Master of Science in Radiological Medical Physics
The Radiation Medicine Department in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky currently offers a comprehensive program leading to the M.S. degree in Radiological Medical Physics. The program provides students a thorough didactic grounding in fundamental and specialized medical physics, with hands-on experience using state-of-the-art equipment, and is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Programs (CAMPEP).
The UK Radiological Medical Physics program:
• Provides intensive clinical training
• Is a small, selective program that provides individual mentoring for all students. The program accepts a maximum of 8 students per year. This year, we are expanding our program to include a focus track in Imaging Physics, in addition to our traditional track of Radiation Therapy Physics.
• Has a 40 year history of providing didactic and clinical training of the highest quality.
• Offers an in-house residency that exclusively accepts graduates from our program.
• The national network of UK graduates is extensive. Included are, three AAPM presidents as well as numerous other active professionals.
The University of Kentucky program is unique in that most of the time is spent learning in the clinical setting, working on the requirements of our detailed clinical practicum. Our program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP) and is one of the premier clinical medical physics programs in North America, and is particularly well-known and liked for its hands-on student training. Our graduates do very well on certification examinations offered by the American Board of Radiology, and historically have been very successful at finding great careers. We are pleased to speak with prospective students or with those who simply want to know more about medical physics. Below please find additional specific information about our program.
• The University of Kentucky offers a clinically-oriented terminal masters degree. In addition, we offer a CAMPEP-accredited residency program in Radiation Therapy Physics that preferentially accepts graduates of our program.
• Because of UK's clinical practicum training, our students compete well against graduates of other programs that provide less clinical training. If you decide to come visit us, you will see first-hand the kind of training our students get, and have a chance to talk with them.
• Currently, professionals wishing to sit for the American Board of Radiology examination must present evidence of being enrolled in and/or having graduated from a CAMPEP-accredited residency program.
• All of the accredited medical physics programs have large applicant pools. We do not have TA or RA support available.
• Prospective students applying from certain southeastern states are eligible for Academic Common Market status to this program, which means that for tuition purposes they are treated as in-state residents. The states which have listed our program include Delaware, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Other southeastern states NOT having medical physics programs of their own at state-supported schools, can be added to this list upon appropriate application by the student.
• Our graduates do very well on the American Board of Radiology certification exams, and on the oral Board exam section will typically pass on the first try.
• As soon as possible, you should arrange to shadow a local or regional medical physicist for several hours one day, so as to obtain a first-hand view of the typical workday of a clinical therapeutic medical physicist.
• We select the members of each year's class based on the strength of their academic credentials and also factor in their apparent ability to work well in a team setting. Our classes typically bond closely together and can be seen in later years clustered together at annual meetings of the AAPM. Our ability to assess an applicant's "teamwork skills" is greatly enhanced by meeting applicants and chatting with them for a while. Therefore, we strongly encourage a visit to UK's program, which ideally will occur no later than mid-to-late January (the sooner, the better). Many programs begin offering admission by early February, so you are strongly encouraged to have all application materials in to your desired schools, and visits made, no later than the end of January.