Pharmacy
Pharmacists for healthier lives
Your future in pharmacy starts here.
With a rich history of excellence, Butler’s Pharmacy program equips future pharmacists to explore a vast world of opportunities. Through rigorous academics and hands-on experiences, students gain the expertise needed to excel in the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Student cohorts foster collaboration and support, while personalized mentorship from dedicated faculty remains a distinct strength of the Butler Pharmacy experience.
Our pharmacy education goes beyond the classroom. You’ll engage with cutting-edge technologies like data analytics and artificial intelligence. You’ll gain real-world experience through clinical rotations and internships at Indianapolis’ premier healthcare institutions. Butler’s prime location and curriculum prepares graduates for residencies, fellowships, and other diverse leadership roles in pharmacy. For the aspiring pharmacist, clinician, scientist, and patient advocate, Butler’s Pharmacy program lays the foundation for a dynamic and rewarding career.
Pre-Pharmacy
At Butler, Pharmacy students spend the first two years in a Pre-Pharmacy program. At the end of the two year, pre-professional stage, students will have a direct pathway into Butler’s prestigious Doctor of Pharmacy program, contingent on satisfactory academic progress and admission process completion.
As a Pre-Pharmacy student, you’ll be fully immersed in pharmacy education, taking classes from—and being advised by—pharmacy faculty.
Doctor of Pharmacy
Butler’s four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program prepares you to become a licensed pharmacy practitioner. You’ll apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings, with two Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences during summers after your first and second years. In your final year, you’ll complete ten one-month rotations in community pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and nontraditional settings, including research labs.
Frequently asked questions
The Doctor of Pharmacy, or PharmD, is the only degree in the United States that supports pharmacist licensure. It’s the credential that sets pharmacists apart from pharmacy technicians, pharmaceutical sales representatives, and other pharmacy-adjacent professionals.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts organizations will hire 11,300 pharmacists over the next decade. These pharmacists will have titles such as:
- Clinical Pharmacist
- Community Pharmacist
- Pharmacologist
- Research Pharmacist/Medical Scientist
- Toxicology Pharmacist
- Veterinary Pharmacist
- Medical Science Liaison
- Regulatory Affairs Pharmacist
Read a list of more than 100 careers in Pharmacy!
Earning a Doctor of Pharmacy offers a degree of career versatility. You can contribute to your community’s well-being as a clinical pharmacist, train the next generation of practicing pharmacists, support discoveries in the pharmaceutical industry, or make your mark on public health.
Most Doctor of Pharmacy programs last about four years, though some last six years because they let pre-pharmacy students combine the necessary bachelors and doctoral education into a single program. Candidates for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree must pass a minimum of 206 semester hours.
Pharmacists are doctors in the sense that they have earned their PharmD (Doctorate of Pharmacy). In some states, pharmacists have prescribing authority and can diagnose for certain diseases.
RPh is a Registered Pharmacist licensed within the state to practice, whereas PharmD is the degree earned by studying pharmacy. The RPh designation shows the graduate has passed state and national board exams. The Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional degree that takes several years to earn.
Though PharmD and PhD are similar in that they are both doctorate degrees, PharmD programs are specifically for individuals who wish to become pharmacists. PhD programs are designed for individuals who seek a research career.
Depending on your location and position, immediately upon completion of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, graduates can earn between $76,457–$133,619 annually.
Licensure disclosure
Butler University provides state-specific information for programs leading to professional licensure. See our Licensure Disclosures page for details about the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program’s compliance by state.
Butler Pharmacy has earned national recognition as the No. 3 private pharmacy program in the country.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Butler PharmD: Pharmacists. Scientists. Clinicians. Patient Advocates.
Graduate Outcomes
Graduates of Butler’s Pharmacy program have consistently scored higher than their peers on the North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX®), and the class of 2024 was no exception. Of the 96 Butler graduates taking the licensure exam for the first time, 90.6 percent passed the test. Nationally, only 77.5 percent passed the exam on their first attempt.
Learn From Experienced Professors
Many pharmacy faculty continue to practice and conduct research in their fields, guaranteeing that their teaching—and your learning—always reflects the most up-to-date industry practices and technology.
Butler offers a variety of post-graduate residency and fellowship programs for those seeking advanced training and education.
Contact Us
Butler Doctor of Pharmacy Program
College of Health Professions
4600 Sunset Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions
Beth Goodman
bgoodman1@butler.edu
Phone
317-940-8268