Khalifa University

MSc In Medical Physics

The objectives of the MSc in Medical Physics program are to produce graduates who:

• Advance professionally and be recognized as leaders in their careers.
• Apply their technical expertise to address the needs of society in a critical, creative, ethical, and innovative manner.
• Further develop their knowledge and skills through graduate education and professional schools.

Overall Structure

The MSc Medical Physics consists of a minimum of 36 credit hours, distributed as follows: 26 credit hours of Program Core courses, 3 credit hours of Clinical Rotation, 6 credit hours of master’s thesis, and a 1 credit hour of Research Methods and Ethics. The components of the program are summarized in the table below:

Program requirements

Students seeking the degree of MSc in Medical Physics must successfully complete 36 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0.

MEPH 699 Master’s Thesis (6 credit hours)

Students must complete a master’s thesis that involves as per CoAS requirements that involves creative, research-oriented work within the broad field of Medical Physics, under the direct supervision of a full-time medical physics faculty advisor and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal thesis and defended successfully in a viva voice examination. Furthermore, the research should lead to publishable quality scholarly articles.

MSc in Medical Physics graduates will be able to:

• Apply medical physics knowledge, including core medical physics concepts and topics relating to the methods and techniques of clinical practice and research for the prevention, diagnosis, and safe treatment of human disease.
• Solve medical physics problems individually and collaboratively involving the integration of knowledge including basic and applied physics, mathematics, biological and physics sciences; development of theoretical solutions; use of various concept representations, computational methods, simulations, and experimental tests.
• Demonstrate skills related to posing new questions and solving problems in research, clinical, and industrial settings, including problem-solving, troubleshooting, experimental skills, coding and software use, data processing, and analysis.
• Organize and communicate scientific and technical concepts for different audiences and contexts using various and appropriate communication methods and modalities.
• Develop familiarity with basic workplace concepts, issues, practices, professional conduct, and life skills, including ethical conduct and actions that are required of medical physicists.

Medical Physics is an exciting and rapidly developing field, within which skilled professionals are in high demand. Integrating physics, medicine, and technology, medical physics is rich in opportunities for academic and clinical pursuit. KU’s master’s in medical physics program will offer career and research pathways for graduates in physical science, biophysics, biomedical engineering, or equivalent, having substantial physics and mathematics components. The program will exploit students’ problem-solving abilities to critically evaluate and optimize the quality assurance of medical equipment.

The medical physics field encompasses an array of rewarding professions within which skill shortages currently exist such as Radiation Oncology Physics, Medical Imaging Physics, Nuclear Medicine Physics, Radiation Safety and Health Physics, regulatory divisions of non-hospital institutions, power generation corporations, and R&D divisions of private companies. There is an immediate need for medical physicists in UAE due to the construction of new cancer treatment centers and the expansion of existing radiation oncology and medical imaging facilities and services. The need is expected to grow significantly in future due to technological advancements in medical diagnostic and treatment machines. Similar demand and growth are expected worldwide. A postgraduate qualification in medical physics is mandatory to become a certified practicing medical physicist in a developed country.

Some medical physicists conduct scientific research to answer previously unanswered questions by developing new techniques, tools, and devices whereas others can pursue graduate studies and build careers in academia and government institutions. Many medical physicists are also involved in training future medical physicists, resident physicians (radiologists and radiation oncologists), and radiation/imaging technologists who operate various types of equipment used to perform diagnosis and treatment. Many medical physicists work with consulting firms or as private consultants for hospitals, clinicians, the healthcare industry, and government institutions to regulate their radiation equipment usage.