Further Education Information

This page contains academic information for people considering a qualification and career in Podiatry and for Podiatrists looking to further their studies through various academic pathways.

Bachelor of Health Science (Podiatry)

The Bachelor Program is a 4 year course conducted through the School of Health Science at the UniSA City East Campus, Adelaide.  For more information on the program visit the University of South Australia website www.unisa.edu.au

For a list of Australian Universities that offer a Bachelor of Podiatry, scroll to the bottom of the page.

Postgraduate Study Options by Dr Sara Jones - Head of School - UniSA

There are a variety of postgraduate study options open to podiatrists. I have outlined some of the issues to consider if you are thinking about further study at some point in the future.  There are two broad streams of postgraduate study : Coursework and Research. The majority of those who commence coursework based postgraduate courses are doing so to expand their professional knowledge or to update/reacquaint themselves with the stuff that they slept through while an undergraduate. Coursework programs are commonly structured as a series of stand-alone subjects, with four subjects comprising a Graduate Certificate (equivalent to one semester full time), eight subjects a Graduate Diploma (one year full time) and twelve subjects a Masters degree (1.5 to two years full time).

UniSA courses
At UniSA we offer podiatry-specific postgraduate studies within a generic “Health Sciences” structure (so you may complete a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters of Health Sciences). There is a mix of profession- specific and general subjects within the programs.

UWA courses
UWA is offering a Masters degree program in podiatric medicine and surgery, which is currently being offered in internal delivery mode. However, it is worth monitoring their web site on changes to this and future developments

Other Postgraduate coursework programs
There are a range of other coursework based postgraduate programs available for podiatry graduates to consider, and I would encourage practitioners to consider options outside the traditional sphere when thinking about postgraduate studies. We really need podiatrists to continue to move into associated professional areas in order to extend the knowledge and skills of our profession. We have seen podiatrists from SA successfully complete postgraduate programs in Primary Health Care at Flinders Uni, Public Health at Adelaide Uni, Diabetes Education at institutions Australia- wide and MBA programs both here and interstate. There are currently SA podiatrists completing studies in Wound Care and Health Counselling, among others. Most postgraduate programs can be done in “flexible” mode, meaning that you can choose to undertake subjects externally, on-line or by intensive study block in one week modules.

Professional Doctorates
Professional Doctorates are a continued extension of the postgraduate coursework model. They are generally a prescribed program of study which includes coursework and project work, where students will complete a series of discrete projects as part of their assessment. Unlike research degrees (which are generally covered by postgraduate scholarships funded by Universities and government), you have to pay for Professional Doctorates via a higher education contribution scheme. In SA, there are professional doctorate programs offered in areas such as education, public health, business management and law.

Research Degrees
Research degrees include Masters and PhD programs. The research training process involved in these degrees is very structured and prescriptive, where you are required to complete detailed research within one specific area. Entry into research programs is closely controlled and monitored by each University. These days, government funding is largely contingent upon the student successfully completing – and there are penalties to the University for non-completions. Therefore it is very much in the interest of Universities to ensure they only take in students who are going to finish, and they are fairly tough in the selection process as a consequence. Therefore to have any chance of being accepted into a research program, you now have to have some form of track record. This may include (but is not exclusive to) one of the following :

• successful completion of an Honours degree program (with first or second class honours);
• successful completion of a preparatory program such as the Graduate Certificate in Research Methods;
• successful completion of a coursework program.

In addition to these academic qualifications, there is an expectation that you will have a track record in research or enquiry (such as journal publications, peer reviewed conference presentations etc) or demonstrated equivalent standing.
Honours Degrees (Bachelor of Podiatry (Honours) or Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours).  Until recently, this was not an option for podiatry in SA. There are now two different Honours degree pathways available for students via UniSA.
Students now undertaking the four year program may be invited to undertake Honours if they achieve a Credit minimum score in all courses in first and second year. The Honours program is undertaken concurrently with their other studies during the third and fourth years of the program.  Students who do not meet this eligibility, or students who decide at a later date that they would like to do Honours (and this includes the vast majority of the profession for whom Honours was not an option previously) may apply to do a stand-alone Honours year after completion of their degree. This may be done as a one year full-time or two year part-time program.  Both Honours programs include some coursework teaching related to research design and statistical methods, a research proposal development subject and a thesis. For anyone considering a future career in research, the Honours pathway provides the most direct means of entry into research degrees – provided you can achieve a high score in assessments. Students who achieve a first class honours degree are best positioned to obtain scholarships to fund future studies.

Useful websites:
Graduate Certificate in Health Science (Podiatry)
www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/programs/program.asp?Program=ICHP&Plan=POD%2DICHP

Graduate Certificate in Health Science (Research Methodologies)

www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/programs/program.asp?Program=ICHP&Plan=RMETH%2DICHP

Postgraduate programs at UWA

www.meddent.uwa.edu.au/courses/postgraduate/coursework

Flinders University Health
http://som.flinders.edu.au/FUSA/PublicHealth/GraduateStudies/crs_grad.htm

Adelaide University Health

www.adelaide.edu.au/programfinder/pgcw/health/