Butler University is located six miles from downtown Indianapolis, Indiana in the Broad Ripple Village neighborhood. The school was established in 1855 and eventually named in recognition of its founder Ovid Butler. It was the first college in Indiana and the third in the nation to admit men and women. It was named in the 2013 edition of U.S. News & World Report as the second best college in the Midwest Region.
1. College of Pharmacy and the Butler Promise
The most competitive school at Butler is their School of Pharmacy. When completed, this six year program allows a student to earn both a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree and Doctorate of Pharmacy. During the first two years, students enroll in a pre-pharmacy curriculum. Students meeting a specific criteria will be directly entered into the four year doctoral curriculum. This guaranteed admission is known as the Butler Promise. Students are still required to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT). The School of Pharmacy is ranked first for private colleges with a average passing rate of 99.26% on the North American Pharmacy Licensing Exam (NAPLEX). Butler ranks seventh overall in the nation and the program has achieved a perfect passing rate six times.
2. Physician Assistant Program
3. Jordan College of the Arts
Butler University’s challenging curriculum blends their pre-professional programs with liberal arts coursework. The Jordan College of the Arts is a nationally recognized liberal arts curriculum taught in a conservatory-style program. This specialized area of study means that that half to three fourths of the credits students earn are in their specific arts major. The is difference from a liberal arts education where a student earns fine art credits while taking a courses in other concentrations.
Butler collaborates with Indianapolis area programs and companies to promote their students and expose them to professional programs. One way the JCA acts upon this is with the Metro Indy Event Credit program. In this program, students are required to attend local shows in their arts discipline. This experience helps to broaden a student’s educational experience while showcasing the talent in the Indianapolis Metro Area.
This midsized university (approximately 4600 students) has been in the national spotlight recently as their men’s basketball team has risen to NCAA Division I prominence. In consecutive years (2010 and 2011) the team finished as the national runner up. It has not been a coincidence that the success of the basketball program has helped expose Butler to many high school students outside the Midwest. This is known as the Flutie Effect.