Podiatry
Podiatry
Course sheet
A.Y. 2025/2026
Bachelor
L/SNT2 - Health professions for rehabilitation
Those earning a degree in Podiatry, pursuant to European Union guidelines, must have:
- the scientific bases, and the theory and practice needed to understand biological and hereditary phenomena, the principal methods of function of the organs and related apparati, as well as an understanding of the psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the same;
- an understanding of the evolution of the profession, and the foundations of podiatry and the treatment process;
- an understanding of the foundations, trends, and characteristics of the theory and models of podiatry theory and conceptual models;
- an understanding of the standards and regulations that govern the practice and responsibilities of a podiatrist;
- an understanding of the principles of bioethics, professional ethics, as well as legal and medical standards applicable to the profession;
- the ability to develop an integrated patient-centred approach, critically assessing the clinical, patient-interaction, patient-education, social and ethical aspects of podiatry as are germane to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and in recovering a higher degree of wellbeing;
- the expertise and professional standards that orient the diagnostic and rehabilitative process and thought and action of the podiatrist with respect to patients and the community, applying these standards in practice at an accredited healthcare facility, clinic or hospital;
- professional, decision-making, and operational autonomy thanks to a programme that takes a holistic approach to health problems, including an analysis of the patient's chemical-physical, biological and social environment;
- essential theoretical knowledge predicated on scientific foundations, with a view toward applying them in one's professional career;
- the capacity to find and critically assess data relating to patient needs for podiatry supports, and those of the community, setting the objectives for the same;
- knowledge, ability, and experience needed to plan, manage, and assess the need for podiatry services for the patient;
- knowledge, ability, and experience needed to ensure the proper application of all diagnostic prescriptions and treatments;
- the ability to take part in identifying the health-related needs of the individual and the community;
- the ability to pursue one's own continuing professional education;
- the diligence to seek out continuing education, and the tools to do so;
- the ability to cooperate and work with a diverse set of healthcare professionals on team projects and decision-making;
- the ability to properly delegate to, and use the talents of, support staff, and to contribute to their training;
- teaching activities geared toward student clinical experience;
- an awareness of the ethics and history of medicine, with particular reference to podiatry;
- an appropriate and effective bedside manner with patients and family members;
- the scientific bases, and the theory and practice needed to understand biological and hereditary phenomena, the principal methods of function of the organs and related apparati, as well as an understanding of the psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the same;
- an understanding of the evolution of the profession, and the foundations of podiatry and the treatment process;
- an understanding of the foundations, trends, and characteristics of the theory and models of podiatry theory and conceptual models;
- an understanding of the standards and regulations that govern the practice and responsibilities of a podiatrist;
- an understanding of the principles of bioethics, professional ethics, as well as legal and medical standards applicable to the profession;
- the ability to develop an integrated patient-centred approach, critically assessing the clinical, patient-interaction, patient-education, social and ethical aspects of podiatry as are germane to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and in recovering a higher degree of wellbeing;
- the expertise and professional standards that orient the diagnostic and rehabilitative process and thought and action of the podiatrist with respect to patients and the community, applying these standards in practice at an accredited healthcare facility, clinic or hospital;
- professional, decision-making, and operational autonomy thanks to a programme that takes a holistic approach to health problems, including an analysis of the patient's chemical-physical, biological and social environment;
- essential theoretical knowledge predicated on scientific foundations, with a view toward applying them in one's professional career;
- the capacity to find and critically assess data relating to patient needs for podiatry supports, and those of the community, setting the objectives for the same;
- knowledge, ability, and experience needed to plan, manage, and assess the need for podiatry services for the patient;
- knowledge, ability, and experience needed to ensure the proper application of all diagnostic prescriptions and treatments;
- the ability to take part in identifying the health-related needs of the individual and the community;
- the ability to pursue one's own continuing professional education;
- the diligence to seek out continuing education, and the tools to do so;
- the ability to cooperate and work with a diverse set of healthcare professionals on team projects and decision-making;
- the ability to properly delegate to, and use the talents of, support staff, and to contribute to their training;
- teaching activities geared toward student clinical experience;
- an awareness of the ethics and history of medicine, with particular reference to podiatry;
- an appropriate and effective bedside manner with patients and family members;
Graduates of the Podiatry programme are able to provide, on an independent basis, technical-professional services to prevent and treat (using bloodless, orthetic, and water-massage techniques) illnesses of the foot: callouses, hypertrophic, deformed, and ingrown nails, as well as foot pain; at the behest of a physician, they can prevent and medicate ulcerations of warts on the foot; they help with educating patients who suffer from foot ailments, or those at risk of injury to the foot; they identify and make physician referrals on suspected maladies requiring further diagnosis or treatment.
