Majors
Butler University offers over 60 majors within six academic colleges: Business, Communication, Education, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences and Pharmacy & Health Sciences. Our Exploratory Studies program is a special major for undecided students interested in investigating all their options.
*Minor only
**The Engineering Dual Degree Program (EDDP) is a five-year program that offers students a Bachelor of Science Degree from both Butler University and Purdue University's School of Engineering and Technology in Indianapolis.
Accounting focuses on developing analytical, communication, and information systems skills.
Actuarial science's use of mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to estimate risk, primarily in the insurance and financial security industries.
Minor Only
Anthropology is the understanding of similarities and differences in human cultures, past and present, on a global scale.
Art + Design merges art and design using wide range of media, techniques, and processes.
Arts administration focuses on a combination of skills and education in the general arts and a strong concentration of study in business, public relations, and advertising.
Arts Administration -
General
Arts Administration - Dance
Arts Administration - Music
Arts Administration - Theatre
Minor Only
Biology is the study of living things; both plant and animal.
(search by College of Business or see Exploratory Studies)
Minor Only
Minor Only
Chemistry is the study of the composition, properties, and changes of substances.
Minor Only
Classical studies is the understanding and enjoyment of classical literature and a comprehension of the abiding principles of the Western heritage.
Communication Sciences & Disorders
Communication sciences and disorders is the scientific study of speech and hearing science, speech and language development, and communicative disorders.
Communication studies is the study of the process and effects of communication.
Computer science is the study of computer-based systems.
Criminology is the study of crime and criminals.
Bachelor of Science (BS) with combined study of dance and business as training for arts management.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) with study in the sciences, education, and dance teaching techniques.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree with conservatory quality training while maintaining a focus on liberal arts education.
Digital media production explores the production of CD, DVD, Websites, and interactive media from concept to completion.
Economics is the study of how societies allocate their limited resources among competing uses.
The College of Education prepares students for teaching and instructional leadership in K-12.
see All Grade
see Elementary Education
see Exploratory Studies: Education
see Middle/Secondary Education
Elementary education prepares students for teaching and instructional leadership in K-6.
English as a New
Language*
Information Literacy*
Mild Interventions*
Reading Teacher*
Special Education
Middle and secondary education (4-9 or 5-12 or 9-12) enables students to combine the strength of in-depth preparation in an academic content area with the professional teacher education skills necessary for success in the classroom. Extensive clinical experiences are provided prior to student teaching in a variety of school settings.
Biology
Chemistry
English
French
German
Mathematics
Physical Education (K-12)/Health Education
Physics
Social Studies
Spanish
Supplemental Licensure Areas:
English as a New
Language
Special Education (Elementary Only)
All Grade Add-ons:
Music Education
Physical Education & Health
Electronic media emphasises in video/audio production, electronic journalism, or media studies. Program suits interests in news, entertainment television, corporate video production, or sports.
Critical Media
Studies
Electronic Journalism
Engineering students earn degrees from both Butler University and Purdue University. Students earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Butler with a major in: physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, economics, or science, technology and society. Additionally, students receive degrees from the Purdue School of Engineering (Indianapolis campus) in one of the following:
Biomedical
Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Energy Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Motorsports Engineering
English is the study of the fundamental importance of language and literature in the development of identity, community, and culture. A degree in English offers two tracks: creative writing or creative literature.
Literature
Theory, Culture and Criticism
Writing
Entrepreneurship focuses on introducing new products and services in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods.
Minor Only
Exploratory Studies - Undecided
Exploratory studies is the major for undecided students interested in actively investigating all their options.
Business (COB), Communication (CCOM), Education (COE), Generalist, Natural Sciences (LAS)
Finance is the art and the science of managing money.
French the study of the French language and cultures.
Minor Only
Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies
Gender, women's and sexuality studies is an interdisciplinary program founded on the premise that gender, sexuality, class, race, and other markers of difference are historical and intersecting constructs affecting all persons.
Minor Only
German is the study of German language and cultures.
Minor Only
History explores the development of American, European, and non-Western societies.
International business prepares students to function in the increasing global marketplace by understanding other cultures and responding to the issues that impact the domestic and world economy.
International studies is the diversity, complexity, and interdependence of the world community to understand and analyze world problems and issues.
Journalism is the study of the communication professions of print journalism, public relations, and advertising.
Management Information Systems
Management information systems focuses on how managers use information and technology to help organizations achieve goals.
Marketing is the business of promoting sales of a product or service through means such as promotion, pricing, packaging, channels of distribution, and public relations.
Mathematics is the study of quantities and relations through the use of numbers and symbols.
Media, rhetoric, and culture (MRC) provides students the critical tools and practical skills necessary to engage in the analysis of communication.
Minor Only
Music the 115 year old music tradition of this School of Music provides conservatory quality training in a liberal arts environment, including many ensembles for music majors and all Butler students as well as strong ties to a thriving artistic community.
Music the 115 year old music tradition of this School of Music provides conservatory quality training in a liberal arts environment, including many ensembles for music majors and all Butler students as well as strong ties to a thriving artistic community.
