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Professional Doctorate in Medical Physics

Admission

 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

Both Master of Science in Medical Physics (MSMP) and Professional Doctorate in Medical Physics (DMP) degrees are offered at Vanderbilt University. Student applicants must select either the MSMP or the DMP Program at the time of completion of the electronic application. Both of these programs are CAMPEP-accredited. We only accept students for admission in the Fall term. No students will be admitted for the Spring or Summer terms.

The DMP program is not a PhD program. Although we do not yet offer an officially Vanderbilt-sanctioned PhD Medical Physics program, historically some of our MS students, after completion of the MS Medical Physics Degree, have continued graduate study by being accepted into the Vanderbilt University Physics PhD program. Following successful completion of Physics PhD core curriculum requirements, choosing a medical physics research mentor, successfully completing the PhD Qualifier Exam, and completing and defending a medical physics dissertation topic, the student is awarded a Physics PhD degree.

Prerequisites

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Physics, Applied Physics, Physical Science, or Engineering (with the equivalent of a minor in physics) from an accredited college or university.
  • Physics Prerequisites: Calculus III, Differential Equations, Modern Physics, Modern Physics Lab, and Computer Programming Language or demonstrated equivalent. In addition, you must have junior/senior level undergraduate physics courses in Electricity & Magnetism, Classical Mechanics, and Quantum Mechanics. Also, although not a prerequisite, we strongly encourage some formal knowledge of statistics.
  • The successful candidate should have a minimum undergraduate GPA score of 3.0/4.0 or a B average.
  • The general GRE is required. The suggested minimal acceptable score for admission is a total of 1270 (or 312 for tests taken on or after August 1, 2011), with a minimal score on the quantitative section of 720 (or 156 for tests taken on or after August 1, 2011). (Please use Institution Code 1871 when submitting your GRE report to our Program.)
  • The GRE Advanced Physics Exam is not required.
  • Students from non-English speaking countries are required to demonstrate proficiency in English by submitting results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The suggested minimal acceptable score on the TOEFL exam is a 600 (paper)/250 (computer)/100 (internet). (Please use Institution Code 1871 when submitting your TOEFL report to our Program.)

Fall 2019 Admission

Important Dates

Our application process consists of two steps: (pre-screening and campus visit)

I. Pre-screening: Applicants must use the electronic application system and submit the following items by December 15, 2018.

  • Completed electronic application form
  • Transcripts for all college classes: submit transcript via online application system AND IN ADDITION, please send an additional official hardcopy of all college transcripts to the address listed on this page
  • Three academic/professional references
  • GRE General score (the GRE ETS code to submit codes to our program is 1871)
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Application Fee. The application fee is mandatory for all initiated applications, and is non-refundable, regardless of whether your application is considered complete and/or whether your application is reviewed by our application committee.

IMPORTANT

To access the electronic application system, please visit:  https://apply.vanderbilt.edu/apply/

After completion of the steps above, you must contact our program (via email only) to advise us that your application is complete. Please email manuel.morales@vanderbilt.edu.

No additional application or incomplete application will be accepted after December 15, 2018.

Based on these materials, a number of candidates will be selected for a campus visit or teleconference (international candidates only). The candidates that have not been selected will be informed that they have not passed our pre-screening process, and her/his application has been declined for admission for this period.

II. Campus Visit: Applicants selected in the pre-screening process will be contacted to schedule a campus visit or for teleconference interviews (international candidates only) not later than January 18, 2019. In the campus visit, the applicant will meet and informally interview with the Program Director,  faculty members, staff and current students. The Program Director will discuss the curricula in therapy and diagnostic physics, the MSMP and DMP degrees, and the student applicant selection process. It would be most beneficial at the time of interview if the applicant has a clear understanding of his/her career interests in therapy and/or diagnostic medical physics and additionally have carefully considered the choice of the MSMP or DMP degree. Additionally, we strongly encourage you to shadow a medical physicist prior to your campus visit. A significant part of your application evaluation process will be relating the experiences you have had during your shadowing opportunity. Hence, we prefer for you to schedule your campus visit after you have shadowed a medical physicist. As mentioned above, you will also meet with our current students. They serve as wonderful ambassadors for our Program, Vanderbilt, and the city of Nashville. They will be glad to answer questions concerning Program curriculum and course content, student life at Vanderbilt, and the many amenities offered by Vanderbilt and the Nashville community. The campus interview process is generally completed within five to six hours. Please understand that any travel expenses associated with the campus visit (airline, ground transportation, hotel, etc) are at the expense of the student.

Please contact us by email regarding campus interview dates. No telephone calls will be accepted regarding campus visit requests.

  • The Program Committee will review the applications and make a decision by February 22, 2019.
  • Each candidate will be notified in writing regarding his/her admission status by February 26, 2019.
  • Accepted candidates must officially accept or decline admission by April 15, 2019.

Should you have any further questions, please email Program Director Dr. Manuel Morales.

Financial Aid

For information on financial aid and/or student loans, please contact the Student Financial Services office.