The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Butler University

professional issues related to medical practice,
techniques of history-taking and physical
assessment, clinical medicine, pharmacology,
therapeutics, medical procedures and research
methods. The instruction is supplemented by
laboratory experiences to enable students to
practice what they have learned. The clinical
component consists of rotations in major medical
disciplines, with emphasis on primary care
disciplines. Students have the option of taking
electives in medical and/or surgical specialties,
or continuing to gain additional primary care
experience.
Eligibility and Admission
Requirements:
Nearing completion of approximately 50
semester hours (three semesters) of the
recommended preprofessional curriculum,
students may apply for admission to the PA
program (i.e. the professional phase). The
written application takes into account a
student’s academic background and record of
performance and prior health-related work
experience. Prior health care experience is
highly recommended but not required. Transfer
students from other colleges or universities
are encouraged to apply and must meet the
additional requirements of Butler transfer students
as outlined in this Bulletin. All applicants
for the professional phase of the physician
assistant program must submit completed
applications to CASPA (www.caspaonline.org),
a centralized application processing service, by
Dec. 1 in the year preceding the semester of
professional phase enrollment.
A student’s comprehensive GPA for all
courses taken prior to admission into the PA
program must be 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale.
Preprofessional students must earn a C- or
better in all required courses (including those
courses used to satisfy core requirements) in the
preprofessional curriculum for these courses to
be considered successfully completed and thus
qualifying the student for professional phase
admission consideration.
Applicants undergo a screening process
by the PA program and may be called for an
interview. Based on this evaluation, students
presenting the best overall qualifications will be
offered admission into the professional phase of
the program.
Only students admitted to and currently
enrolled in the professional PA program of the
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences may
register for courses offered as part of the professional
curriculum numbered with AP designators.
Such students also must maintain their eligibility
to continue in the PA Program.
Degree Requirements:
Students are required to complete 192
semester hours with a comprehensive Butler
GPA of 2.0 or greater in all courses to be
awarded the Master of Physician Assistant
Studies degree. Students who complete the first
four years of the curriculum will be awarded the
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree.
Successful completion of the professional
curriculum requires that the student not exceed
five credit hours of coursework with earned
grades less than C (2.0) in PX and AP courses
numbered 300 or higher. Additionally, the
student’s professional GPA must be 2.0 or
higher. For the purposes of this calculation,
the professional curriculum consists of those
courses designated AP or PX. The proper
sequence of courses must be maintained in the
professional phase, and the prerequisites for
each course satisfied. The student is responsible
for making certain that he or she has completed
all required courses in the curriculum.
All coursework for any professional phase
year must be completed before beginning the
subsequent year. Professional phase PA students
must earn a grade of C or better in all courses
within the professional phase for those courses
to be considered successfully completed.
Any student who does not successfully
complete the second year professional phase
didactic course work with a grade of C or better
in each course within 12 months of the time
the course work was begun must complete a
comprehensive written examination, perform
an observed history and physical examination
on a real or simulated patient and score 70
percent or better on each of these assessments
before being allowed to begin clinical rotations.
The student will have three opportunities,
evenly-spaced over a three month period of
time, to pass each of these assessments. If
unsuccessful, the student will be dismissed
from the College.
Any student who is absent from clinical
rotations for three months or more must
complete a comprehensive written examination,
perform an observed history and physical
examination on a real or simulated patient
The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
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