Music the 115 year old music tradition of this School of Music provides conservatory quality training in a liberal arts environment, including many ensembles for music majors and all Butler students as well as strong ties to a thriving artistic community.
Music the 115 year old music tradition of this School of Music provides conservatory quality training in a liberal arts environment, including many ensembles for music majors and all Butler students as well as strong ties to a thriving artistic community.
Music the 115 year old music tradition of this School of Music provides conservatory quality training in a liberal arts environment, including many ensembles for music majors and all Butler students as well as strong ties to a thriving artistic community.
Composition
Jazz Studies
Music History
Music Theory
Organizational Communication & Leadership
Organizational communication and leadership is the acquisition of the skills of leadership including critical thinking, effective speaking, decision-making, and problem solving.
Peace studies is a structured program of study for students who wish to make issues of violence and conflict (interpersonal, intergroup and interstate), social justice, human rights, and peace more central to their university education.
Pharmacy is a degree program that prepares students to become advanced pharmacy practitioners who posses the knowledge and skills required to function as authorities on the use of medicines, and who can apply pharmaceutical and biomedical science to the practical problems of drug therapy.
Philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.
PAs practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians, providing patient care services that would otherwise be done by physicians. PAs perform a wide range of medical duties including obtaining medical histories, performing physical examinations, developing/implementing comprehensive diagnostic and patient management plans, providing patient education and counseling, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, performing therapeutic procedures, and prescribing medications.
Physics seeks to understand the rules of nature that govern the universe.
Political science is the theory and practice of politics, and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior.
Psychology is the science that studies human and animal behavior.
Public Relations & Advertising: Strategic Communication
Public relations and advertising: strategic communication is the theory and ethics of public relations, researching, planning, monitoring, and evaluating public relations projects and campaigns and applying campaign methods to solve specific client problems.
Recording industry studies gives students the opportunity to learn about audio recording, particularly as it applies to music. Emphasizes the craft and artistry of audio production.
Religion is the study of various religious traditions and literature and examinations of the nature of religion.
Risk management and insurance focuses on teaching students how to mitigate and manage risks through a combination of insurance and non-insurance techniques.
Science, technology and society studies the ways in which science and technology influence and are influenced by the society of which they are a part.
Sociology is the study of social life, social life change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior.
Social Work and Social Policy (concentration)
Software engineering is a disciplined methodology for developing high quality software systems.
Spanish is the study of Spanish language and cultures.
The program of study in theatre combines stage experience with core studies in: acting, directing, voice, movement, playwriting; scenic, lighting and costume design; stagecraft and make-up; theatre history, play analysis, and critical theory.
The program is designed to provide students with a cohesive preparation for professional work in the management of arts organizations, particularly in areas relating to the administration of theatre.
Undecided – Exploratory Studies
Exploratory studies is the major for undecided students interested in actively investigating all their options.
Business (COB), Communication (CCOM), Education (COE), Generalist, Natural Sciences (LAS)
Pre-Professional Programs
In addition to declaring a major, students may indicate a pre-professional program of interest. Pre-professional programs supplement a major and are designed to prepare students for graduate school placement.
Predentistry programs guide students as they prepare for admission into dental school. Dentists search for the culprits behind pain and disease. They delve into countless mouths to remove tooth decay, fill cavities, and repair fractured teeth. They also perform corrective surgery on gums and supporting bones. And among their less serious but more popular tasks is the whitening and reshaping of teeth to enhance their patients' smiles.
Students interested in attending law school after completion of their undergraduate degree at Butler are encouraged to find a major of greatest interest to them. Law schools recruit from every discipline, so students are not confined to a specific course of study. The Butler core curriculum will provide students with significant exposure to written and oral communication skills and the ability to think critically.
Our pre-medicine program provides guidance to students as they prepare for medical school. If medical school is your holy grail, undergraduate programs are available to guide you on your quest for admission. But it's not a major, what you choose to major in is up to you. Students often choose majors in chemistry or biology because they must take several classes in these fields. However, medical schools are also impressed by students with diverse interests.
Optometry students prepare for independent practice as optometrists. They learn how to diagnose, treat, and correct vision problems. They study everything from the prescription of contact lenses to the business and ethics of running a practice.
A wide range of people benefit from physical therapy (PT), from premature infants recovering from surgery to injured athletes striving to return to the playing field. If you want to master the techniques and exercises that physical therapists use to help people reach their goals, you'll need to earn a graduate degree. PT is not an undergraduate major, and the studies are intense. But if you want to help others get moving again, literally, the rewards can be great.
Theology majors study a particular religion or religious community. Classes focus on the religion's beliefs, teachings, history, practices, ethics, and present-day situation.
As a veterinary student, you'll learn about more than the health problems of animals. You'll also learn how to diagnose patients who can't explain their own symptoms. Veterinarians prevent, diagnose, and treat illness in small animals (such as cats and dogs), large animals (such as horses and cows), or both. They may also research diseases and their cures.
