Master’s Program

The goal of the Master's Program in Medical Physics is to provide a sound academic foundation and practical experience for those planning to pursue a career in research, teaching or clinical medical physics in either of the subspecialty areas of medical imaging physics, therapeutic radiation physics or nuclear medicine physics.

Graduates are prepared for careers in these subspecialties or the continuation of their education in a postgraduate or residency program. The program comprises both academic and practical training components with the practical training taking place in affiliated hospitals.

The medical physics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs, CAMPEP.

The medical physics group comprises faculty in multiple UB and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center departments, post-doctoral staff, graduate student assistants, and undergraduate students with additional contributions from bioengineering, clinical and allied faculty as well as technical and administrative staff. The Medical Physics Program faculty conduct research, teach and practice clinical medical physics in affiliated hospitals.

The medical physics graduate program leading to the MS degree is intended to provide a sound scientific foundation and practical experience for those planning to pursue a career in research, teaching, or clinical medical physics service whether in sub-specialty areas of medical imaging physics, therapeutic radiation physics or nuclear medicine physics. In order to promote the achievement of this objective, the following program requirements have been adopted:

The program is structured to meet the requirements of CAMPEP for an accredited medical physics training program and those of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

A total of at least 36 credit hours are required for the MS degree. Of this total, at least 28 credit hours (for a Thesis Master’s) or 30 credit hours (for a project Master’s) must be earned in formal didactic coursework (including letter-graded Independent Study), including no more than 4 credit hours in Seminar, 4 credit hours in Medical Physics Practicum and excluding credits for Research, Thesis Guidance, Supervised Teaching, and (unless receiving a prior approval under special circumstances) pass/fail Independent Study. Where appropriate, didactic course credits may be transferred from other graduate programs.

The following courses, where graded, must be successfully completed with the achievement of a grade of B or better.

Required of all students in the Medical Physics Program:

• MDY 504 Physics of Medical Imaging 1, 3 credits
• MDY 506 Physics of Medical Imaging 2, 3 credits
• MDY 508 Medical Imaging Anatomy and Physiology, 3 credits
• MDY 547 Radtherapy Medphysics 1, 3 credits
• MDY 566 Medical Physics Imaging Problems, 3 credits
• MDY 571 Nuclear Medicine Imaging, 3 credits
• MDY 605 Medical Physics Seminar, 1 credit
• MDY 606 Medical Physics Seminar, 1 credit
• MDY 607 Medical Physics Practicum, 1-6 credits
• MDY 608 Medical Physics Practicum, 1-6 credits
• MDY 610 Professionalism and Ethics in Medical Physics, 1 credit
• NMD 527 Radiation Biology, 2 credits

Substitution of a more advanced course(s) is only upon approval by the adviser and program director.

An additional 3-credit elective in the students chosen specialty area is required for PhD students and one of the following:

• BE 562 Computed Tomography, 3 credits
• MDY 522 Image Formation and Processing, 3 credits
• MDY 523 Image Processing 2, 3 credits
• MDY 575 Advanced Diagnostic Medical Imaging Physics, 3 credits
• RPG 572 In vivo nuclear magnetic resonance, 3 credits

• MDY 550 Radtherapy Medphysics 2, 3 credits
• MDY 560 Advanced Radiation Therapy Physics, 3 credits

• MDY 572 Advanced Nuclear Medicine Emission Imaging, 3 credits

• MAE 578 Cardiovascular Biomechanics, 3 credits
• MDY 600 Independent Study, 1-3 credits
• MDY 607 Medical Physics Practicum, 1-6 credits
• MDY 608 Medical Physics Practicum, 1-6 credits
• MDY 682 Research, 1-19 credits

You may take other courses in radiation biology, biomedical engineering, computer science, physics, electrical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, neuroscience, bio-surface science, biostatistics with permission of your adviser.

Qualified students may petition for a waiver of the requirement for any specific course upon the basis of the completion of an equivalent course with a grade of B or higher.

Students may be subject to a comprehensive examination once completing all core medical physics courses.

