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Podiatry BSc(Hons)

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

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Places available in clearing. Find out more.
Places available in clearing. Find out more.

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

3 years full-time
4½ years part-time

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About the course

Reasons to study

  1. This course is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the Royal College of Podiatry. 
  2. Discover how to perform minor surgical procedures using local anaesthetics, as well as obtaining a prescription-only medicines annotation.
  3. As well as attending seminars and lectures, you’ll be taught by industry experts in our on-campus podiatry clinic; using specialist gait analysis equipment, and developing skills in our orthotics laboratory, you’ll gain hands-on experience to give you a unique insight into the world of foot health.

What is a podiatrist?

A podiatrist is an allied healthcare professional who specialises in assessing and treating the lower limb and foot, preventing foot conditions from deteriorating, and enabling better health.

Helping to keep the population mobile, podiatrists are always in demand. This degree covers everything from health rehabilitation to musculoskeletal care and anaesthesia, and it can be a great route into what can prove a fulfilling career choice, where you can make a difference to people's lives.

This course is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), too, and accredited by the Royal College of Podiatry. After successfully completing the course, you’ll be able to apply to register with the HCPC and work as a Registered Podiatrist.

Why study Podiatry BSc(Hons)

Podiatry provides flexibility following your studies to work in various settings, including the NHS, private practice or even your own clinic. Alternatively, you may continue onto postgraduate study and enrol onto one of our Master’s courses – such as podiatric surgery. This gives you the qualification needed to potentially pursue a career as a foot surgeon.

As well as attending seminars and lectures, you’ll be taught by industry experts in our, on-campus podiatry clinic; using specialist gait analysis equipment, and developing skills in our orthotics laboratory, you’ll gain hands-on experience to give you a unique insight into the world of foot health.

In 2024, the University’s new Daphne Steele Building will open on the site of the National Health Innovation campus. The building features a state-of-the-art public-facing podiatry clinic, which will enable students to develop their skills and knowledge, whilst directly impacting on the health outcomes of the community.

You’ll develop the essential skills needed to be a podiatrist and gain hands-on experience during your placement, supported by our clinical lecturing team, who will be on hand to provide help and advice, both on campus and while you are on placement.

You’ll also learn how to undertake minor surgical procedures using local anaesthetics, as well as attain a prescription-only medicines annotation.

Students studying this course may be eligible to receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 each year. Further information is available on the NHS Learning Support Fund Website.

Not quite ready to start Podiatry BSc(Hons)? Successful completion of our Health Foundation Pathway leading to a BSc(Hons) Degree will equip you with the foundation knowledge to study Podiatry.

Course detail

Core modules:

Clinical Podiatry 1

This module aims to provide you with clinical experience of the fundamental techniques used in podiatric care and an understanding of the principles on which therapeutic interventions are based. Through supervised clinical sessions in the University's Podiatry Clinic and a four week NHS placement you'll focus on the practical application of psychomotor skills including scalpel work, nail care, health promotion and manufacture of clinical padding, strapping and insoles fabricated in the orthotic laboratory.

Lower Limb Structure and Function

This module introduces you to the anatomy of the lower limb and helps you to develop an understanding about different anatomical structures and their function in walking, including bones, joints, muscles and tendons. You’ll have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and recognition of anatomical structures, as well as your understanding of gait.

Medicine 1

You'll have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of homeostasis and the major organ systems of the human body. You'll also have the chance to gain the ability to demonstrate knowledge of core pathologies relevant to podiatric practice, which will enable you to put the module theory into clinical practice. Teaching will be delivered through interactive lectures, spot tests and online tutorial support.

Podiatric Theory 1

Through a combination of lectures and seminars you'll be introduced to a range of podiatric conditions which are commonly encountered in clinical practice. Completion of this module in addition to Clinical Practice 1 and Medicine 1 currently fulfils the College of Podiatry requirements for qualification as a podiatry assistant.

Professional Development and Research 1

This module involves a multidisciplinary learning approach, where you'll work with occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry students. You'll have the opportunity to explore lifelong learning and continuing professional development that underpins the essential skills needed in order to understand registration requirements for your specific professional and regulatory body.

Entry requirements

To find out if you’re eligible to start this course in September 2024 and get more information on how to apply, please see our Clearing pages or call our Clearing Helpline on 0333 987 900001484 472777.

If you’re interested in studying this course in September 2025, please view the 2025-26 course information.

In addition to the academic entry requirements, you will also need:

You need to demonstrate an understanding of the profession.

Offers will be subject to an interview and references. Please note all the information provided in support of your application may be checked and must be verifiable as a true record.

You also need satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and occupational health clearances prior to registration. We arrange these as part of the application process. You'll be required to sign a self-declaration at the start of each year. All police contact during the course must be reported to the course leader as a matter of urgency and may lead to suspension or termination. We will request an Overseas Police Check if you have lived in a country outside of the UK for 6 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years before applying to us and whilst aged 18 or over.

Placement providers for this course may require you to have received a number of vaccinations, unless medically exempt, and provide evidence of these. As a student on a course with a clinical or healthcare placement, we strongly recommend that you complete any courses of vaccinations required under current guidelines for your future profession. Failure to do so may result in your inability to undertake a placement in certain clinical settings, therefore impacting upon your academic progression, and may result in academic failure of your course.

Placements

Placements are a compulsory element of the course and take place in a range of different NHS settings. You'll undertake 435 hours on placement throughout the duration of the course. The placements will provide you with:

  • Orientation to the NHS and introduction to podiatry in the NHS.
  • Supervised work providing treatment of patients requiring footcare assistant level care.
  • A wider range of clinical practice experience to include an overview of the roles of other healthcare practitioners.
  • Supervised management of patients requiring complex interventions in a range of treatment locations, including those patients deemed to be at risk or those whose environment create additional risk.

There may also be opportunities for final year students to access placements in other parts of the world where we have contacts.

Please note that you may be required to travel for/during your placements. For more information visit our placements page.

“I've completed placements in an NHS trust and podiatric clinics in Singapore. They provided an insight into what the role of a podiatrist entails and the various settings they work. I was also able to network with other podiatrists and develop skills required for my future career.”

Levi Kadiri, podiatry student photo

Levi Kadiri, Currently studying Podiatry BSc(Hons)

Your career

As a registered practitioner, you can apply to work within the NHS and private practice.

Our graduates have gone on to work as podiatrists in the NHS hospitals, community health trusts and the private sector.**

After further training you could specialise in musculoskeletal care, orthotics, diabetes and high risk patients, as well as podiatric surgery.

 

* Percentage of graduates from this course who go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months after graduating ( HESA Graduate Outcomes 20/21, UK Domiciled)
** LinkedIn.

95% Graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

A wide range of resources are also offered within the School of Human and Health Sciences, which provides you with support in a variety of areas. These include:

Student Hub: a one stop shop for students, studying within the School. Their services include offering advice on extenuating circumstances, extension requests, course progression, suspension and welfare support, organising appointments with academic staff and signposting to other support networks.

Academic Skills Development Team: support students to develop their academic skills and build their confidence in order to improve their grades. The team provide support with academic skills including essay writing, being critical, reflective writing, numeracy, research skills, presentations and group work skills; as well as personal development for example time management.

Learning Technology Support Unit: helps students with any problems they experience with the University’s Brightspace Learning System, including logging on or difficulties experienced when accessing and using modules, and with the PebblePad platform, which is used by students when they go out on placements.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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