Bachelor of Podiatry

Feet are fascinating and complex – they carry our weight for thousands of kilometers in a lifetime, they contain a quarter of the bones in the human body, and there are over 200 different identified foot conditions.

This degree will enable you to work in a specialty industry where there is growing demand for your services, and you can have a hugely positive impact on people with debilitating health conditions.

Students of the Bachelor of Podiatry will learn to diagnose and treat problems with feet and the lower leg in state-of-the-art facilities at Southern Cross University’s Gold Coast campus. During your degree, you will have professional placement opportunities to work with children and adults, athletes and elderly people to examine sporting injuries, gait, biomechanics and acute foot conditions.

Graduates of this program will have the opportunity to pursue a career with a high degree of autonomy, working in hospital settings, group practice or for themselves.

Career Opportunities

As a podiatrist, working individually or as part of a team, in varied settings and with clients of all ages. The majority of podiatry employment is in private practice, but podiatrists also have the opportunity to work in community health settings; in hospitals and with specialized health teams such as in diabetic care; in health promotion and education; with children, athletes and older people; or to undertake research.

Professional Recognition

The Bachelor of Podiatry is accredited with the Australian New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council (ANZPAC). Graduates can seek national registration as podiatry practitioners with the Podiatry Board of Australia.

In order to register to practice, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency [AHPRA]; standards for the English language must be met. See the AHPRA website for further information.

Professional Placement

Students will complete approximately 1,000 hours of professional placement in various settings throughout the four years of study. These settings include but are not limited to public hospital rotations (high-risk foot clinics), private practice placements (general, sports and surgical) and rural health locations.

Professional experience placements require students to fulfill certain pre-requisites prior to attending any placements. Before applying for this course, it is important that you understand what these requirements are.

Major Areas of Study

The Bachelor of Podiatry enables students to develop an understanding of the theoretical and practical components of podiatry, with a focus on both general and specialist knowledge and skills. This includes broad subject areas including anatomy, pathophysiology, pharmacology, psychology, and communication. As students move through the course, they study more specialized content including biomechanics, rehabilitation, dermatology, rheumatology, and pediatrics.

Clinical skills are gained through a gradual process of preclinical stimulation, internal University clinics, and external clinical practice placements.

Honors : The course includes an embedded allied health Honours program for eligible students, which can be studied concurrently during the Bachelor degree course.

Assessment methods

Assessment methods vary for each unit and may include multiple choice and essay-style examinations, scenario-based case studies, tutorial workshop presentations, written assignments and practical skills testing.

Teaching methods

On-campus students experience a variety of teaching approaches including lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions, simulations, clinical practice, online activities and video-linked or podcast virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit. Students will be expected to undertake clinical placements external to the University campuses.

Facts, figures, rankings and awards

Southern Cross University is a progressive, young and connected regional research university, with vibrant campuses in northern New South Wales and the southern Gold Coast. We offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and many are available in a dynamic online form. Whether studying on-campus, online, or both, we deliver exciting, contemporary and high-quality learning experiences.

Why SCU?

Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 20Bold, progressive and just 23 years of age – Southern Cross University is one of the Asia-Pacific’s Top 100 Universities and one of the world’s Top 50 Generation Y Universities .

Our contemporary campuses, with purpose-built state-of-the-art facilities, are located on the east coast of Australia, at the Gold Coast in Queensland, and in Lismore and Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. All are unique regions renowned for their natural beauty and ecological diversity, providing living laboratories for learning and creative hubs for artistic endeavour.

Branch campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are operated in collaboration with EduCo on behalf of Southern Cross University. The University also operates The Hotel School Sydney and Melbourne in partnership with Mulpha Australia. We also deliver degrees with collaborators in China, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

We have a large and diverse range of courses available online, offering interactive and immersive learning experiences wherever our students are.

Whether studying on-campus, online, or both, we deliver exciting, contemporary and high-quality learning experiences.

We aim to produce graduates who are career ready, world ready and digitally literate, and who experience an academic environment distinctive for its personal approach.

The University has a strong focus on industry and community collaboration to produce engaged teaching and research outcomes.

This connectivity is seeing Southern Cross University lead the $13.8m national Farming Together Pilot Program, partnering with the Northern Rivers Co-operatives Alliance and the Australian Government. The University has also introduced an important new Centre for Organics Research with the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

In the latest Excellence in Research for Australia report, Southern Cross achieved outstanding ratings of 'at world standard' or above in 24 research fields. In nine research fields, the University was evaluated at the highest possible classification of 'well above world standard'. This was achieved in the fields of Geochemistry, Oceanography, Environmental Science and Management, Zoology, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Crop and Pasture Production, Forestry Sciences, Nursing, Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Campuses

Southern Cross University is a vibrant, contemporary Australian university with beautiful campuses on the Gold Coast, Lismore and Coffs Harbour.

Sydney, Melbourne and Perth branch campuses (International students)

Southern Cross University's branch campuses at Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth are conveniently located in the central business districts.

Studying at SCU Sydney, Melbourne or Perth gives international students the opportunity to complete undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in three of the world's most liveable cities. Southern Cross University collaborates with EduCo Sydney Branch Pty Ltd for the operation of the SCU Sydney, Melbourne and Perth branch campuses.