M.S. IN PHYSICS WITH CONCENTRATION IN MEDICAL PHYSICS
Program Eligibility and Requirements
This M.S. program is open to graduate students enrolled in the Department of Physics. Candidates for an M.S.
in Physics with concentration in Medical Physics must fulfill all requirements for the M.S. Thesis Program:
* A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate coursework with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher. The 30 credit
hours must include the following:
* 12 credit hours: PHY 507, PHY 509, PHY 513, and PHY 551 or PHY 552
* 6 credit hours: formal graduate courses excluding independent study and thesis preparation
* 12 credit hours: graduate coursework including independent study and thesis preparation
* Additional recommended courses for this 30 credit-hour requirement are listed below
* Pass Part I of the Qualifying Examination at the Master's level
* Complete and defend a thesis on an approved topic in medical physics
For further information, see Graduate Program in Medical Physics (http://wings.buffalo.edu/smbs/medphysics/)
at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Recommended Sequence of Coursework
A typical two-year graduate program leading to an M.S. with concentration in Medical Physics will follow the
sequence given in the table below. Modifications to this recommended sequence to accomodate deficiencies in
prior preparation and/or particular research interests should be discussed with an academic advisor on the
Medical Physics Steering Committee early in the program. Note that a typical program may involve more than
the nominal minimum 30 credit hours required for all M.S. degrees by the Department: the actual sequence
followed will depend on prior preparation and the nature of the research project. This sequence will be
determined early in the student's program in consultation with his or her academic advisor.
Typical Two-Year Sequence
First Year: Fall Semester
PHY 509 Classical Dynamics
PHY 513 Electrodynamics I
BPH 600 Practical Training Ia
Additional courseb
First Year: Spring Semester
PHY 507 Quantum Mechanics I
PHY 551 Advanced Laboratoryc
BPH 575 Physics of Medical Diagnostic Imaging or BPH 510
Additional courseb
Second Year: Fall Semester
PHY 505 Computational Physics I
BPH 510 Modeling and Systems Theory Biophysics or BPH 575
BPH 600 Practical Training IIa
Additional courseb
Second Year: Spring Semester
Elective formal coursed
BPH 700 Thesis Guidance
Electived or additionalb course
Additional courseb
a
Course descriptions for Practical Training are given below.
Additional courses might include PHY 599 Supervised Teaching (for Physics Teaching Assistants), or any
other graduate course selected in consultation with the student's advisor.
c
Includes Medical Physics Laboratory Experiments described below.
d
Elective courses may be chosen from the following recommended list:
b
* PHY 501 Introduction to Mathematical Physics I
* BPH 522 / BPR 522 Image Formation and Processing
* BPR 572 In Vivo NMR
* STA 527 Statistics for the Biological and Medical Sciences
* BPH 600 Independent Study
or chosen in consultation with the student's advisor.
Specialized Course Descriptions
BPH 600 Medical Physics Practical Training I (3 credits): Quality assurance including evaluation of image
quality parameters for diagnostic radiography (CT, DSA, fluoroscopy, mammography), ultrasound (phased
array, Doppler color flow), nuclear medicine (imaging, SPECT, scintillation well counting), and MRI.
Techniques of dose measurement and evaluation and radiation safety for patients and personnel in a medical
setting (including shielding design and evaluation, protection surveys) will be covered. Practical tasks will be
assigned and detailed reports expected. On-site experience in hospital imaging departments.
Prerequisites: Acceptance into Medical Physics Program and consent of instructor.
BPH 600 Medical Physics Practical Training II (3 credits):
Continuation of Practical Training I.
Prerequisite: Practical Training I
PHY 551/552 Graduate Physics Laboratory I & II: In addition to listed physics experiments, there will be a
required medical physics experiment on Essentials of Radiography: The student will review the
bremmstrahlung process for creating x-rays, the basic processes for interaction of x-rays with matter
(photoelectric effect and Compton scattering), and the methods used for measuring exposure and absorbed dose.
A self-contained cabinet x-ray unit (Hewlett-Packard Faxitron) will be used to measure output and parametrize
x-ray spectra as a function of kVp and measure attenuating properties of various materials. The student will
measure scattered radiation and study methods of scatter elimination such as a grid, air gap, and collimation.
Basic image receptors will be introduced and methods for evaluation will be explored including sensitometric
characterization, measurement of spatial resolution (LSF, MTF), and the effect of quantum mottle and scatter on
contrast-detail-dose evaluations.