Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Indianapolis, IN

Founded: 1904

Class size: Around 130

At Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, students are encouraged to be agents of change.

One example of that is the student-developed and student-run Community Outreach Pharmacy, which aids a medically underserved community in Indianapolis and is operated with the help of students from Indiana University College of Medicine and other health profession programs. The program, which hundreds of students have participated in over the years, garnered the AACP Student Community Engaged Service Award in 2013. In addition, Butler’s pharmacy and physician assistant students participate in an all-day, annual health screening event that attends to 300 to 400 people.

Dean Mary Graham, PharmD, commended her faculty’s dedication to students in an interview with Pharmacy Times.

“We have a well-prepared faculty with a commitment to the success of each student,” she said.

In addition to its 6-year PharmD program, the college also offers opportunities for an MBA or MS dual degree, as well as dual majors, minors, and specialty tracks, such as medical Spanish or research.

Prospective students can also look forward to learning in a completely renovated setting on campus. The college now features new Health Education and Drug Information centers, plus a $14 million LEED-certified building addition.

Students interested in studying in another country may do so through the Butler campus’s Institute for Study Abroad program.

Q: What opportunities do students have for internships or co-ops?

A: All professional phase students complete 300 hours of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences and 1600 hours of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences at a variety of sites (required and elective experiences).

Q: What advice do you have for students who will graduate this year?

A: Look for opportunities to develop your ability to influence others: patients, other health providers, community leaders. The ability to influence others allows you to best utilize your knowledge and skills and is a desired characteristic in those pharmacists wishing to advance their careers by taking on new responsibilities and challenges.

Q: What is unique about your school/program?

A: Butler University offers a direct admission pathway to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree for pre-pharmacy freshmen. Every student meeting the academic and interview requirements will have a seat in the professional phase of the program.

In addition, problem-solving and critical-thinking experience is gained through a required senior project.

Our excellence in professional preparation, too, is demonstrated by 100% first-time pass rate on the pharmacy licensure exam in 4 out of the last 6 years.