Employment opportunities for those earning a degree in Podiatry include providing services through a public or private (accredited or non-accredited) hospital or clinic.
Employment statistics (Almalaurea)
Employment opportunities for those earning a degree in Podiatry include providing services through a public or private (accredited or non-accredited) hospital or clinic.
Employment statistics (Almalaurea)
The Degree in Podiatry has a long-standing tradition of international exchanges.
The Erasmus programme (which stands for European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) was founded in 1987 thanks to the efforts of the European Community. It gives university students the opportunity to complete a for-credit study-abroad period on an international campus partnering with the student's home campus.
In terms of study-abroad options, the Degree in Podiatry currently offers Year III students pre-professional opportunities in the form of an internship.
To that end, we have entered into agreements with the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain). For the past four years, two students each year have travelled there to complete a semester-long internship.
The Erasmus Plus programme contemplates, in addition to the bilateral agreements, the possibility of two instructors for each Campus to have international mobility.
Transfer credits of up to 20 ECTS/CFU for electives are available to students.
The Degree in Podiatry has entered into agreements with Spanish universities in Madrid and Coruna, although the study-abroad programme has not yet been launched.
Student feedback has been roundly positive: they have found inspiration for their thesis work, and developed contacts that have served them well over the years. The Erasmus experience is not just a university experience, but an opportunity to learn from, and live with, persons of a different culture and language. It's about more than learning a different language: it's a chance for the student to take on responsibilities, and begin to feel a part of a professional community that includes students from different countries.
The Erasmus programme (which stands for European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) was founded in 1987 thanks to the efforts of the European Community. It gives university students the opportunity to complete a for-credit study-abroad period on an international campus partnering with the student's home campus.
In terms of study-abroad options, the Degree in Podiatry currently offers Year III students pre-professional opportunities in the form of an internship.
To that end, we have entered into agreements with the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain). For the past four years, two students each year have travelled there to complete a semester-long internship.
The Erasmus Plus programme contemplates, in addition to the bilateral agreements, the possibility of two instructors for each Campus to have international mobility.
Transfer credits of up to 20 ECTS/CFU for electives are available to students.
The Degree in Podiatry has entered into agreements with Spanish universities in Madrid and Coruna, although the study-abroad programme has not yet been launched.
Student feedback has been roundly positive: they have found inspiration for their thesis work, and developed contacts that have served them well over the years. The Erasmus experience is not just a university experience, but an opportunity to learn from, and live with, persons of a different culture and language. It's about more than learning a different language: it's a chance for the student to take on responsibilities, and begin to feel a part of a professional community that includes students from different countries.
Mandatory
Enrolment
Admission into the programme is capped, at a national level, pursuant to Law no. 264 of 2 August 1999. The number of students who may be admitted is set each year pursuant to a decree of the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), based on findings provided by the university in terms of available instructional, classroom, and clinical resources (human and otherwise), as well as the demand for the type of professionals contemplated for this Class as determined by the Region of Lombardy, and the Ministry of Health.
The admission test will be administered as a national exam, generally in the month of September. The date will be set pursuant to a decree of MUR.
Additional learning requirements (OFA)
Students who answer less than 50% of the Biology and Chemistry questions on the admission test will be required to finish a set of additional learning requirements (OFA). These prerequisites may be met through specifically assigned remedial work. Any failure to complete the OFA will make it impossible for the student to sit exams in: Chemistry and Pharmacology - Pathology and Hygiene.
