Pre-Podiatry

About the Profession

Podiatry is the branch of medicine devoted to the study of human movement with treatment of the diseases, injuries or disorders of the foot and ankle as the primary focus. Applicants complete requirements similar to those for medical school. Average GPAs for admission are in the 3.1-3.3+ range  for overall GPA and in the sciences. The MCAT or another standardized test is typically required.

There are nine schools of podiatric medicine, all of which belong to the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM). The member schools participate in a centralized application service sponsored by AACPM. All the schools are private and the one in New York State is the NY College of Podiatric Medicine located in Manhattan.

Your Record

From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete dossier with which to apply to these professional schools. Each of the requirements is a part of the whole. For Podiatry schools your record will include:

Course Requirements

Start planning as a freshman to meet the following course requirements: A minimum of one year each of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, all with a year of lab; one year of English; and one year of Math is recommended. Below are the UB courses which we recommend you take in order to meet these requirements:

Pre-Podiatry Course Requirements
COURSE NAME COURSE NUMBER(S) CREDITS
Chemistry (Required and on MCAT) CHE 101-102 w/labs 113-114, or 105-106, or 107-108 w/labs 127-128 8-10 credits
Organic Chemistry (Required and on MCAT) CHE 201-202, or 203-204 w/labs 205-206, or 251-252 10 credits
Biology (Required and on MCAT) BIO 200, and BIO 201 w/lab 211 9 credits
Physics (Required and on MCAT) PHY 101-102 w/labs 151-152, or
PHY 107-108 or 117-118 w/lab 158*
10 credits
English/Writing (Required and reading on MCAT) Communication Literacy 1 and 2
(If any waived take 3 or 6 credits of writing intensive, literature-based courses – check with prehealth advisor if unsure)
6 credits
Biochemistry (Recommended and on the MCAT) BCH 403, or BIO 305 with optional lab of BIO 315 3-5 credits
Calculus (Recommended) MTH 121 OR 141 4 credits
Human Physiology (Highly Recommended and on MCAT) PGY 300 or PGY 451-452 4-6 credits
Psychology (Highly Recommended and on MCAT) PSY 101 3 credits
Medical Sociology (Highly Recommended and on MCAT) SOC 322 (SOC 101 is recommended but not required before taking SOC 322)

 

Additional course options are available in SOC, APY, AAS, and PUB. See a prehealth advisor for more information.

3 credits
Statistics (Highly Recommended and on MCAT) STA 119 or PSY 207 or STA 427 4 credits

*Consult with a prehealth advisor regarding additional lab requirements if taking a Physics sequence which includes only one lab.

  • ONLINE prerequisite courses are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED as many professional schools will not accept them.
  • Check with individual schools for additional requirements.
  • All required courses must be taken for a grade. Each school has its own policy about AP credit. Usually, AP credit in these areas should be followed with additional upper level work in the discipline including labs. AP credit in math is the only subject in which more advanced work is not necessarily required.
  • Let your major advisor know of your professional goals so they can help you, along with Prehealth, plan your courses accordingly. There are sometimes cases for course substitutions that are allowed (for example, engineering majors) and always a need for careful planning.