College & Program Information
We recommend you utilize Class Search as you prepare for your advising appointment.
Remember that as a requirement of Butler’s Core Curriculum, all first-year students, regardless of major, are required to enroll in a First-Year Seminar both fall and spring semesters. The Areas of Inquiry are intended to be distributed across all four years, rather than be concentrated solely in the first and second years.
Core Curriculum courses are in high demand, so we carefully manage enrollment to ensure that Butler’s commitment to small class sizes is maintained. We also balance available seats between current and incoming Butler students. This means only a select number of seats will be open and available for incoming students during enrollment at New Student Registration. Be sure to select multiple options and keep an open mind towards course selection in the Core Curriculum.
The first experiential learning course in the Lacy School of Business is the First-Year Business Experience (EI 101). It should be taken in the first year and is offered both fall and spring semesters.
Business Calculus (MA 125) is required for LSB students and may be taken in either the fall or spring semester. Students desiring to take a higher level math course may take Calculus and Analytic Geometry (MA 106) in place of MA 125. Placement exam results will determine whether students should take algebra (MA 101) before taking the MA 125 or MA 106. Students who are required to start with MA101 should enroll in the course their first semester.
Visit the Lacy School of Business website for more information.
College of Communication majors:
- COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition (public speaking)
- SW 266 Media Literacy
- Foreign Language
As a first-year student, you are strongly advised to enroll in a foreign language; students take a placement exam to determine the appropriate course level. Further information about the foreign language requirement can be found here.
Most first-year students take COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition and SW 266 Media Literacy.
Depending on your major, below you will find a selection of introductory courses to consider:
Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) Department
Major: Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD)
CSD 231 Introduction to Communication Sciences & Disorders
Communication & Media Studies (CMS) Department
Major: Critical Communication and Media Studies (CCM)
SW 266 Media Literacy
COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition (public speaking)
Major: Human Communication and Organizational Leadership (ORG)
COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition (public speaking)
ORG 253 Interpersonal Communication
ORG 270 Organizational Communication
The Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism and Creative Media
Major: Creative Media and Entertainment (CME)
CME 109 Fundamentals of Videography and Video Editing or
CME 111 Introduction to Creative Media and Entertainment or
WDD 108 Multimedia Graphics
Major: Journalism (JR)
JR 112 Introduction to News Writing and Reporting or
JR 113 Introduction to Broadcast Journalism
Major: Music Industry Studies (MI)
MI 107 Music Skills for Industry Professionals
MI 109 Survey of the Music Industry
Major: Sports Media (SPM)
SPM 101 Introduction to Sports Media
SPM 120 Introduction to Sports Production or
JR 112 Introduction to News Writing and Reporting
Strategic Communication: Public Relations & Advertising (STR) Department
Major: Strategic Communication (STR)
STR 128 Promotional Writing I
Exploratory: Communication
Select from any of the courses above.
Visit the College of Communication website for more information.
First-year students will be enrolled in at least five hours of College of Education coursework.
If you plan to minor, major or pursue a teaching license in a particular foreign language that you studied during high school, please be sure to take a placement exam. Otherwise, there is no foreign language requirement in the College of Education so no placement exam is needed.
If you plan to teach chemistry, please take the chemistry placement exam.
Visit the College of Education website for more information.
All Liberal Arts and Sciences students are required to take a foreign language. You may choose to continue in a language you have taken in high school or start from the beginning in a new language. If you plan to enroll in a language that you have already studied, you will need to complete a placement exam before New Student Registration. If you plan to begin a new language, a placement exam is not required. If you have college credit for your foreign language, you may not need to take additional language courses unless you plan to continue your foreign language.Further information about the foreign language requirement can be found here.
The Core Curriculum includes six Areas of Inquiry that focus on distinct areas of study. You are exempt from the Area of Inquiry that includes your major since you will already be studying that area in depth through your major courses:
Exempt from Analytical Reasoning: Actuarial Science; Computer Science; Engineering Dual Degree Program (EDDP); Mathematics; Software Engineering; Statistics
Exempt from The Social World: Anthropology; Criminology; Criminology & Psychology; Economics; Environmental Studies; Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies; International Studies; Peace and Conflict Studies; Philosophy & Psychology; Political Science; Political Science & Psychology; Psychology; Psychology & Anthropology; Science, Technology, & Society; Sociology; Social Work and Psychology
Exempt from The Natural World: Astronomy & Astrophysics; Biochemistry; Biology; Chemistry; Engineering Dual Degree Program (EDDP); Physics
Exempt from Texts and Ideas: Chinese; Classics; English; French; German; History; History & Anthropology; History & Political Science; Multilingual; Philosophy; Philosophy & Religion; Religion; Spanish
Visit the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website for more information.
In preparation for advising and enrollment:
Take All Appropriate Placement Exams
- Chemistry Placement Exam – All COPHS students need to take a chemistry placement exam.