Masters Requirements: 36 total credits plus thesis or project

Project: 30 Credits [24 didactic + 2 (min) MP Seminar + 2 (min) MP Practicum + 2 didactic, MP Seminar or Practicum] + 6 credits elective.
Thesis: 28 Credits [24 didactic + 2 (min) MP Seminar + 2 (min) MP Practicum] + 8 credits elective including Research or Thesis Preparation.

• MDY 504 Physics of Medical Imaging 1, 3 credits
• NMD 527 Radiation Biology, 2 credits
• BE 562 Computed Tomography, 3 credits
• MDY 605 Medical Physics Seminar, 1 credit
• MDY 607 Medical Physics Practicum, 1-6 credits

• MDY 506 Physics of Medical Imaging 2, 3 credits
• MDY 547 Radtherapy Medphysics 1, 3 credits
• MDY 610 Professionalism and Ethics in Medical Physics, 1 credit
• MDY 508 Medical Imaging Anatomy and Physiology, 3 credits

OR

• BPR 572 Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 3 credits
• MDY 606 Medical Physics Seminar, 1 credit
• MDY 608 Medical Physics Practicum, 1-6 credits

• MDY 571 Nuclear Medicine Imaging, 3 credits
• MDY 550 Radtherapy Medphysics 2, 3 credits

AND/OR

• MDY 560 Advanced Radiation Therapy Physics, 3 credits
• MDY 605 Medical Physics Seminar, 1 credit
• MDY 582 Research, (variable credits per semester)

• MDY 566 Medical Physics Imaging Problems, 3 credits
• MDY 508 Medical Imaging Anatomy and Physiology, 3 credits

OR

• BPR 572 Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 3 credits
• MDY 606 Medical Physics Seminar, 1 credit
• MDY 582 Research, (variable credits per semester)

• MDY 572 Advanced Nuclear Medicine Emission Imaging, 3 credits
• MDY 522 Image Formation and Processing, 3 credits
• MDY 523 Advanced Image Analysis, 3 credits
• MDY 600 Independent Study, 1-3 credits
• Thesis Preparation (credits vary)

Master’s students are required to register for the specialized medical physics seminars for at least 2 semesters.

Completion of the master’s degree requires either a) submission of a thesis based upon a research project completed by the candidate; or b) completion of an in-depth report of a project exploring an area or technique of medical physics.

The thesis research or project is conducted by the graduate student under the tutelage of his/her major professor and Thesis or Project Advisory Committee. A major professor and a minimum of two faculty members from the Program’s graduate faculty, one of whom may be from outside the Program shall form the Advisory Committee. All should hold the rank of assistant professor or above in the university faculty.

The work will culminate in a written thesis dissertation or project report, which is an original contribution, written in English. Thesis or report preparation is critically monitored and supervised by the Major Professor and the Advisory Committee, both of whom must approve the final document. The oral defense of a thesis is scheduled after the candidate’s Thesis Advisory Committee and the Program Director have approved the thesis. The research represented by the dissertation is presented in a seminar prior to the formal oral defense before the Committee. If the Report option is chosen, the work reported should have been accepted and/or presented at a regional or national scientific conference by the student.

Master’s students are not generally eligible for institutional stipends or tuition scholarship awards. Some students may qualify for financial assistance from their advisors while working on a research or service project.

Highly qualified underrepresented minority candidates may be eligible for assistance through the Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship.

Federal grants and loans are available by filing the FAFSA application.

• Department Code: 0222

• Department code: 36

The Medical Physics Accreditation Commission, CAMPEP, requires that entering students have either an undergraduate physics major or a strong physics minor with at least three upper-level advanced physics courses as required of physics majors.

Admission is based on:

• A grade point average of B (3.0) or better
• Examination scores (Superior quantitative and above-average analytic GRE scores are expected.)
• Letters of recommendation (3)
• Academic performance
• Research experience

Recommended undergraduate courses include: physics and mathematics, including calculus and statistics, biomedical and/or electrical engineering, chemistry, biology, and physiology.

Your application should be completed and official documentation filed no later than March 15 for matriculation in the fall semester. However, the program has a rolling admission and you should contact the program director if you desire to file after this deadline. The admissions committee of the program will review your completed application and you will be contacted directly by the program regarding admission.