MSc Medical Physics
Surrey's MSc in Medical Physics is well established and internationally renowned. Approximately one-third of all practising medical physicists in the UK are graduates of our programme. We have trained nearly 1000 medical physicists, of whom more than 500 are from overseas and the European Union.
The programme includes all aspects of the modern applications of physics to medicine. It is accredited by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM).
We have close links with specialist teaching and regional Trust hospitals, as well as research institutes. These all provide lecturers with both up-to-date experience and outstanding opportunities for project research work.
Full-time students gain practical experience in a hospital department during the Easter vacation, and clinical scientist trainees spend their placements at specified hospital departments.
Entry standards
A good honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in the physical sciences, electronics or in a relevant engineering discipline.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
MSc Medical Physics - structure and modules
Module Titles
The programme's nine modules are:
- Radiation Physics
- Radiation Biology
- Generic Skills and Methods; Health and Safety
- Practical Aspects of Radiation Physics
- Applications of Ionising Radiation Physics
- Applications of Non-ionising Radiation Physics
- Hospital Experience
- Ultrasonics and Audiology
- Research Project and Dissertation
Module Overview
The MSc Medical Physics comprises nine modules. These include a period of hospital experience and a summer research project.
The syllabus is designed to provide the knowledge, skills and experience required for a modern graduate medical physicist. It places more emphasis than many other courses on topics beyond ionising radiation (X-rays and radiotherapy), for example, on magnetic resonance scanning and blood dynamics. Although applications of ionising radiation seem likely to remain a major branch of medical physics, other fields are increasing in importance, and modern medical physicists are now involved in the wide range of physical problems which arise in clinical medicine.
The nine modules are as follows:
Radiation Physics
Thirty hours of lectures including: atomic and nuclear physics and the interaction of radiation with matter, plus introductory material describing detector operation and dosimetry.
Radiation Biology
Thirty hours of lectures focusing on human biology, the nature of the interaction of ionising radiation with biological systems and including the effects of ingested radionuclides. Effects at the cellular level and the impact that this has on the individual are also covered.
Generic Skills and Methods; Health and Safety
Thirty hours of lectures, labs, seminars and workshops including: the nation’s health and the role of medical physics; probability and statistics; student seminars; computers in medicine; communication and research skills workshop, including literature reviews, research project plans, research proposals; electrical safety.
Practical Aspects of Radiation Physics
Thirty hours of radiation laboratories and ten hours of supporting lectures on detection, dosimetry and radiation protection in practice.
Applications of Ionising Radiation Physics
Thirty-eight hours of lectures, labs and hospital sessions including: X-rays and diagnostic radiology; nuclear medicine; radiotherapy and treatment planning.
Applications of Non-ionising Radiation Physics
Thirty-five hours of lectures and labs including: electronics and instrumentation; NMR spectroscopy, imaging and signal analysis; haemodynamics; biodielectrics; clinical neurophysiology; lasers in medicine; UV radiation and blue light.
Hospital Experience
Sixty hours of hospital visits, demonstrations and hospital experience: a visit to Royal Marsden Hospital (the first dedicated cancer hospital in the world); demonstration of the use of radiation sources; demonstration of the three-dimensional imaging technique of X-ray CT (computed tomography); demonstration of treatment planning; radiotherapy physics visit and demonstrations; a two-week long hospital experience; a visit to St George's Hospital.
Ultrasonics and Audiology
Thirty-five hours of lectures, labs and hospital sessions including: ultrasonics theory; ultrasonics, instrumentation and practice; audiology; audiological testing.
Research Project and Dissertation
You will undertakes a supervised project either on campus or off (off campus projects are typically supervised by a hospital medical physicist). The project lasts eleven weeks. You will give a mid-project seminar and writes a dissertation at the end of the project.
Module Breakdown
Each of the nine modules is sub-divided into its various primary sections as shown.
