Medical Physics 4+1 combined BS/MS Program

Current Purdue undergraduate students with the goal of earning a master’s degree in medical physics can pursue an accelerated, combined BS/MS in medical physics through the College of Health and Human Sciences. This program is CAMPEP-accredited. Following completion of this program, you will be eligible to apply to a CAMPEP-accredited medical physics residency or continue your education to earn a PhD.

This program is for academically outstanding students who excelled in physics, radiological health sciences, or similar majors and are looking for a fast track to their master’s degree. You can apply for the 4+1 program in your junior year and begin graduate coursework in your senior year (see eligibility requirements). Once you have enrolled in this specialized track, you may take up to 12 combined credits during your senior year. Combined credits are counted for both the BS and MS degree programs. This allows 4+1 students to earn master’s-level credits while maintaining the same baccalaureate graduation timeline. This accelerated option can potentially eliminate one year of tuition costs and allow you to have an additional year in the workforce or complete your master’s degree prior to continuing to your career, a medical physics residency, a PhD program, or other professional training.

Program Highlights

You will be integrated into faculty laboratories and clinical facilities to work with faculty on a variety of research projects to advance disease diagnosis and treatment.

Clinical internships are available in therapeutic and diagnostic physics at the Purdue Life Science MRI facility, in radiology at Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine and at Memorial Medical Hospital and in radiation oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine Hospital.
Advanced coursework is offered in oncology, MRI theory and acquisition, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, PET/SPECT imaging and more.
Meet and learn from your peers by joining the Medical Physics Club of Purdue or the Purdue Association for Magnetic Resonance.

For more information about the programs’ statistics, visit the main medical physics webpage.

Plan of Study

Research

You will have the opportunity to work directly with medical physics faculty on interdisciplinary projects to advance understanding of image-guided and biology-based therapy; diagnostic imaging of cancer, neurological function and disease; and new uses of particle beams in detection and treatment.

Faculty

Admissions/Requirements

Eligibility

GPA ≥ 3.2
B+ or better in HSCI 31200 Radiation Science Fundamentals before application
Major: Radiological Health Sciences Pre-Medical Physics Concentration, Physics, or similar with a minimum of three-upper level (300+, 3+ credits each) physics courses suitable for the Physics minor at the end of the 4+1 program
93 credits completed by start of program
On track to graduate from your baccalaureate program by the end of the spring term of your senior year

Meeting eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

Application

Application Deadline: February 1 in Junior year
Complete an application including a personal statement, personal history statement, two letters of recommendation, resume, transcript, application fee, and GS Form-27.

Program Requirements and Policies

After you are admitted to the 4+1 BS/MS program, complete 12 credits of 500+-level courses on the plan of study during your senior year.
Maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in both your BS and MS courses.
Take a minimum of 18 credits of 500+-level courses on the plan of study during your +1 MS year.
Students who leave the program, whether for failure to meet the program requirements or by withdrawal, will cease to be graduate students but may continue as undergraduate students if they have not been awarded the B.S.

Medical Physics 4+1 combined BS/MS Program (CAMPEP Accredited)