Timely notice of the various courses will be posted to: https://podologia.cdl.unimi.it/it
The admission test will be administered as a national exam, generally in the month of September. The date will be set pursuant to a decree of MUR.
Additional learning requirements (OFA)
Students who answer less than 50% of the Biology and Chemistry questions on the admission test will be required to finish a set of additional learning requirements (OFA). These prerequisites may be met through specifically assigned remedial work. Any failure to complete the OFA will make it impossible for the student to sit exams in: Chemistry and Pharmacology - Pathology and Hygiene.
Timely notice of the various courses will be posted to: https://podologia.cdl.unimi.it/it
The enrolment window for the academic year 2025/2026 is now closed.
We are currently finalising the updated programme description for the academic year 2026/2027, which will be published here shortly.
Online services
Learn more:
Programme description and courses list
year
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Chimical and Pharmacological Sciences (first year) | 2 | 20 | Italian | BIO/10 |
| Locomotor System and Physics and Rehabilitation Medicine 1 (first year) | 2 | 20 | Italian | MED/33 |
| Medical and Technical Sciences 1 (first year) | 3 | 30 | Italian | MED/50 |
| Skin and Venereal Diseases (first year) | 3 | 30 | Italian | MED/35 |
| Traineeship (first year) | 6 | 150 | Italian | MED/50 |
First semester
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Morphology | 8 | 80 | Italian | BIO/16 BIO/17 |
| - Histology | 2 | 20 | BIO/17 | |
| - Human anatomy | 6 | 60 | BIO/16 | |
| Physical Sciences and Diagnostic Imaging | 8 | 80 | Italian | FIS/07 ING-INF/06 MED/36 |
| - Applied physics | 4 | 40 | FIS/07 | |
| - Diagnostic imaging | 2 | 20 | MED/36 | |
| - Electronic and informatics bioengineering | 1 | 10 | ING-INF/06 | |
| - Radioprotection | 1 | 10 | MED/36 | |
| Scientific Methodology and Human Sciences, Health and Corporate Law | 10 | 100 | Italian | IUS/07 M-PSI/01 M-STO/05 MED/01 MED/43 SECS-P/10 |
| - Forensic medicine | 1 | 10 | MED/43 | |
| - General psychology | 2 | 20 | M-PSI/01 | |
| - History of science and technology | 1 | 10 | M-STO/05 | |
| - Labour law | 1 | 10 | IUS/07 | |
| - Medical statistics | 4 | 40 | MED/01 | |
| - Organization studies | 1 | 10 | SECS-P/10 | |
Second semester
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Pathology and Hygiene | 5 | 50 | Italian | MED/04 MED/07 MED/42 |
| - Experimental medicine and pathophysiology | 2 | 20 | MED/04 | |
| - Hygiene and public health | 2 | 20 | MED/42 | |
| - Microbiology and clinical microbiology | 1 | 10 | MED/07 | |
| Physiology | 5 | 50 | Italian | BIO/09 |
Open sessions
There are no specific sessions for these activities.
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Computer Science Course | 3 | 30 | Italian | INF/01 |
| English Assessment B1 (2 ECTS) | 2 | 0 | English | NN |
Study plan rules
Elettivi - Lo studente, al primo anno, deve altresì maturare 2 CFU in attività formative a scelta.
