Pre-Podiatry (DPM)
What future students usually study in college, how to get ready in high school, and what the career looks like today. Every fact below names its source.
You become: a Podiatrist (DPM). Podiatrists provide medical and surgical care for people with foot, ankle and lower leg problems. [1]
Last checked:
What it is
Podiatrists must earn a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree and complete a 3-year residency program, and a DPM degree program takes 4 years to complete. [1]
Admission to podiatric medicine programs requires at least 3 years of undergraduate education, but nearly all prospective students have a bachelor's degree in healthcare, biology or physical science. [1]
To enter a podiatric medical school one must first complete a minimum of three years or 90 semester hours of college credit at an accredited institution, and over 97% of the students who enter have a bachelor's degree. [2]
Courses for a DPM degree are similar to those for other medical degrees and include anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and pathology, and students gain supervised experience through clinical rotations. [1]
Podiatric medical graduates select a 36-month Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) that includes training in rear foot and ankle surgery. [3]
AACPM's application service, AACPMAS, allows applicants to use a single web-based application and one set of transcripts to apply to all of the schools and colleges of podiatric medicine. [2]
Courses to take before applying
The minimum prerequisites at all of the schools and colleges of podiatric medicine are 8 semester hours each of biology, general or inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, plus 6 semester hours of English, and all science courses require a lab. [2]
The science courses should be those designed for health professional students and must include laboratory experience, and courses for non-science majors are not accepted. [2]
Most applicants complete a bachelor's degree before starting the program, but candidates may apply with a minimum of 90 semester hours of undergraduate coursework. [4]
The rows below show one named program as an example: Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. Confirm each program’s own list.
| Course | Status | More about this course |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, with labs | Required in this example programBiology is 8 semester or 12 quarter hours, with labs. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: The molecules of life · Cell structure: prokaryotes and eukaryotes · The cell membrane and transport · Cellular respiration · From DNA to protein · Meiosis, mutations and genetic variation | ||
| General chemistry, with labs | Required in this example programGeneral chemistry is 8 semester or 12 quarter hours, with labs. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Atoms and electron arrangement · Periodic table patterns · Ionic and covalent bonding · The mole and molar mass · Stoichiometry and conservation of mass · Acids and bases · Quantities, units and rates · Literal equations and formulas | ||
| Organic chemistry, with labs | Required in this example programOrganic chemistry is 8 semester or 12 quarter hours, with labs, and biochemistry may be used as a substitute; Kent State's page does not say for how many of those hours. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Ionic and covalent bonding · Lewis structures and molecular shape · Forces between particles and bulk properties · Organic chemistry basics · Acids and bases · Reaction rates and collision theory | ||
| Physics, with labs | Required in this example programPhysics is 8 semester or 12 quarter hours, with labs. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Physics skills: units, vectors and graphs · Describing motion: position, velocity and acceleration · Newton's second law: net force, mass and acceleration · Conservation of energy: modeling energy in a system · Electric current, voltage and resistance · Waves: frequency, wavelength and speed · Radians and the unit circle | ||
| English or writing-intensive courses | Required in this example programEnglish is 6 semester or 9 quarter hours, and English, communications or other writing-intensive courses are accepted. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Writing a precise, significant argument · Evaluating and integrating sources · Drafting and documenting the research paper · Rhetorical appeals and devices | ||
Kent State recommends anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, genetics, medical terminology and microbiology to strengthen your foundation for podiatric medical school. [4]
Applicants must take the MCAT or DAT within three years of the application cycle. [4]
Typical high school preparation
We did not find an official source that gives high school course advice for this profession, so none is listed. For the high school courses colleges ask for in general, see the College Preparation page.
Pre-Health Foundations: coming soon
The career today
National figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies by state, setting and experience. This is not a promise of pay or a job.
The median annual wage for podiatrists was $160,300 in May 2025. [1]
Employment of podiatrists is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations. [1]
The typical entry-level education is a doctoral or professional degree. [1]
Getting licensed
Every state requires podiatrists to be licensed, and podiatrists must pay a fee and pass all parts of a qualifying exam. [1]
Many podiatrists choose to become board certified, and certification generally requires a combination of work experience and passing an exam. [1]
Exams on this path
Overview only. For dates, registration, rules and scoring, see each test maker's own site.
MCAT® (before podiatric medical school)
The MCAT has traditionally been the only standardized test required for admission to the podiatric medical schools, and MCAT exams taken more than three years before application are not accepted; its current table of schools lists the DAT as accepted at every school except WUCPM. [2]
Applicants must take the MCAT or DAT within three years of the application cycle. [4]
APMLE (licensure)
The American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination (APMLE) is a series of exams that a person must successfully complete to be eligible for licensure to practice podiatric medicine in the United States. [5]
National Boards are taken in two parts while in podiatric medical school, and Part II has a written exam and Clinical Skills Patient Encounter (CSPE) components. [3]
MCAT® is a registered trademark of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Other exam names are trademarks of their owners. None of these organizations is affiliated with or endorses UpOnly Learning.
Questions people search
Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.
How long is podiatry school?
Podiatrists must earn a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree and complete a 3-year residency program, and a DPM degree program takes 4 years to complete. [1]
Podiatric medical graduates select a 36-month Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) that includes training in rear foot and ankle surgery. [3]
What are the requirements for podiatry school?
To enter a podiatric medical school one must first complete a minimum of three years or 90 semester hours of college credit at an accredited institution, and over 97% of the students who enter have a bachelor's degree. [2]
The minimum prerequisites at all of the schools and colleges of podiatric medicine are 8 semester hours each of biology, general or inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, plus 6 semester hours of English, and all science courses require a lab. [2]
The MCAT has traditionally been the only standardized test required for admission to the podiatric medical schools, and MCAT exams taken more than three years before application are not accepted; its current table of schools lists the DAT as accepted at every school except WUCPM. [2]
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Podiatrists. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/podiatrists.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
- American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM). Admissions. https://aacpm.org/becoming-a-podiatric-physician/admissions/. page refers to the 2027 AACPMAS cycle. Checked .
- American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM). Becoming a Podiatric Physician. https://aacpm.org/becoming-a-podiatric-physician/. no edition stated. Checked .
- Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. Admission Requirements. https://www.kent.edu/cpm/admission-requirements. no edition or cycle stated. Checked .
- National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners (NBPME). The American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination (home page). https://nbpme.org/. no edition stated (apmle.org refused our research tool; NBPME is the APMLE owner). Checked .
Format: Publisher. Page title. URL. Edition or catalog year. Checked date.