Radiation and Radiological Sciences, PhD

Medical Physics is a profession that includes clinical, industrial and academic practices. The Radiation and Radiological Sciences PhD program is designed primarily for students who desire to enter a clinical career, but who want to acquire the additional skills and credentials that accompany a PhD. This educational program is provided by the Departments of Radiation Medicine and Radiology, both of which are clinical departments within the UK Healthcare enterprise, thus providing a unique culture and context to the training. Research areas involve collaborative efforts between students, clinical physicists and physicians, and often possess direct clinical applicability. The collaborative nature of the program structure allows for didactic, clinical and research training in therapeutic and diagnostic medical physics. Addition information is available on our website at https://medicine.uky.edu/departments/radiationmedicine/medical-physics-graduate-program .

Admission Requirements

A BS or MS in Physics is desirable, but students possessing related physical science backgrounds are eligible and qualified. At a minimum, candidates must show the equivalence of a minor in physics in all undergraduate work, as defined by the American Board of Radiology and CAMPEP. To meet the Minor in Physics requirement, candidates must have completed the following: 1) Calculus through Ordinary Differential Equations; 2) The Calculus based introductory General Physics sequence with labs (2 semesters); and 3) Three upper division Physics electives (junior level or above). Other program requirements are courses in Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Computer Science, and Scientific Statistics. The latter requirements, if missing, may be incorporated into the graduate program at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies. An undergraduate GPA of 3.50 is highly desirable and the General GRE exam is required. While there are no absolute minimum scores required, scores on the Verbal section at or above the 60th percentile and a score on the Quantitative section at or above the 70th percentile are desirable.

An interview is required of all applicants being considered for admission. Fluent spoken English skills are required and are assessed during the interview. In addition, observation or job shadowing experience with a certified clinical Medical Physicist is very important when considering applicants for admission. Three Letters of Recommendation and a personal statement are also required. It is recommended that applications be submitted by January 31 to assure full consideration, however applications received after January 31st may be reviewed depending on the progress of student recruitment. The absolute deadline for domestic applications is April 30th. In addition, the Graduate School imposes a deadline of April 15th for international applicants.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 52 credit hours are required for the PhD degree consisting of 34 core credit hours and 18 elective credit hours. The elective credit hours (18) must include at least 6 hours of graduate level (i.e., 4xxG, 5xx, 6xx or 7xx) didactic coursework covering related topics in science, engineering, or medicine. The intent of this requirement is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and to develop rigorous scientific skills. The selection of specific elective courses is determined in consultation with the dissertation advisor. A partial listing of possible electives is shown below. In addition, completion of 48 hours is required for pre‐qualifying residency. Post-qualifying residency must be a minimum or 4 credit hours of RAS 767 . Students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for retention in the program. A student’s progress will be reviewed at least annually by their graduate committee and any deficiencies or concerns identified will be followed up with the student. The qualifying exam will consist of two major components, one written and one oral. Students must pass both to be allowed to progress in the PhD program. The written component will be a 2-part problem-based exam consisting of 4 subject areas. These are:

General Radiological Physics and Dosimetry
General Physics of Medical Imaging
General Physics of Radiation Therapy
Elective Subject (select one from the following list)

a. Advanced Radiation Therapy Physics

b. Advanced Medical Imaging Physics

c. Other topic approved by the Advisory Committee

The written exam is given over a two, non-sequential, day period. Day one will cover subject areas 1, 2, and 3 while day two will cover section 4. The written exam will typically be taken in the second year of the program and a score of 50% or greater will be required in order to pass. Students who do not pass on the first attempt will be allowed a second attempt. If the second attempt is unsuccessful then the student will not be allowed to proceed in the PhD program and will be placed in a terminal MS. The qualifying PhD oral exam will be taken after successful completion of the written exam, but typically not to exceed 3 years from the initial date of enrollment. The student must orally defend a proposal for the selected dissertation topic. The proposal defense will be delivered to the student’s dissertation advisory committee. If desired, PhD students, will be allowed to complete the degree requirements for an en passant MS degree in Radiation Sciences and be awarded that degree upon successful completion.

Required Core Courses (34 credit hours)

RAS 472G /RM 472G INTERACTION OF RADIATION WITH MATTER (3)

RAS 545 /RM 545 /PHY 545 RADIATION HAZARDS AND PROTECTION (3)

RAS 546 /RM 546 /PHY 546 GENERAL MEDICAL RADIOLOGICAL PHYSICS (3)

RAS 601 /RM 601 ADVANCED RADIATION DOSIMETRY (2)

RAS 647 /RM 647 PHYSICS OF DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING I (3)

RAS 648 /RM 648 PHYSICS OF DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING II (3)

RAS 649 /RM 649 PHYSICS OF RADIATION THERAPY (3)

RAS 651 ADVANCED LABORATORY IN DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING PHYSICS (2)

RAS 695 /RM 695 RESEARCH IN HEALTH-RELATED RADIATION SCIENCES (4)

RAS 710 RADIATION SCIENCE SEMINAR (SUBTITLE REQUIRED) (1)

RAS 711 RESEARCH METHODS IN MEDICAL PHYSICS (1)