year
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Locomotor System and Physics and Rehabilitation Medicine 1 (second year) | 6 | 60 | Italian | MED/33 MED/34 |
| - Musculoskeletal system diseases | 3 | 30 | MED/33 | |
| - Physical and rehabilitation medicine | 3 | 30 | MED/34 | |
| Medical and Neurological Sciences (second year) | 5 | 50 | Italian | MED/09 MED/11 MED/17 |
| - Cardiovascular diseases | 2 | 20 | MED/11 | |
| - Infectious diseases | 1 | 10 | MED/17 | |
| - Internal medicine | 2 | 20 | MED/09 | |
| Medical and Technical Sciences 1 (second year) | 7 | 70 | Italian | MED/50 |
| Skin and Venereal Diseases (second year) | 3 | 30 | Italian | MED/35 |
| Traineeship (second year) | 22 | 550 | Italian | MED/50 |
First semester
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Surgical Sciences | 4 | 40 | Italian | MED/18 MED/19 MED/41 |
| - Anaesthesiology | 1 | 10 | MED/41 | |
| - General surgery | 2 | 20 | MED/18 | |
| - Plastic surgery | 1 | 10 | MED/19 | |
Second semester
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Metabolic and Inflammatory Diseases | 5 | 50 | Italian | MED/13 MED/16 |
| - Endocrinology | 3 | 30 | MED/13 | |
| - Rheumatology | 2 | 20 | MED/16 | |
Study plan rules
Elettivi - Lo studente, al secondo anno, deve altresì maturare 2 CFU in attività formative a scelta.
year
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Chimical and Pharmacological Sciences (third year) | 2 | 20 | Italian | BIO/14 |
| Gait Analysis and Orthoses Laboratory | 3 | 75 | Italian | NN |
| Locomotor System and Physics and Rehabilitation Medicine 2 | 7 | 70 | Italian | MED/33 MED/34 |
| - Musculoskeletal system diseases - Foot surgery | 6 | 60 | MED/33 | |
| - Physical and rehabilitation medicine | 1 | 10 | MED/34 | |
| Medical and Neurologial Sciences (third year) | 2 | 20 | Italian | MED/26 |
| Medical and Technical Sciences 2 | 9 | 90 | Italian | MED/45 MED/50 |
| - Applied medical techniques (Podiatry) | 7 | 70 | MED/50 | |
| - Nursing sciences: general, clinical and paediatric | 2 | 20 | MED/45 | |
| Other Training Activities | 3 | 45 | Italian | NN |
| Traineeship (third year) | 32 | 800 | Italian | MED/50 |
Conclusive activities
There are no specific sessions for these activities.
| Courses or activities | Max ECTS | Total hours | Language | SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Final Examination | 7 | 0 | Italian | NN |
Study plan rules
Elettivi - Lo studente, al terzo anno, deve altresì maturare 2 CFU in attività formative a scelta.
Prescribed foundation courses
| Learning activity | Prescribed foundation courses |
|---|---|
| Locomotor System and Physics and Rehabilitation Medicine 2 | Locomotor System and Physics and Rehabilitation Medicine 1 (first year) (compulsory), Locomotor System and Physics and Rehabilitation Medicine 1 (second year) (compulsory) |
| Medical and Technical Sciences 2 | Medical and Technical Sciences 1 (first year) (compulsory), Medical and Technical Sciences 1 (second year) (compulsory) |
| Physiology | Morphology (compulsory) |
Learn more
Location
Milano
Course locations
Educational activities for the Degree Programme in Podiatry take place through affiliated teaching clinics and hospitals, as well as through other facilities as coordinated by the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.
Head of study programme
Academic guidance tutor
Quality Assurance Delegate
Reference structures
Contacts
- Coordinatore Didattico
dott. Niccolò Le Donne
[email protected] - - Academic Services Office
[email protected]
The tuition fees for students enrolled in Bachelor's, Master's and single-cycle degree programmes are divided into two instalments with different calculation methods and payment schedules:
- The amount of the first instalment is the same for all students
- The amount of the second instalment varies according to the ISEE University value, the degree programme and the student status (on track / off track for one year or off track for more than a year)
- An additional fee is due for online programmes
The University also offers:
- Concessions for students meeting high merit requirements
- Diversified tuition fees according to the student's home country for international students with assets/income abroad
- Concessions for international students with refugee status
Scholarships and benefits
The University provides a range of financial benefits to students meeting special requirements (merit, financial or personal conditions, international students).
Learn more
Guidance:
Admission, ranking and enrolment
Official documents