Pre-Pharmacy

Pharmacy graduates at Butler boast a 100 percent job placement rate within the first six months of graduation.

Butler’s PGY1 match rate for 2024 graduates was 93.3 percent (compared with an 81.2 percent national match rate).

Accredited since 1940, this well-established program with a direct pathway option can give you comfort that a seat will be available for you in the professional program.

Butler is located in the heart of Indianapolis and has affiliations with all the major healthcare institutions in Indiana.

At Butler, you’ll receive the highest-quality professional training plus access to an amazing range of co-curricular and liberal arts opportunities. You can also expand your options with a variety of concentrations or dual degree options, such as the PharmD/MBA program.

Butler’s Pre-Pharmacy program prepares undergraduate students with the prerequisites they’ll need to get into pharmacy school. Butler’s Pre-Pharmacy degree provides a direct pathway into Butler’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program for students who meet the academic criteria.

When deciding what to study in undergrad, many students choose biology, chemistry, physics, or a similar degree while taking into consideration prerequisites for pharmacy school. Butler’s Pre-Pharmacy degree is specifically designed for students to gain the skills and perspectives needed to earn their PharmD, building skillsets in cell biology, human anatomy and physiology, immunology, and more.

Following an undergraduate education with a relevant curriculum, students then select and apply to a pharmacy school to earn their Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). Including undergraduate studies, the process can take 6-8 years to complete depending on the program. For example, while most students complete Butler’s program in six years, students who enter with dual-credit or AP basic science or math courses may complete the track in five years.

Pre-med students typically want to become a physician or other medical provider by earning their MD, whereas pre-pharmacy students set their sights on earning their PharmD to become a pharmacist. Since most medical and pharmacy schools don’t require a specific undergraduate degree and just have a certain set of prerequisites, there is some overlap in both curriculums. However, becoming a pharmacist requires fewer years of study, and not all pharmacists are required to do a residency like their physician peers.