- Math Placement Exam – All COPHS students need to take a math placement exam.
- Foreign Language Placement Exam – Everyone considering a foreign language course should take the respective language exam to determine proper course placement.
Examine Potential Course Options
Most students in COPHS majors will enroll in 15-18 credit hours per semester.
- All first year students at Butler University must take First Year Seminar (FYS).
- All COPHS students will take general Chemistry*. CH 105 or CH 107 in the fall, depending on placement exam results and intended pre-professional track.
- All COPHS students should take Biology and a Math course in their first year, either in the fall or the spring semester.Health science majors typically take a Math class (MA 106 or MA 162) or Physics (PH 107) in the fall semester and BI 210 in the spring semester.Healthcare and Business majors typically take MA 125 and MA 100 in the fall semester, then take BI 105 in the spring.Pre-Pharmacy majors typically take BI 105 or BI 210 in the fall and MA 106 in the spring, but this can be reversed depending on availability.
- All COPHS students will take a course specific to your major from faculty in the college during your first year and often in your first semester.Health Science majors will take either BSHS 110 Introduction to Healthcare or PE 128 Introduction to Health Education first semester. Whichever class is not taken in the fall will be taken in the spring. You will not enroll in both in the fall.Healthcare and Business majors will take BSHS 100 Introduction to Healthcare in either the fall or spring first year. Pre-pharmacy majors will take PX 100 Exploring Pharmacy in the fall.
- The schedule for COPHS students will then be completed with the following coursework (any of these could be substituted for a language if desired):Health Science majors will take a PCA course of their choosing or a SW course (either SW 200-SO or SW 250-PS).Healthcare and Business majors will take a PCA, SW, TI, or PWB of their choosing (PWB can be taken in addition to PCA, TI, or SW if the student will not be taking too many credit hours).Pre-Pharmacy majors will take PCA, SW or PWB of their choosing (PWB can be taken in addition to PCA or SW if the student will not be taking too many credit hours).
*Students have the potential to utilize AP, IB, and/or dual credits from high school to satisfy some courses. Be sure to talk about credits you have earned previously with your advisor during New Student Registration.
Visit the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences website for more information.
To prepare for your advising appointment, JCA students should:
Take all appropriate placement exams:
- All required placement exams will be on your “To Do List’ in My.Butler.
- Music majors must also complete a Music Theory placement exam. Details about this exam are sent via email and US Mail in early spring.
- Dance and Music majors will be scheduled to complete a brief keyboard placement test on the day of registration. Notification of your scheduled time will come via email in the days prior to your confirmed registration date.
- While there is not a foreign language requirement in the Jordan College of the Arts, if you plan to continue study of any foreign language(s), you will need to complete a placement exam in that particular foreign language.
Review potential topics for First Year Seminar and additional Core Curriculum courses:
- Please understand that required courses in your major may limit your options.
- Prepare to be flexible and consider several topics.
Music majors: Ensemble courses will be assigned following placement auditions during Welcome Week.
Please visit the Jordan College of the Arts website for more information.
All Exploratory Studies students are encouraged to take LC 103-Exploratory Studies, a 2-credit hour academic and career exploration class. Decision-making, self-assessment, academic options, and career planning are the foundational components of this course.
In addition to taking this class, we encourage Exploratory Studies students to select a variety of Core Curriculum classes that can introduce academic fields of study in which to major, minor, or study as an elective. Many students have taken Core Curriculum classes that sparked their interest and led to declaring a major or minor.
Exploratory Studies students also enroll in introductory classes that majors offer. Some of the many introductory classes that can assist in your exploration include:
- CH 105-General Chemistry
- CS 142-Introduction to Computer Science & Programming
- ED 199-Exploring Educator Identity
- EI 101-First-Year Business Experience
- SW 200-Understanding Society (sociology, Core class)
- SW 250-Psychological Inquiry (psychology, Core class)
- SW 266-Media Literacy (communication, Core class)
Taking a language may also be a good option for you as you begin your academic journey. All undergraduates in Butler’s College of Communication and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as International Business majors, are required to show proficiency in a language other than English. Your academic advisor will tell you where you placed based on the results of any language placement exams you completed. You can also elect to try a language that you haven’t taken before. If you choose to start a new language, you do not need to take a placement exam. Butler offers classes in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Latin, and Spanish.
Visit the Exploratory Studies website for more information.
It is an Honors Program requirement that all Honors students enroll in HN 110, Honors First-Year Seminar I, during the fall semester and HN 111, Honors First-Year Seminar II, during the spring semester. This two-semester sequence will allow you to fulfill the Core Curriculum’s First-Year Seminar (FYS) requirement while also earning credit for one honors seminar. (You must complete both semesters of the course in order to earn credit for one Honors seminar.)
You will be able to choose among several different versions of this course, so consult with your academic advisor to determine which version best suits your intellectual interests and schedule. You can explore the various Honors First-Year Seminar options on the First-Year Seminar website.