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> > The Master of Science Degree in Medical Physics | Offered by the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program In Cooperation with Emory University School of Medicine
What is Medical Physics?
Medical physics is a profession that involves the application of physical principles to medicine, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. The main areas of medical physics include:
- Diagnostic Radiology – the diagnosis of disease with x-rays, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging;
- Health Physics – the study of radiation hazards and radiation protection;
- Nuclear Medicine – the diagnosis and treatment of diseases with injected radio-pharmaceuticals; and
- Radiation Oncology – the treatment of cancer by ionizing radiation.
A medical physicist has earned an M.S. or a Ph.D degree in medical physics or a related field. They hold professional appointments in a clinical department of a hospital. The responsibilities of a medical physicist usually include clinical service and consultation, research and development, and teaching. The relative distribution of responsibilities among medical physicists varies considerably depending on the employer.
There are about five thousand practicing medical physicists in the United States. Due to the increased complexity of equipment and the patient population, there is a steady increase in the demand for appropriately trained medical physicists. Consequently, employment prospects are excellent. The average annual salary of medical physicists in the U.S. for 2002 was $120,700 (not including consulting fees).
The Medical Physics Program at Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in cooperation with the Department of Radiation Oncology of the Emory University School of Medicine, created a Master of Science in Medical Physics (M.S.M.P.) degree program. The program is offered by Georgia Tech's Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
The program will begin in fall 2004. Students will be registered at Georgia Tech and take the courses offered by Emory University through a statewide agreement. On-campus students in this program will intern at Emory University's hospitals and clinic to gain the required four hundred hours of clinical experience in radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, and diagnostic imaging.
Apply online to the medical physics program by going to www.grad.gatech.edu/admissions or to the Application Buzz icon on our home page at www.nre.gatech.edu.
The Curriculum
The M.S.M.P. degree program at Georgia Tech is intended to prepare students, preferably with a bachelor's degree in science or engineering, for productive careers as medical physicists. There is both a thesis and a nonthesis option in the medical physics curriculum.
Both options include seven required courses (21 credit hours) and a clinical rotation (3 credit hours). The thesis option includes an additional six credit hours for the preparation of a thesis and one elective, for a total of 33 credit hours. The nonthesis option requires two additional electives (6 credit hours) for a total of thirty credit hours. The program is designed to be completed in one and one-half years by well-motivated, full-time students. The required courses are:
- Diagnostic Imaging Physics (Emory/Georgia Tech)
- Nuclear Medicine Physics (Emory)
- Radiation Biology and Oncology
- Radiation Detection
- Radiation Physics
- Radiation Protection and Dosimetry
- Radiation Therapy Physics (Emory)
Clinical Rotation
The clinical rotation requires four hundred contact hours of clinical rotation distributed in three areas:
- Diagnostic Imaging (100 hours);
- Nuclear Medicine (100 hours) and;
- Radiation Therapy (200 Hours).
Treatment Delivery
Students will work with clinical medical physicists at one of the four clinical facilities associated with the Department of Radiation Oncology of the Emory University School of Medicine.
Medical Physics and the Distance-Learning Program
The medical physics degree program is available to distance-learning students at Georgia Tech. Video cameras record faculty lectures and student-faculty interaction during regular, semester-long graduate classes. The videotapes and supporting course materials are sent to off-campus students for viewing at their convenience.
The admission criteria and degree requirements for distance-learning students are the same as those for on-campus students with the exception of the clinical rotation, which is to be fulfilled at a hospital or clinic close to the student's place of residence and as approved by the Georgia Institute of Technology.
For more information on the distance-learning program in medical physics for working professionals, view the brochure, Learning From a Distance.
Faculty and Research
Timothy H. Fox, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, and Director, Division of Medical Physics, Emory University School of Medicine
404.778.4126 /
Dr. Fox has performed research in the area of mathematical optimization of radiosurgery treatment plans. Future research involves investigation of different optimization methods and techniques for radiosurgery and external beam Conformal beam surgery treatment planning. Nolan E. Hertel, Ph.D.
Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Woodruff School, Georgia Tech
404.894.3601 /
Dr. Hertel is an expert in neutron dosimetry as well as in radiation measurement, transport, and shielding. In the area of medical physics, he has performed research in external-beam fast neutron therapy and neutron capture therapy for treating radioresistant cancers. 
Eva Lee, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech
404.894.4962 /
Dr. Lee's research involves radiation therapy planning optimization, image-guided and biological treatment design, genomic pattern recognition for early cancer detection, target delivery and control. Michele Sutton Ferenci, Ph.D.
Instructor of Radiation Oncology, Division of Medical Physics, Emory University School of Medicine
404.778.2697 /
Dr. Ferenci's research involves the accurate, safe, and efficient delivery of radiation therapy. This research draws on areas such as Monte Carlo radiation dosimetry calculations, radiation measurements, radiation protection, and quality assurance. C-K Chris Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Woodruff School, Georgia Tech
404.894.3727 /
Dr. Wang has extensive research experience in radiation interaction, detection, dosimetry, microdosimetry, and biophysical modeling of radiation effects. He has conducted research in neutron capture therapy, fast neutron therapy, and intravascular treatment using beta particles.
For more information about the Master's Degree Program in Medical Physics in the Woodruff School contact:
| Dr. Farzad Rahnema |
Professor, Associate Chair of the Woodruff School, and
Chair of the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program |
| Phone: | 404.894.3731 |
| E-mail: | |
| Dr. C-K Chris Wang |
| Associate Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering |
| Phone: | 404.894.3727 |
| E-mail: | |
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