Healthcare & Business Major

The healthcare sector is rapidly evolving. Providers need reliable, strategic, business-savvy professionals to help make excellent patient outcomes possible.
The Healthcare and Business major is designed for students interested in both business strategy and healthcare systems. The program is an ideal choice for students seeking roles in healthcare management, pharmaceutical sales, medical device sales, healthcare IT, insurance, and and similar paths.
Located in the heart of Indianapolis, Butler offers students numerous experiential learning opportunities, with industry leaders like Eli Lilly, Roche, and Anthem among the many prominent companies based in the city.
Whether you’re looking to pursue an advanced degree such as an MBA or law degree or want direct entry into the workforce through the business or technology side of healthcare, the Healthcare and Business program prepares you for success in a wide range of contexts.
Healthcare and Business graduates are needed in pharmaceuticals, insurance, health systems, the nonprofit sector, government and public policy, clinical research, and more.
Example career paths/industries include:
- Healthcare consultant
- Pharmaceutical sales
- Medical device sales
- Insurance agent
- Healthcare policy analyst
- Medical supply chain manager
For those choosing to continue into graduate programs, there are many options, including business or health administration, law, and clinically-focused graduate programs. There are example HCB major undergraduate curricular tracks available for those pursuing careers in optometry and dentistry (as those clinicians are often also small business managers or owners) as well as law.
The Healthcare and Business (HCB) major is under the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) degree program. This curriculum blends healthcare and business courses with a creative, unique, and flexible approach. In addition to the Butler Core Curriculum, students in the healthcare & business program take basic science courses, our “core” healthcare courses, and several fundamental and advanced courses related to the business of healthcare. Students further individualize their curriculum by choosing from over 98 healthcare or business related electives that optimally prepare them for their chosen career path.
Flexibility is a key program feature, allowing students to switch tracks or majors within the first two years without affecting their graduation timeline to chart the ideal course for their career goals.
The HCB major also has optional concentrations available in sales and marketing, data analytics, risk management (insurance), and medical Spanish.
The HCB and Health Sciences curriculums have approximately 75 credit hours of coursework in common. In addition to the common courses, the HCB major curriculum has 35 hours of required business courses, including the courses in the healthcare management minor.
There is the traditional 4 year (8 semester) path to complete the program but completing in 7 semesters is also common.

Graduates from this program will:
communicate with confidence
Facilitate effective discussions with laypersons, health professionals, and business leaders on health and business-related matters.

Graduates from this program will:
stay informed
Locate, critically analyze, and apply data in a manner that supports evidence-based healthcare.

Graduates from this program will:
deliver solutions
Integrate natural & social sciences and healthcare fundamentals with business principles to solve complex problems and optimize health outcomes.

Graduates from this program will:
lead by example
Demonstrate ethical, professional, collaborative, and culturally-sensitive behavior in business and healthcare settings.

Velin Georgiev ’24 considers the Healthcare & Business major to be “the best of both worlds.” He graduated with a deep understanding of healthcare systems and how his interests and skills align with diverse professional opportunities.