA program upon completion of their third full-time semester of Butler enrollment if the following requirements for automatic advancement are met.
- Cumulative GPA at Butler University of at least a 3.0
- No grade less than a C in any course taken in the pre-PA phase
- No withdrawal from or repeat of any prerequisite course
- GPA equal to or greater than 3.0 in CH 105, CH 106, BI 105, CH 351, PH 107, PX 311, PX 101
- The ability to meet the COPHS technical standards
- No conduct code violations
- Submission of a Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) application
Students seeking professional PA program admission by the automatic advancement option may count no more than two courses transferred from another university or awarded through advanced placement (AP) toward the calculation of their automatic advancement GPA.
Students must complete all prerequisite courses prior to matriculation to the professional phase (i.e., the PA program) in the fall while maintaining compliance with the GPA requirements. All math/science prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment. Non-math/science prerequisite requirements may be completed during the summer prior to matriculation into the PA program.
Spanish Immersion Program
The college offers a Spanish Immersion Program to students from all disciplines across campus. Butler faculty and students travel to Cuernavaca, Mexico to the Kukulcan School to interact with local families and to improve their conversational Spanish skills and enhance their healthcare vocabulary.
Majors
- Pre-Pharmacy: Two-year pre-professional phase with automatic entry into the four-year professional PharmD program.
- Pharmacy: Four-year professional phase Doctor of Pharmacy
Program
- Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program
- Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program with Medical Spanish Emphasis
- Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program with Research Emphasis
- Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Business Administration Pharm.D./MBA program
- Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences Pharm.D./MS program
- Pre-Physician Assistant: Two-year pre-professional phase in order to apply for the three-year dual bachelors/masters degree program.
- Physician Assistant: Three-year professional phase culminating in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS).
For more information please visit www.butler.edu/pharmacy-pa.
