APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2019 ADMISSION ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MEDICAL PHYSICS IN BOTH DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPY TRACKS, AND FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE IN MEDICAL PHYSICS IN THE DIAGNOSTIC TRACK ONLY
(Please visit our Admission section for details)
Welcome
Medical Physics is an applied branch of physics devoted to the application of concepts and methods from physics to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
Medical physicists are scientists concerned with three primary areas of activity: clinical service and consultation, research and development, and teaching. Clinically, medical physicists are called upon to contribute scientific advice and resources to solve physical problems arising in radiological medical physics. Medical physics research typically involves the discovery and development of new instrumentation and technology, new medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and tests using existing technologies. Historically, this type of activity has been primarily in radiological imaging and radiation oncology, but now has a growing breadth of involvement throughout medicine.
Many medical physicists not only provide clinical service in healthcare facilities but also have faculty appointments at universities and colleges, work in the industry as scientists and/or consultants and are responsible for teaching future medical physicists, resident physicians, medical students and hospital technical staff.
Vanderbilt University offers the CAMPEP-Accredited Master of Science in Medical Physics (MSMP) degree and the Professional Doctorate in Medical Physics (DMP) degree. The DMP program offers only the diagnostic physics track, and the MSMP program offers both therapy and diagnostic physics tracks.
This interdisciplinary program is administered through the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Radiology and Radiological Sciences in the School of Medicine, and involves faculty and courses from:
School of Medicine
Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Department of Radiation Oncology
College of Arts and Science
Department of Physics and Astronomy