College & Program Information
We recommend you utilize Class Search as you prepare for your advising appointment.
Remember that as a requirement of Butler’s Core Curriculum, all first-year students, regardless of major, are required to enroll in a First-Year Seminar both fall and spring semesters. The Areas of Inquiry are intended to be distributed across all four years, rather than be concentrated solely in the first and second years.
Core Curriculum courses are in high demand, so we carefully manage enrollment to ensure that Butler’s commitment to small class sizes is maintained. We also balance available seats between current and incoming Butler students. This means only a select number of seats will be open and available for incoming students during enrollment at New Student Registration. Be sure to select multiple options and keep an open mind towards course selection in the Core Curriculum.
The first experiential learning course in the Lacy School of Business is the First-Year Business Experience (EI 101). It should be taken in the first year and is offered both fall and spring semesters.
Business Calculus (MA 125) is required for LSB students and may be taken in either the fall or spring semester. Students desiring to take a higher level math course may take Calculus and Analytic Geometry (MA 106) in place of MA 125. Placement exam results will determine whether students should take algebra (MA 101) before taking the MA 125 or MA 106. Students who are required to start with MA101 should enroll in the course their first semester.
Visit the Lacy School of Business website for more information.
College of Communication majors:
- COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition (public speaking)
- SW 266 Media Literacy
- Communication and Culture course (from approved list)
Most first-year students will take COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition and SW 266 Media Literacy, plus an introductory class to their major in their first semester.
Depending on your major, below you will find a selection of introductory courses to consider:
Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) Department
Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS)
SLHS 231 Introduction to Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
The Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism and Creative Media (SJCM)
Major: Creative Media and Entertainment (CME)
CME 109 Fundamentals of Videography and Video Editing or
CME 111 Introduction to Creative Media and Entertainment
Major: Critical Communication and Media Studies (CCM)
SW 266 Media Literacy
COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition (public speaking)
Major: Journalism (JR)
JR 101 Role of Journalism in Society
JR 112 Introduction to Multimedia Journalism
Major: Music Industry Studies (MI)
MI 107 Music Skills for Industry Professionals
MI 109 Survey of the Music Industry
Major: Sports Media (SPM)
SPM 101 Introduction to Sports Media
SPM 120 Introduction to Sports Production or
JR 112 Introduction to Multimedia Journalism
Strategic Communication and Organizational Leadership Department
Major: Organizational Communication & Leadership (ORG)
COM 101 Rhetoric and the American Democratic Tradition (public speaking)
ORG 253 Interpersonal Communication
ORG 270 Organizational Communication
Major: Strategic Communication: Public Relations & Advertising (STR)
STR 128 Promotional Writing I
Exploratory: Communication
Select from any of the courses above.
Visit the College of Communication website for more information.
First-year students will be enrolled in at least five hours of College of Education coursework.
If you plan to minor, major or pursue a teaching license in a particular foreign language that you studied during high school, please be sure to take a placement exam. Otherwise, there is no foreign language requirement in the College of Education so no placement exam is needed.
If you plan to teach chemistry, please take the chemistry placement exam.
Visit the College of Education website for more information.
Given the breadth of majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students will take a variety of courses as they begin their journey at Butler. All first-year students will take a first-year seminar and most students will take introductory courses in their major. Incoming students should review all New Student Registration materials from their department, in the New Student Orientation course, for information about the classes they will take during their first year and discuss class requirements and suggested courses with their academic advisor.
Prior to New Student Registration, students will be notified via their Butler email about the required placement exams specific to their major. These placement exams will also be listed on their student status page.
All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to take a foreign language. Students who plan to continue in a language they studied in high school must take a placement exam before New Student Registration. However, students who want to learn a language they have not studied previously do not need to take the placement exam. If a student has earned college credits in a foreign language, they may not need to take any additional courses to satisfy the language requirement. Further information about the foreign language requirement can be found here.
The math placement test is required of most incoming students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students may be exempt from the exam if they score above a certain threshold on the math section of the SAT or ACT. Scores must be verified, not self-reported.
All biochemistry, biology, and chemistry students should take the chemistry placement exam in order to determine optimal placement in chemistry courses. Additionally, students who are interested in pursuing health careers (pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-optometry, pre-veterinary, pre-physician’s assistant, pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy) should take the chemistry placement exam.
Visit the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website for more information.
Visit the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences undergraduate website for more course details.
To prepare for your advising appointment, JCA students should:
Take all appropriate placement exams:
- All required placement exams will be on your “To Do List’ in My.Butler.
- This includes a Music Theory placement test for music majors.
- Dance majors must complete a brief, online keyboard placement test prior to their advising appointment. Information will be included in your New Student Registration welcome email.
- While there is not a foreign language requirement in the Jordan College of the Arts, if you plan to continue study of any foreign language(s), you will need to complete a placement exam in that particular foreign language.
Review potential topics for First Year Seminar and additional Core Curriculum courses:
- Please understand that required courses in your major may limit your options.
- Prepare to be flexible and consider several topics.
Music majors: You will register for a large ensemble during your New Student Registration appointment as a place holder. Large ensemble auditions will then be held very near the start of the fall semester. You will receive music and info for those later. Following ensemble auditions, if you need to change your ensemble registration, your advisor will help you with that.
Please visit the Jordan College of the Arts website for more information.
Details about New Student Registration for Founder’s College will be available soon. In the meantime, visit the Founder’s College website for updates or to reach out with any questions.
All Exploratory Studies students are encouraged to take LC 103-Exploratory Studies, a 2-credit hour academic and career exploration class. Decision-making, self-assessment, academic options, and career planning are the foundational components of this course.
In addition to taking this class, we encourage Exploratory Studies students to select a variety of Core Curriculum classes that can introduce academic fields of study in which to major, minor, or study as an elective. Many students have taken Core Curriculum classes that sparked their interest and led to declaring a major or minor.
Exploratory Studies students also enroll in introductory classes that majors offer. Some of the many introductory classes that can assist in your exploration include:
- CH 105-General Chemistry
- CS 142-Introduction to Computer Science & Programming
- ED 112-Introduction to Professional Educators
- LE 264-Business Ethics
- SW 200-Understanding Society (sociology, Core class)
- SW 250-Psychological Inquiry (psychology, Core class)
- SW 266-Media Literacy (communication, Core class)
Taking a language may also be a good option for you as you begin your academic journey. All undergraduates in Butler’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as International Business majors, are required to show proficiency in a language other than English. Your academic advisor will tell you where you placed based on the results of any language placement exams you completed. You can also elect to try a language that you haven’t taken before. If you choose to start a new language, you do not need to take a placement exam. Butler offers classes in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Latin, and Spanish.
Visit the Exploratory Studies website for more information.
It is an Honors Program requirement that all Honors students enroll in HN 110, Honors First-Year Seminar I, during the fall semester and HN 111, Honors First-Year Seminar II, during the spring semester. This two-semester sequence will allow you to fulfill the Core Curriculum’s First-Year Seminar (FYS) requirement while also earning credit for one honors seminar. (You must complete both semesters of the course in order to earn credit for one Honors seminar.)
You will be able to choose among several different versions of this course, so consult with your academic advisor to determine which version best suits your intellectual interests and schedule. You can explore the various Honors First-Year Seminar options on the First-Year Seminar website.