Module 1: Radiation Physics (30 hours of lectures)
- Atomic and nuclear physics
- Radiation physics
Module 2:Radiation Biology (30 hours of lectures, tutorials and practicals/demonstrations)
- Musculoskeletal
- Cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, integumentary and immune
- Neurological function and the senses
Module 3: Generic Skills and Methods; Health and Safety (30 hours of lectures, labs, seminars and workshops)
- The nation’s health and the role of medical physics
- Probability and statistics
- Computers in medicine and associated student seminars
- Communication and research skills workshop, including literature reviews, research project plans, research proposals
- Electrical safety
- Aspects of medical physics
Module 4: Practical Aspects of Radiation Physics (40 hours)
- Radiation labs
- Radiation detection, dosimetry, radiobiology and radiation protection
Module 5: Applications of Ionising Radiation Physics (38 hours of lectures, labs and hospital sessions)
- X-rays and diagnostic radiology; MTF and ROC analysis
- Nuclear medicine
- Radiotherapy and treatment planning
Module 6: Applications of Non-ionising Radiation Physics (35 hours of lectures and labs)
- NMR spectroscopy, imaging and signal analysis
- Haemodynamics
- Biodielectrics
- Clinical neurophysiology
- Lasers in medicine
- UV radiation and Blue Light
Module 7: Hospital Experience (60 hours of hospital visits, demonstrations and hospital experience)
- Royal Marsden/Royal Surrey County Hospital visit and demonstrations
- Use of sources of radiation, demonstrations
- X-ray CT demonstration
- Treatment planning demonstration
- Radiotherapy physics visit and demonstrations
- Hospital experience fortnight
- St George’s Hospital visit
Module 8: Ultrasonics and Audiology (35 hours of lectures, labs and hospital sessions)
- Ultrasonics theory, instrumentation and practice
- Audiology and audiological testing
Module 9: Research Project and Dissertation
MSc Medical Physics - entry standards
Entry standards
A good honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in the physical sciences, electronics or in a relevant engineering discipline.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Planned intake
40
Start date
September
Programme director
MSc Medical Physics - fees and funding
Fees
UK/EU - £6,400
Overseas - £16,748
Funding
At the time of writing the National Health Service is changing the way it supports the trainee clinical scientists, including medical physicists. Please contact the University for information on the current situation.
Prizes
Student Prizes and Sponsorship
The Department has the following prizes which are awarded on an annual basis:
Mayneord Prize
A prize in memory of Professor Valentine Mayneord will be awarded to the student with the best overall performance on the recommendation of the examinations board.
Professor Mayneord was one of the pioneers of medical physics, who had a long association with the Department and encouraged the growth of teaching and research in the field.
BNES Prize
A prize of £250 donated by the British Nuclear Energy Society, London, awarded to the student graduating from the MSc Medical Physics programme who submits the best project with a nuclear/radiation content.
MSc Medical Physics - professional context
Professional recognition
The MSc degree has been developed and is accredited to provide students with the knowledge base defined by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM).
Accreditation
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine
The MSc in Medical Physics is accredited by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM). IPEM is the UK's professional body for the applications of physics and engineering to medicine.
IPEM is dedicated to bringing together physical science, engineering and clinical professionals in academia, health care services and industry to share knowledge, advance science and technology, and inform and educate the public with the purpose of improving the understanding, detection and treatment of disease and the management of patients.
MSc Medical Physics - teaching
Teaching
Subject knowledge and skills
The subject material is delivered through lectures, laboratories and directed reading/research. You are given guidance on how to manage their learning and at each stage in your development you are expected to take responsibility for your own learning. Understanding is developed and consolidated through interactions in group meetings, by laboratory work and by private study. Project work, leading to dissertation, is used to integrate material and make knowledge functional. The need for physics or engineering graduates to acquire a background knowledge of human biology is supported through dedicated anatomy and physiological function lectures.
Core academic skills
The advanced lecture modules deliver knowledge in depth and breadth, while applications at the frontiers of the subject exposes you to cutting-edge modern medical physics. The programme also develops your ability to think logically and analyse problems, and to apply these skills to problem solving in a clinical setting.
The project module develops the ability to plan and execute a substantial project, developing a careful and critical approach to experimental design and/or mathematical modelling, and the maintenance of accurate records.
Personal and key skills
Teaching and learning of a range of transferable skills (ability to exercise independent judgement, use of information technology, oral and written communication, presentation, accessing information and group work) are embedded within the programme.
