Butler University launching career-focused courses via Butler+ initiative

Butler University has rolled out an initiative that will focus on professional education and lifelong learning via a mix of degree programs, certificates and credentials.

The school officially launched Butler+ on Wednesday, but it has been building the initiative over the past two years, said Julie Straub, senior executive director of Butler+.

Butler+ will offers more than 25 degrees, 15 professional education offerings, 100 custom programs and seven certificates. Many of these offerings are new, Straub said, while others were already available.

The initiative is designed for people already in the workforce who want to advance their careers, , Straub said, and the offerings were specifically developed to meet the needs of Indiana’s workforce.

Butler said it worked with the Indiana Society of Association Executives, the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association, Community Health Network and other partners to develop the Butler+ programs.

“This Butler+ approach is our commitment to Indiana, and beyond that, we commit to being partnered and responsive to what’s happening in the world, and that we’re not going to be siloed and that we’re going to be responsive and create programs in partnership,” Straub said.

To that end, Butler+ focuses on credentials and degrees relevant to educators, child care providers, business innovators and entrepreneurs, cybersecurity and insurance providers, and people who work in health and wellness. About 90% of the Butler+ curricula is offered online, with tuition rates that are lower than Butler’s traditional four-year degree programming for full-time students.

A few examples of Butler+ course offerings:

• The Butler Insurance Academy, a certificate program with 20 different online courses covering various topics related to insurance products and policies. Tuition is $199 per course, or $1,800 for a subscription that offers access to all the courses for one year.
• A 15-month, 12-course program that leads to an early-childhood educator certificate and combines online learning with practical experiences in classrooms. Tuition is $833 per course, or $9,996 for all 12 courses

“We have really made a play to make sure we’re affordable in the market,” Straub said.

Butler+ is the university’s latest move into programs beyond traditional four-year undergraduate degrees.

In November, Butler announced it will create a two-year college on its campus that will begin enrolling students in the fall 2025 semester. Butler is working with the New York City-based not-for-profit Come to Believe Network on the initiative, which is aimed at students of color, first-generation college students and those from low-income households.

The two-year-degree program is designed so that students can earn an associate degree with no debt or out-of-pocket experiences. Most of those students will have the chance to continue with their studies at Butler and earn a bachelor’s degree for less than $10,000, the school has said.