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Podiatrists study the structure and function of the whole body and specialise in the foot, ankle and lower limb.

On graduating, you will be a qualified healthcare professional making your own clinical decisions. You will be ready to work alone or as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver preventative care, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of problems affecting the lower limb.

You will be taught about anatomy, physiology and pathology, and how the body reacts to illness and injury but always with a special focus on foot and lower limb problems.

One of the distinctive features of this course is the vast amount of practical experience it gives you. Under supervision, you'll start seeing patients at the start of the second term of your first year in our on-site Clinical Education Centre. You will also undertake clinical placements within National Health Service clinics across London and the east of England, beginning towards the end of your first year.

What can you do with a podiatry degree? Read 'I See The Difference' and the Royal College of Podiatry  for more information.

Applicants are required to complete an enhanced occupational health assessment to ensure that you are occupationally fit to work in the health and social care setting and complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Services check.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

This three year course gives you the scientific knowledge you will need to qualify as a podiatrist as well as showing you how taking the appropriate action can prevent foot-related disease and disability.

Your first year concentrates on the normal working of the body and the main core skills of podiatry. In year two you'll gain an understanding of the common pathologies affecting the foot and lower limb and how to manage them. In year three, you will concentrate on complex cases and the decision-making that underlies management planning.

You will learn about the important diseases that can affect the foot, such as diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis. You'll have the chance to engage with specialist clinics via your placement experiences, which will allow you to put your learning into context.

We will teach you how to undertake nail surgery using local anaesthetic so you can competently carry out these procedures upon graduation and also give you the chance to observe podiatric surgeons at work. Many of our students' study for postgraduate qualifications to become podiatric surgeons.

The 1,000 hours of clinical practice you will achieve through working at our in-house clinic and at outside placements will make you highly employable on graduation.

In fact, 90 per cent of our graduates end up in a clinical position within six months of graduating.

The approximate amount of hours for this course are:

• Year 1: scheduled teaching - 445 hours; guided independent study - 650 hours; clinical placement - 105 hours
• Year 2: scheduled teaching - 352 hours; guided independent study - 514 hours; clinical placement - 350 hours
• Year 3: scheduled teaching - 186 hours; guided independent study - 666 hours; clinical placement - 420 hours