Plan Description
The doctor of medical physics degree is a 4-year entry-level professional program designed to provide individuals with appropriate baccalaureate degrees the knowledge and skills required to practice medical physics in a clinical setting. Upon receiving this degree, students will be eligible to sit for the licensure examinations in medical physics. The program of study consists of 80 credit hours of graduate course work divided into classroom, clinical and research activities. During the first 5 semesters in the program, students take courses emphasizing the fundamental principles of radiological sciences and medical physics. The last six semesters consist of clinical rotations in radiation oncology clinics and/or hospitals where students are involved with all aspects of clinical medical physics including dosimetry and treatment planning, external beam physics, brachytherapy, quality assurance and special procedures.
For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes please visit the Degree Directory.
Plan Admission Requirements
Application deadlines
Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.
Students seeking admission to the DMP program must fulfill the following admission requirements:
- Overall GPA of 3.0/4.0 (B average) in undergraduate work. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 but not less than 2.75 may be admitted as provisional students.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Physics, Applied Physics, Physical Science, or Engineering (with an equivalent of a minor in physics) from an accredited college or university.
- Applicants with a master’s degree from an accredited medical physics program who meet the entrance requirements may be considered for admission to the program. In addition, these applicants must have taken the American Board of Radiology (ABR) part 1 exam as a condition for admission to the program. These students will be required to take an additional 20 credits of electives (determined by the Health Physics Graduate faculty).
- A score ranking in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
- Three letters of recommendation from former instructors or employers that speak to the applicant’s potential as a graduate student. The individual writing the letter may use the form available from the Graduate College, which includes a release form for the student to sign.
- A statement of approximately 300 words indicating the student’s professional goals and reason for seeking graduate education.
- International applicants whose native language is not English must show competency in the English language before they can be admitted. A satisfactory score (minimum 550 on the written version or 213 on the computerized version) on the “Test of English as a Foreign Language” (TOEFL) or comparable evidence of competency in English must be submitted by students as part of their application.
- All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.
Subplan 2 Requirements: Post-Master’s Track
Total Credits Required: 60
Course Requirements
Fall Semester 1st Year Courses - Credits: 10
10 Credits of Advisor Approved Electives.
Spring Semester 1st Year Courses - Credits: 10
10 Credits of Advisor Approved Electives.
Summer Semester 1st Year Courses - Credits: 6
HPS 770 Radiation Therapy Physics: External Beam
Fall Semester 2nd Year Courses - Credits: 6
HPS 771 - Dosimetric Aspects of Radiation Therapy I
Spring Semester 2nd Year Courses - Credits: 6
HPS 772R: Radiation Therapy Physics: Brachytherapy
Summer Semester 2nd Year Courses - Credits: 6
HPS 773 - Dosimetric Aspects of Radiation Therapy II
Fall Semester 3rd Year Courses - Credits: 8
HPS 774 - Clinical Medical Physics
HPS 794 - Clinical Physics Research
Spring Semester 3rd Year Courses - Credits: 8
HPS 775 - Clinical Medical Physics II: Special Procedures
HPS 794: Clicnical Physics Research
Degree Requirements
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or above each semester enrolled.
- Receive a grade of B (3.0) or above (or satisfactory, where applicable) in all courses. If less than a B (or unsatisfactory) is earned, the course may be repeated. The student must be in good standing to repeat a course, and any course may be repeated only once.
- Complete a minimum of six semester hours in each calendar year.
- Students entering the program with a B.S. degree have the option of leaving the program with a masters degree after successful completion of all non-clinical coursework. These students are required to take an additional credits of professional paper (HPS 796) of thesis (HPS 797) in order to satisfythe research component of the masters degree.
- A minimum of 80 credit hours is required for graduation from the DMP program (60 credits for students admitted with a masters degree).
Plan Graduation Requirements
- The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
- The student must submit and successfully present his/her final research project by the posted deadline. The presentation must be advertised and is open to the public.
- The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted research project to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.