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Butler University Bulletin 2025-2026
Pharmacy, PharmD
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Total Credit Hours Required for Graduation (Campus Pathway or Without Previous Degree): 201
Total Credit Hours Required for Graduation for Online Pathway students that have a previous degree. (Excluding Pre-Professional Coursework and Liberal Education Elective Requirement): 139
*A minimum of 12 credit hours is required to be considered full time.
*Online Pathway students are required to attend three 5-day immersions, one occurring after the P1 year and the remaining two occurring in the summer after the P2 year.
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Required Butler CORE* Coursework
Student are required to complete all Butler University Core requirements. The Core Curriculum *Students with a previous bachelor’s degree are waived from the Butler University CORE requirements. Pre-Pharmacy Courses (37 hours)
Professional Pharmacy Didactic Courses (Campus & Online Pathways)
Professional Pharmacy Electives
Students must complete 7 credit hours of professional pharmacy electives before starting the P4 year. However, students working on RX 604, RX 605, and RX 606 projects may enroll in these courses during the P4 year. Liberal Education Elective (LEE)
All students must take at least 3 credit hours of non-math, non-science, non-pharmacy classes. Classes must be taken for a grade and not pass/fail. Transfer credit may be accepted to satisfy the Liberal Education Elective (LEE). Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE)
During the 4th Professional Year (P4) of the pharmacy program, students must complete 10 four-week APPE rotations. All students are required to complete the following: 1 General Medicine
1 Ambulatory Care
1 Hospital/Health System
1 Inpatient Acute Care
2 Community Practice
2 Patient Care Electives
2 Electives (either patient care or non-patient care) Total APPE Experiential Credit Hours: 40 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Concentrations
Pharmacy concentrations are specialized areas of emphasis that allow students to deepen their knowledge and skills in a particular field of interest, in addition to earning their Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. Much like adding a second major or minor, students may choose to pursue a concentration to complement their core pharmacy education and better align their studies with specific career goals. These concentrations are officially designated after students enter the professional phase of the PharmD program, providing focused training and experiences beyond the general curriculum. The concentrations available within the Doctor of Pharmacy program are: Entrepreneurial Concentration
Overview There is an increasing need for entrepreneurial skills in health care to encourage the creation of new and innovative health-related services, technologies, and therapies. Strong entrepreneurial skills form a dual, interactive process, where students develop an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their ideas, and of themselves, in relation to the wider environment. Students who pursue this concentration will be better equipped to identify emerging problems, develop thoughtful solutions, and lead the pharmacy profession forward. Goals and Outcomes Provide students with a fundamental knowledge of concepts and skills necessary for practice in traditional and emerging areas of the profession. Teach students how to apply principles of operations, financial management, marketing, and innovation to pharmacy practice-related problems. Make students problem-solvers, helping them to overcome the unique and ever-changing challenges of delivering healthcare. Required Courses (15 hours)
Medical Spanish Concentration
Students may choose to take Medical Spanish courses during the pre-pharmacy phase but will be unable to declare the concentration until admitted into the professional pharmacy program. Students must formally register for the concentration by adding it as a minor using the Butler University Major/Program Change Form. Successful completion of the medical Spanish concentration requires a minimum of 12 credit hours of medical Spanish course work having the RX course designator. The 12 credit hours must include an APPE rotation with a Spanish-language focus. Student Learning Outcomes The three principal learning goals for the Medial Spanish Concentration are: - To provide students the opportunity to learn health care Spanish vocabulary
- To advance their Spanish grammar skills
- To improve their Spanish communication skills with the patients and health care providers
Curriculum Requirements
Complete a minimum of 12 hours of RX Medical Spanish courses which must include a 4-week APPE rotation serving a high population of people who speak Spanish as a first language. Didactic courses must be completed prior to the P4 year. Required Courses (12 hours)
Patient Care Research Concentration
The elective patient care research concentration within the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum will provide students an opportunity to participate in patient care focused research. The concentration comprises 12 credit hours of patient care research, at least 2 credit hours of independent study, and 2 credit hours of patient-care research seminar topics. The research activity will be completed in a clinical practice setting and will be performed under the direct supervision of a COPHS faculty member. Student Learning Outcomes In addition to the student learning outcomes for the Pharmacy Program, at the completion of the patient care research concentration the student will be able to: - Conduct a thorough literature review and write a concise summary of the literature relevant to a research project using appropriate critical thinking and analysis skills
