Students with an interest in feet will be able enrol in the country's first School of Podiatry from next year.
A total of 25 people will be accepted into the Bachelor of Science four-year undergraduate course at NUI Galway in September 2008. Podiatrists or chiropractors diagnose and treat foot disorders like bunions, corns and ingrown toenails.
NUI Galway won a national competition organised by the Higher Education Authority to find a site for the School. Six bids were received and an international panel recommended awarding the contract to NUI Galway.
A 2005 report by the FAS Skills and Labour Market Research Unit identified a longterm shortage of chiropractors and recommended that a BSc in Podiatry be established within the State. A Podiatry Clinic in the Merlin Park campus of Galway Regional Hospital will also be developed by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The facility will work in partnership with the School of Podiatry to provide for the clinical education and training components of the undergraduate course.
NUI Galway's application for the School of Podiatry was jointly prepared and presented by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences NUI Galway, Galway Primary Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) and Galway Regional Hospitals.
NUI Galway deputy president Professor Jim Browne said the university already offers courses in Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy.