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.
Anthropology and Psychology is the study of human and animal behavior from its biological roots to its cultural context.
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 focuses on a combination of skills and education in music and a strong concentration of study in business, public relations and advertising.
Arts Administration focuses on a combination of skills and education in theatre and a strong concentration of study in business, public relations and advertising.
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 and 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.
Leadership and Organizational Communication
Computer Science is the study of computer-based systems
Criminology is the study of crime and criminals.
Criminology and Psychology combines the study of crime and criminals with the science that studies human and animal behavior.
Minor Only
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.
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
(ENL)
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.
English
Foreign Languages: French, German, Spanish, Mathematics
Science: Life Sciences/Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Social Studies
English as a New Language (ENL)
Music
Physical Education and Health
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 & 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
Finance is the art and the science of managing money.
French the study of the French language and cultures.
Gender, Women's and 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.
History explores the development of American, European and non-Western societies.
History and Anthropology majors address the intersection of history and social sciences.
History and Political Science majors address the intersection of history with understanding themselves, other peoples, different ways of being and knowing, and learning to use evidence and think critically.
The Individualized Major Program (IMP) is for undecided students interested in actively investigating all their options.
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.
News Editorial
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.
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.
Arts Administration
Composition
Jazz Studies
Music Education
Music History
Music Theory
Performance
Piano Pedagogy
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.
Philosophy and Psychology combines the science that studies human and animal behavior with the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge or conduct.
Philosophy and Religion encompasses two disciplines that share a commitment to pursue the fundamental questions of human existence, particularly at the intersection of faith and knowledge, and to examine the various ways in which the traditions of philosophy and religion have answered these questions.
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.
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.
Science, Technology and Society
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)
Sociology and Criminology is the study of social sciences, crime and criminals.
Sociology and Psychology is the study of social sciences including human and animal behavior.
Social Work and Social Policy is a concentration within sociology that offers the student practical oriented courses in social work in addition to other more theoretically oriented classes.
Software Engineering is a disciplined methodology for developing high quality software systems.
Spanish is the study of Spanish language and cultures.
Strategic Communication: Public Relations and Advertising
Strategic Communication: PR & Advertising offers a fresh approach to traditionally separate programs in public relations and advertising.
Theatre offers a unique and rigorous theatre training and education within a broad liberal arts curriculum. The faculty of international professionals and guest artists foster learning through original productions, intensive workshops, innovative coursework and close mentoring. Theatre students often study abroad, become involved in the local artistic community, and devise original performance work.
Theatre - Arts Administration
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.
