Medical Physics Program

Our program will be ending in 2025, and is no longer accepting students.

Why Medical Physics?

According to the American Association of Physics in Medicine, medical physicists are concerned with three areas of activity: clinical service and consultation, research and development, and teaching. While most focus on cancer-related topics, medical physicists work in many other disciplines of medicine including those concerned with heart disease and mental illness. Certified medical physicists often work with medical imaging, radiation therapy/diagnosis, and nuclear medicine.

Medical physics is a highly specialized field. In order to become board certified, students need to be accepted into a residency (a competitive process) after graduation from an accredited program such as URI.

More information can be found in the Student Guide to a Medical Physics Career, presented by The Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP).

About the Program

The URI M.S. program in Medical Physics is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) and prepares students for a career in medical physics. The Department of Physics at the University of Rhode Island offers this program in partnership with the Radiation Oncology Department at the Rhode Island Hospital, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the RI Nuclear Science Center. 

The URI Medical Physics Program Disclosure Statement has information about the admissions and the achievements of our students

Applications

Applications to the program are done through the GradCAS system. Our admissions are rolling, starting with all applications submitted by February 15. GRE scores (general and physics) are accepted but not required. These applications include 3 letters of recommendation, transcripts, and a personal statement. There is no set format for the recommendation letters, which can either be submitted on-line or sent to the Department either by you (in sealed and signed envelopes) or directly by the letter’s author. URI suggests a minimum GPA of 3.0 for graduate school applications.

URI has additional requirements for international applicants. Most important of these requirements is our TOEFL scores requirements: reading 20, listening 17, speaking 17, writing 22 or an IELTS of 6.5.  If you have a degree from an American university the TOEFL exam is waived. 

All applicants are automatically considered for financial aid in the form of Teaching or Research Assistantships; no special aid application is necessary. These teaching assistantships cover tuition and a stipend.

The URI medical physics program requires that admitted students have a bachelor’s degree in medical physics, physics, or a closely related field. For students without a degree in physics, we usually require students to have taken upper-level undergraduate physics courses in quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and classical mechanics, as well as linear algebra, differential equations, and 3 semesters of calculus (differential, integral, vector).

A strong applicant is one who demonstrates a high degree of motivation as evidenced through good grades in advanced physics courses, participation in health-related activities (working or volunteering in hospital settings, shadowing a doctor or a medical physicist), solid communication skills, and letters of recommendation that indicate a dedication to learning. These qualities should be predictors of a successful student, one who strives to master the material and to advance the field in order to deliver quality care to patients.

Contact Information

For more information about the programs, please contact:

Director of Medical Physics Program, Dr Michael Antosh

Director Graduate Program: Dr. Leonard Kahn