Staff perspective
Professor David Bradley
The teaching benefits from our radiation and ultrasound teaching laboratories which are newly refurbished and second to none. Some one-third of all practising medical physicists in the UK have graduated from the Surrey programme. The programme is partly taught by current hospital practitioners of medical physics, and students enjoy
the benefits of the Department’s close links with local hospitals through placements, experiential visits and hospital-based projects.
Absolutely central to the working life of the practising medical physicist is the immense responsibility that they carry, not only in seeking the highest quality treatment of the patient but also in ensuring the wellbeing of those who share the clinical working environment. The ethos of safe and effective diagnosis and treatment is instilled in
all students on the programme. Our high standards are supported by the accreditation that we enjoy through the Institute of Physics and Engineering in
Medicine (IPEM).
As Programme Director, I offer more than 30 years of continued education and research in medical physics. For me, the best reward is witnessing the continued success of our Medical Physics graduates in obtaining satisfying and useful careers in hospitals, research centres and educational establishments throughout the world.
MSc Medical Physics - learning
Facilities, Equipment and Academic Support
Common room
A student common room is available for the use of all Physics students.
The University Library
The University Library holds journals and the recommended text books. These may be borrowed using the University Library Card. This card is issued to students upon registration and contains their University Registration Number (URN).
Computers
The University has an extensive range of PC and UNIX machines, full Internet access and email. The University has invested in resources to allow students to develop their IT skills. It also has an online learning environment, ULearn. Computers are located in dedicated computer rooms. Access to these rooms is available 24 hours per day.
MSc Medical Physics - graduate profile
Graduate Profile: Elaine Woods
MSc Medical Physics
I graduated from Queens University, Belfast with a BSc in Physics in 2006. Upon graduation, like many students, I was very unsure about what I wanted to do with my degree and so I took a year out.
In both the UK and Ireland, medical physics is becoming more and more competitive as a career, and a Masters in Medical Physics is often the minimum requirement to get into the field. I chose to study the MSc at the University of Surrey. This was mainly due to the very wide range of topics in medical physics that the course covers in comparison with others that I looked into. I also liked the fact that there is a large practical aspect to the MSc, with laboratory work, demonstrations, a two-week hospital work experience placement and a summer research project. Also, the MSc is IPEM-accredited, which is necessary for becoming registered as a clinical scientist within the NHS.
As this is a taught Masters course, there is a large amount of material covered throughout the year and this is something students must be prepared for. I found the placement in particular very worthwhile as it gave the other students and me the opportunity to see what we had covered in lectures put to use in a hospital setting, which helped reinforce the learning process. Surrey is a very international university, and my class consisted of people from 13 countries, which made for an interesting and enjoyable mix.
I have got a job as a trainee clinical scientist in London within the NHS, a role that I am looking forward to starting in September, though I was sad to leave the University and Guildford behind.
MSc Medical Physics - more
Additional Information
The programme may be undertaken in one ‘stage’, over one year full-time or two years part-time, and is divided into units of study called modules. This programme is intended to:
- Provide education and training of high quality in medical physics
- Stimulate and encourage a questioning and creative approach, thus developing enthusiasm for medical physics and a capacity for independent judgement
- Facilitate personal development through the acquisition and use of transferable skills
- Provide you with a state-of-the-art knowledge of medical physics, preparing them for employment or further study
- Produce postgraduates who are well prepared for professional work in medical physics and related areas, meeting the national needs for qualified postgraduates as identified by the relevant professional accrediting bodies
MSc Medical Physics - apply
You can apply for this programme online using the link(s) below. We recommend making an application as soon as you can, even if you do not have all the necessary supporting information ready at that time.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to enter a username and password. If you've used our application system before, please enter your details or click the forgotten password link.
If you are a new user, you will need to create a username and password by clicking the New User button.
Start date
September
Programme length
12 months full-time
Programme director
For general enquiries
T: 0800 980 3200 or
+44 (0)1483 681681
E: pg-enquiries@surrey.ac.uk
For admissions enquiries
T: 01483 686128
E: feps-pg@surrey.ac.uk