Medical Physics MSc - 2024/5
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MSc Medical Physics
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | Medical Physics |
| PGCert | Radiation Physics |
Professional recognition
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM).
Accredited by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM).
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | PCK61001 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Part-time | PCK61002 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Other internal and / or external reference points
N/A
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences - Mathematics & Physics
Programme Leader
PANI Silvia (Maths & Phys)
Date of production/revision of spec
25/04/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- The programme integrates the acquisition of core scientific knowledge with the development of key practical skills with a focus on professional career development within medical physics and related industries.
- The principal educational aims and outcomes of learning are to provide participants with advanced knowledge, practical skills and understanding applied to medical physics, radiation detection instrumentation, radiation and environmental practice in an industrial or medical context.
- This is achieved by the development of the participants' understanding of the underlying science and technology and by the participants gaining an understanding of the legal basis, practical implementation and organisational basis of medical physics and radiation measurement.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| Knowledge of physics, technology and processes in the subject of the course and the ability to apply these in the context of the course and of practical work. | K | MSc | |
| Ability to evaluate/argue alternative solutions and strategies independently and assess/report on own/others work with justification. | K | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| An essential understanding of Medical Physics in an academic and professional context, and a basic awareness of current problems and/or new insights | K | PGDip, MSc | |
| Familiarity with generic issues in management and safety and their application to Medical Physics in a professional context. | PT | PGDip, MSc | |
| The ability to plan and execute, under supervision, an experiment or theoretical investigation, analyse critically the results and draw valid conclusions. | CPT | MSc | |
| Evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline. | C | MSc | |
| The ability to manage their own learning and to make use of appropriate texts, research articles and other primary sources. | CPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Take responsibility for personal and professional development | PT | PGDip, MSc | |
| Awareness of public concern and ethical issues in radiation and environmental protection and in medical research. | P | PGDip, MSc |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied full-time over one academic year, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7*. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
*some programmes may contain up to 30 credits at FHEQ level 6.
Part-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over two academic years, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
N/A
Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHYM015 | RADIATION MEASUREMENT | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
| PHYM032 | RADIATION PHYSICS | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
| PHYM043 | DIAGNOSTIC APPLICATIONS OF IONISING RADIATION PHYSICS | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
| PHYM054 | EXPERIMENTAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
| PHYM065 | COMPUTING FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
Module Selection for Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
n/A
Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHYM021 | RESEARCH PROJECT AND DISSERTATION | Compulsory | 60 | 2 |
| PHYM042 | THERAPY PHYSICS | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
| PHYM044 | NON-IONISING RADIATION IMAGING | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
| PHYM048 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY AND RADIATION BIOLOGY | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
| PHYM054 | EXPERIMENTAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS FOR MEDICAL PHYSICS | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
Module Selection for Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
N/A
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | Y | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | N | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | N | |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
This programme is aligned to the University of Surrey's Five Pillars of Curriculum Design, namely: Digital Capabilities; Employability; Resourcefulness and Resilience; Sustainability; Global and Cultural Capabilities.
Digital Capabilities: By integrating digital tools, programming skills and data analysis techniques into the curriculum, the MSc Medical physics will equip students to apply their physical and mathematical knowledge in a digital context. They will learn the use of specialist data acquisition and analysis software, as well as Monte Carlo modelling and coding in Python. They will apply their learning to real-world problems, such as dose calculations, shielding, as well as to advanced fields such as AI and data science, which have rapidly gained momentum in the medical physics field and beyond. They will become familiar with advanced tools specific to medical physics, such as treatment planning software, which will prepare them for careers in healthcare and biomedical industry.
Employability: As a programme accredited by IPEM (Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine), the MSc Medical Physics aims at preparing students for careers in healthcare, industry or academia. In addition to academic staff, students are taught by guest lecturers and visiting staff from both industry and healthcare, all giving them perspectives relevant to their respective fields of expertise.
More in general, the programme provides the students with sound foundations in advanced physics topics, supported by modelling and coding.
They will also gain a range of highly-valued transferable skills, such as problem solving, team working, communication, which they will acquire through laboratory classes, group work, and through presenting their work in a range of formats such as reports, posters and oral presentations.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: Problem-solving is a key aspect of the programme. Students will learn how to tackle complex nuclear and radiation physics problems from a number of angles ¿ experiments, analytical calculations, modelling. These skills will then be applied to specific medical physics problems, such as dose calculations and image quality evaluation.
Working in small groups in laboratory sessions, students will use their knowledge of the foundation physics to understand experimental data and work out solutions to open-ended problems, thus developing resourcefulness and resilience that will be essential attributes for their future careers.
Sustainability: Medical Physics students will study imaging and treatment modalities that are commonly in use in clinical practice, as well as recent developments. All of these will be set in their broader clinical context, with a focus on costs, quality assurance, equipment lifecycle, thus giving students the skills to make informed decisions supporting sustainability in the healthcare and in the industrial sector.
Global and Cultural Capabilities: Students engage with physical concepts and technological advancements that are of benefit to society worldwide, aiming at delivering accessible and sustainable diagnosis and treatment. Through group work, students engage with partners who may have different backgrounds, and learn how to work in diverse teams.
In addition, the programme includes an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) workshop which aims to increase awareness of cultural, religious, or racial differences while delivering information about how a person can change their behaviour to be more inclusive. Through this training, students are encouraged to diversify their knowledge and reflect upon their experiences. Through this we seek to prepare our graduates for work in large and diverse teams in their future careers.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.