Admission Processes
Last Updated: 5-17-2013
Pathway 1: Automatic Advancement
Process
The Automatic Advancement Process is only available to students
entering Butler University as freshmen, pre-health science
majors.
Admission into Pre-Health Science/Pre-PA program
To be admitted to the auto-advance, pre-health science (i.e.,
pre-PA) program as freshmen at Butler University, students will be
required to meet the auto-advancement entrance criteria of
the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS) with regard to
GPA and standardized test scores. The number of students admitted
as auto-advance, pre-PA students will be limited to approximately
30 per year and offers of admission will be made on a competitive
basis. It is recommended that applications be submitted as
early as possible in the admission cycle. Questions about
admission to the Pre-Health Science program should be directed to
Chris Potts (cpotts@butler.edu) in the
Office of Admissions.
Admission into PA Program
Auto-advance, pre-PA students will be automatically advanced
(offered admission) into the PA1 year of the PA Program upon
completion of their second, fall semester of Butler enrollment*
(not including summer sessions) if the requirements for automatic
advancement are met:
1.Cumulative GPA at Butler University of at least 3.0.
2.No grade less than C in any course used to satisfy
the requirements of the pre-physician assistant curriculum.
3.No withdrawal from or repeat of any course used to satisfy the
requirements of the pre-physician assistant curriculum.
4.Cumulative GPA (i.e. science GPA) equal to or greater than 3.0
in the following courses: CH 105, CH 106, BI 105, CH 351,
PH 107, PX 311.
5.No conduct code violations.
An offer of professional phase admission, if initially
earned, is contingent upon continued adherence to the requirements
noted above and will be withdrawn if the requirements are not
met.
Students are required to be enrolled full-time during the
regular (i.e. fall and spring) semesters and must complete all
prerequisite courses by the conclusion of the second spring
semester of enrollment while maintaining compliance with the above
requirements.
The credit from no more than two transfer or AP
courses may be substituted for any of the courses listed
in the pre-physician assistant (pre-PA) curriculum. The
official Butler GPA is not affected by the grades earned
from transfer courses or associated with AP credit.
However, transfer courses and/or AP credit
will affect the cumulative Butler GPA and science
GPAs upon which eligibility determinations
for auto-advancement will be based according to
the following guidelines: grades from accepted transfer
courses will be included in GPA calculations according to the
scale indicated on page 22 of the Butler University Student
Handbook and an "A" (4.0 score) will be awarded for
each course from which AP credit was earned and accepted.
Any student that fails to meet any of the above criteria will be
dismissed from the automatic advancement process, but may be
eligible to apply for admission through either of the other two
pathways described below.
Eligibility for automatic advancement into the PA1 year of the
PA program ceases after the student's initial review for
professional phase admission at the end of their second fall
semester at Butler University.
*Auto-advance students matriculating in the fall of 2014,
will be required to complete a BS or BA degree before being
allowed to matriculate into the PA Program. However, by that time,
the length of the PA Program is expected to be reduced to 27
months.
General Information Regarding Pathways 2 and 3
Pathways 2 or 3 are the processes all non-auto-advance students
interested in applying to the PA program must follow.
Non-auto-advance applicants will be classified as belonging to one
of two categories: Butler and Non-Butler. Butler applicants are
those who have been or are currently enrolled at Butler University
AND have completed less than 12 hours of credit (excluding AP
or IB credits) at institutions of higher learning other than Butler
University. Non-Butler applicants are those who have
earned 12 or more hours of credit (excluding AP or IB credits) at
institutions of higher learning other than Butler University.
Applications for the PA Program must be submitted through
an electronic application processing service (CASPA). CASPA is a
service of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)
and offers applicants a convenient, Web-based application
service that will allow you to apply to participating PA
educational programs by completing a single application. The online
application was specifically designed for your ease and
convenience. With far less paperwork, streamlined processing, and
ongoing communication with applicants, CASPA offers you the ability
to apply to multiple programs across the country.
Pathways 2 and 3 are competitive. Thus, it is important that
applications be submitted as soon as possible once the application
cycle opens (generally mid-April). It is also important that
applicants clearly indicate on the CASPA application classes
completed, those currently being completed and those expected to be
completed by May 31 of the year in which the applicant wishes to
matriculate into the PA Program.
Non-Butler applicants who have completed 12 hours or greater
of credit (excluding AP or IB credits) outside of Butler
University by the time of the submission of their completed
application to CASPA are required to include GRE scores (School
Code: 0477) at the time of application. These same applicants
are required to earn a BS/BA degree or higher by May 31
of the year of intended matriculation into the PA program. Butler
applicants will not be required to possess a BS/BA degree by May 31
and will not be required to include GRE scores providing they
identify themselves as a "Non-Auto-Advance, Butler Applicant"
in an e-mail to Dr. John Lucich at jlucich@butler.edu by October
1 (for Pathway 2 applicants) or by November 15 for Pathway 3
applicants.
The majority of communication regarding invitations to
interview, offers of admission, etc. will be conducted by e-mail so
it is very important that the PA Program (via CASPA) has an
accurate e-mail address for all applicants and that applicants
check their e-mail accounts on a daily basis. Generally, responses
to program requests must be accomplished within 3 days
or less. Failure to promptly respond to requests may result in loss
of eligibility for admission.
The criteria for admissions and the policies that guide the
admission process have been carefully developed and empirically
derived. As such, few if any requests for exemptions from the
criteria /policies are granted. However, should an applicant feel
that their circumstances warrant special consideration, they may
forward an appeal in writing (via e-mail) to the chair of the
admissions committee, Dr. John Lucich at jlucich@butler.edu. To be
considered, the appeal e-mail must include "Appeal Request" in the
subject line, state the policy/criteria for which an exemption is
being requested and provide a detailed rationale for the
request.
