نظرة عامة على البرنامج

Program Overview

The training of a medical physicist must be broad, requiring thorough competence in physical and mathematical science, understanding of biological and physiological systems, and the ability to communicate effectively with physicians. The University of Chicago offers a program that provides aspiring medical physicists with the necessary knowledge to succeed in their future profession.

PhD Requirements

The PhD program in Medical Physics is designed to take five or six years of study, during which time the following requirements must be met:

• Satisfactory completion of the course requirements with an average grade of "B" or higher and no grade lower than "C".
• At the end of the first academic year, the student will take a written and oral Qualifying Comprehensive Examination covering the material of the courses studied up to that time in addition to basic undergraduate physics.
• Preparation of a written Dissertation Research Proposal acceptable to the faculty.
• Completion of a dissertation based on original research that is satisfactory to the Committee.
• Passage of an oral Final Examination on the area of specialty and the dissertation.

Course Requirements

Course requirements for PhD students in the Graduate Program in Medical Physics include passage of at least 13 quarter courses with a "B" average and with no grade lower than "C". These must include:

• The twelve (12) basic required courses
• One (1) elective course, which must be approved by the student's GPMP advisor First-year students are expected to complete 4 research rotations during their first 4 quarters, enabling them to be registered as full-time students and giving them exposure to different topics in medical physics.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the requirements of the Program, students need to meet the requirements of the Biological Sciences Division. All GPMP students must:

• Fulfill the evaluated teaching requirement of the Biological Sciences Division, which can be done by successfully completing two teaching assistantships or by successfully completing one teaching assistantship and the TA training course offered by the Division.
• Take the non-credit ethics course offered by the Division and the non-credit ethics course offered by the Program.

Admission Criteria

Students working toward a graduate degree in medical physics normally will be expected to have completed training equivalent to that required for a Bachelor's degree in physics prior to admission.

Research Areas

The candidate for the PhD may elect to do their research in the Department of Radiology, in the Department of Radiation & Cellular Oncology, or in any other department in which physical phenomena have a direct application to medicine, including areas such as:

• Aaudiology
• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Ophthalmology

Program Structure

The University of Chicago academic year consists of four quarters. A full-time graduate program includes three courses each quarter. Graduate students in medical physics normally begin the program in the Autumn Quarter and are in residence throughout the academic year.