Butler University is offering two new in-demand majors—public health and data science—through its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. University officials said that the expanded academic program offerings are in response to input from area employers.
Now more than ever, public health expertise is in high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates at least a 15 percent increase in healthcare occupations in the next six years, which represents more than 2.4 million new careers in the public health sphere. Butler’s B.S. in Public Health prepares students to evaluate the nature of health and the underlying societal causes of disease on an individual, community, and global scale. This new major encompasses 50 credit hours of academic work and allows students the opportunity to engage in a multi-disciplinary, liberal arts exploration of the scientific, social, cultural, and human dimensions of public health. Students will expand their knowledge of the complex intersecting factors that shape health, developing the ability to think critically about global and public health.
A focal point of the program is an integrative approach to public health that addresses issues of health inequity and disparity across all dimensions of health and health care. Students will be prepared to work in multi-faceted environments with people of diverse backgrounds to help solve complex community, national, and global public health problems. Designed with versatility in mind, graduates of this program will be well suited for graduate or professional studies or direct entry into the workforce in careers related to public health, health policy and law, epidemiology, social work, and more.
Butler’s B.S. in Data Science represents another rapidly expanding field, with employment figures projected to grow by more than 36 percent in just ten years. With an increasing demand for data-driven decision-makers across many different industries, Butler’s new Data Science major gives students the skills they need for success immediately upon graduation. This major offers an exciting blend of statistical inquiry, analysis, and interpretation—combined with computational processing and algorithmic techniques—to leverage domain-specific data into accountable and well-informed decision-making. Students must successfully complete 18 mathematics and computer science courses, in addition to the University Core Curriculum and other academic requirements, as part of their coursework.
“Butler University has an outstanding reputation for producing graduates that are well prepared for their careers, and employers visit our campus throughout the academic year to recruit our students” Jay Howard, Dean of Butler’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said. “We know from our conversations with those employers that graduates with Public Health and Data Science degrees are going to be in high demand well into the next decade. But more than that, employers want to hire people who possess integrity and a strong work ethic, and can work well within a team. They know that’s what they are getting when they hire a Butler University graduate.”
Additional information about Butler’s Public Health and Data Science programs, as well as Butler’s additional academic offerings, can be found at butler.edu/academics.