General questions regarding the admissions process should be
directed to Mary Kay Liverett at 317-940-6529 or mliveret@butler.edu.
Pathway 2: Early Decision Process
The minimum eligibility requirements for admission
via Pathway 2 are:
1. A cumulative GPA from all institutions of higher learning of
at least a 3.5 as calculated per CASPA protocol.
2. The submission of a completed application to
CASPA by September 1 and verification of that
application by CASPA by October 15 of the year prior to
the year of desired enrollment into the PA Program.* It is the
applicant's responsibility to monitor and ensure adherence
to these deadlines. The applicant's will be assessed
according to the information in the application at the time it was
verified by CASPA. As such updates to GPAs, GRE scores etc.
will not be considered within an application cycle.
3. The ability to provide evidence of successful completion
of the math/science prerequisites (listed below) or their transfer
equivalents with a grade of C- or better by May 31 prior to
matriculation into the PA Program. See Curriculum for
details. Non-auto-advance Butler applicants without a BS/BA
degree must also earn C- or better in
ALL other courses used to satisfy the requirements of
the pre-physician assistant curriculum prior to matriculation into
the PA program.
4. Receipt by Butler University of a deposit by February 1 (if
offered admission).
* Be advised that for an application to be deemed "completed" it
must be accompanied by college transcripts, letters of
recommendation, GRE scores and any other documents required
for processing by CASPA.
Required Math/Science Prerequisite Courses* for Pathway 2
Applicants
General Biology [cell] (BI 105)
General Chemistry with lab (CH 105)
General Chemistry II with lab (CH 106)
Organic Chemistry with lab (CH 351)
Organic Chemistry II with lab (CH 352)
Microbiology (BI 325)
General math course (above algebra)
Physics (PH 107)
Human Anatomy (PX 311)
Human Physiology (PX 315)
*Equivalent transfer courses are also acceptable.
Applicants satisfying the above criteria are eligible to be
ranked and considered for invitation to a "non-academic evaluation"
(NAE). The composition of an NAE will typically include one or more
interviews, an opportunity to meet current students, various
information sessions and any other activities deemed desirable by
the PA Admissions Committee. Invitations for the NAE will generally
be issued to the most highly ranked Pathway 2 candidates near the
first of November and the NAE will generally be conducted on
or about the second Saturday of November. The NAE scores and other
behavioral assessments of applicants will be used by the PA
Admissions Committee to adjust the pre-NAE rankings of
candidates and will inform decisions regarding which applicants
will receive offers of admission and which will be waitlisted.
These decisions will generally be communicated via e-mail to
applicants within 10-15 days of the NAE.
Pathway 3: Standard Decision Process
The minimum eligibility requirements for admission
via Pathway 3 are:
1.A cumulative GPA from all institutions of higher learning of
at least a 3.2 as calculated per CASPA protocol.
2. The submission of a completed application to
CASPA by December 1 of the year prior to the year of
desired enrollment into the PA Program and verification of that
application by CASPA by January 15 of the year of
desired enrollment into the PA Program.* It is the applicant's
responsibility to monitor and ensure adherence to these deadlines.
The applicant's will be assessed according to the information in
the application at the time it was verified by CASPA. As such
updates to GPAs, GRE scores etc. will not be considered within an
application cycle.
3. The ability to provide evidence of successful completion of
the math/science prerequisites (listed below) or their transfer
equivalents with a grade of C- or better by May 31 prior to
matriculation into the PA Program. See Curriculum for
details. Non-auto-advance Butler applicants without a BS/BA
degree must also earn C- or better in ALL other courses used to
satisfy the requirements of the pre-physician assistant curriculum
prior to matriculation into the PA program.
4. Receipt by Butler University of a deposit by May 1 (if
offered admission).
* Be advised that for an application to be deemed "completed" it
must be accompanied by college transcripts, letters of
recommendation, GRE scores and any other documents required for
processing by CASPA.
Required Math/Science Prerequisite Courses* for Pathway 3
Applicants
General Biology [cell] (BI 105)
General Chemistry with lab (CH 105)
General Chemistry II with lab (CH 106)
Organic Chemistry with lab (CH 351)
Organic Chemistry II with lab (CH 352)
Microbiology (BI 325)
General math course (above algebra)
Physics (PH 107)
Human Anatomy (PX 311)
Human Physiology (PX 315)
*Equivalent transfer courses are also acceptable.
Applicants satisfying the above criteria are eligible to be
ranked and considered for invitation to a "non-academic evaluation"
(NAE). The composition of an NAE will typically include one or more
interviews, an opportunity to meet current students, various
information sessions and any other activities deemed desirable by
the PA Admissions Committee. Invitations for the NAE will generally
be issued to the most highly ranked Pathway 3 candidates near the
first of February and the NAE will generally be conducted on
or about the second Saturday of February. The NAE scores and
other behavioral assessments of applicants will be used by the PA
Admissions Committee to adjust the pre-NAE rankings of
candidates and will inform decisions regarding which applicants
will receive offers of admission and which will be waitlisted.
These decisions will generally be communicated via e-mail to
applicants within 10-15 days of the NAE.
Requirements and deadlines for Pathways, 1, 2 and 3 are subject
to change. Should a change occur, it will be posted on this website
and the PA program will make every effort to communicate the change
as soon as possible to all those in the application pipeline for
whom e-mail addresses are available.