The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine is the professional degree granted to podiatric physicians who graduate from one of the eight colleges of Podiatric Medicine in the United States. The degree requires a minimum undergraduate educational component of 90 semester hours and/or a bachelor's degree. The D.P.M. degree itself takes a minimum of four years to complete.

After the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree is granted, a minimum of two years of residency training is required, however, some podiatrists undergo a three year surgical residency, which entitles them to perform rearfoot surgery and reconstruction.

The previous titles used for this degree were D.Pod. and Doctor of Chiropody. Although D.P.M. is the modern-day equivalent of the previous degrees, it encompasses a broader spectrum of medical practice for podiatric physicians, whom can now perform medical and surgical procedures in all 50 states, though the specific scope of practice does vary.