- Generate, evaluate, analyze, and interpret patient-care data using the principles of scientific research integrity
- Prepare and submit an IRB application or complete an IRB continuing review for the research project
- Using knowledge gained through independent study and research seminar courses, conduct a patient-care research study with minimal supervision
- Create and present a written manuscript and oral presentation summarizing the background, methods, results, and conclusions of the conducted research
Required Courses (12 hours)
The College reserves the right to change the Doctor of Pharmacy with Patient Care Research Concentration curriculum at the discretion of the faculty. Contact Dr. Chad Knoderer (cknodere@butler.edu) to identify Concentration Mentor. Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Concentration
The elective pharmaceutical sciences research concentration within the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum will provide students an opportunity to participate in pharmaceutical sciences-focused research. The concentration comprises 12 credit hours of pharmaceutical sciences research, at least 2 credit hours of independent study, and 2 credit hours of pharmaceutical sciences research seminar topics. The research activity will be completed in a pharmaceutical sciences laboratory and will be performed under the direct supervision of a COPHS faculty member. Student Learning Outcomes In addition to the student learning outcomes for the Pharmacy Program, at the completion of the pharmaceutical sciences research concentration the student will be able to: - Conduct a thorough literature review and write a concise summary of the literature relevant to a research project using appropriate critical thinking and analysis skills
- Conduct quantitative research in pharmaceutical sciences (eg. laboratory, analytics or modelling) research with sufficient proficiency to function with minimal supervision
- Generate, evaluate, and interpret experimental data using the principles of scientific research integrity
- Create and present an oral presentation summarizing the background, methods, results, and conclusions of the conducted research
Requirements (12 hours)
The College reserves the right to change the Doctor of Pharmacy with Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Concentration curriculum at the discretion of the faculty. Note: All listed credit hours, except APPE experiences, will also count toward required Pharmacy Professional Electives. Required to complete two courses related to pharmaceutical science research
Required to complete a holistic research experience in pharmaceutical sciences to understand the entirety of engaging in research which could be met in any the following ways
- A PharmD Project (completing all three: RX 604 , RX 605 , RX 606 ) - Min Units: 3-4 depending on the size of the project
- Complete a BSI where the student is granted internship credit through the PharmD Internship for Academic Credit Course Policy Min Units: 3
- Complete an Honors Thesis in Pharmaceutical Science Research Max Units: 4
Options to complete 12 credit hour requirement for the concentration from additional research experiences
Any combination of the following can be used to achieve the total of 12 credit hours -
Pharmaceutical Sciences professional elective (only 1 course can count toward the concentration) selected from courses with the Course Attribute of “Pharmaceutical Science Elective” - Min Units: 2 -
Paid or unpaid internship experience in Pharmaceutical Science Research, a BSI, HN Thesis, or PharmD Project credit hours if not already counted for the “holistic research” experience requirement - Max Units: 6 ** Prerequisite for research rotations: grade of C or better in research concentration basic science courses; all three research rotations are to be completed consecutively. Pain Management Concentration
The Pain Concentration has been designed to equip students with the clinical and critical thinking skills necessary to care for patients compassionately and comprehensively with pain-whether acute, chronic or at the end-of-life. The courses consider the challenges facing pharmacists and the health care team in managing pain amidst an epidemic of substance abuse, considering evidence-based practice models, novel risk mitigation strategies, and an ever-evolving legal landscape. Students who complete the concentration experience will be prepared to navigate the most challenging clinical scenarios, regardless of your future area of practice. Student Learning Outcomes -
Incorporate principles of nonpharmacologic, active treatment modalities alongside pharmacologic management to instruct students on addressing pain, substance use disorders, and common end-of-life symptoms. Required Courses (12 hours)
- RX 480 - Integrative/Holistic Medicine Min Units: 2
- RX 611-56 Palliative Medicine Min Units: 3
- RX 611-93 Principles of Pain & Substance Use Disorder Min Units: 3
- P4 APPE Rotation - Focused in Palliative Medicine/Pain Management Min Units: 4
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