Radiological Health Sciences Major

Students interested in the application of physics to medical imaging or radiation therapy should consider the pre-medical physics program. Medical physics is associated with the application of radiation physics in medicine at a clinic, hospital, private practice or university. It includes the fields of diagnostic imaging physics, medical health physics, nuclear medicine physics and radiation therapy physics. Practicing medical physicists must have a graduate degree from an accredited program. Purdue’s program includes an accelerated five-year (4+1) MS in Medical Physics and is CAMPEP accredited. It has had excellent success in placing graduates into well-paying jobs and residencies.

The radiation protection — or “health physics” — profession is devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards while also making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. Health physics involves many disciplines such as physics, biology, biophysics, engineering, chemistry, genetics, ecology, environmental sciences, metallurgy, meteorology, hydrology, medicine, physiology, toxicology and industrial hygiene. As a health physicist, you’ll evaluate the radiation environment using instruments and calculations and work with regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with radiation exposure standards.

The radiation health and safety concentration prepares students for the careers in environmental health and safety with overlap between occupational health and health physics. These professionals are responsible for evaluating the hazard environment using instruments and calculations and devising and communicating procedures to ensure the safety of workers and the public.

The radiological health sciences major is dedicated to advancing the biomedical, health and scientific uses of radiation while protecting individuals, communities, and the environment from its harmful effects. This major also applies radiation to medicine to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of equipment that diagnoses and treats disease. The radiation health and safety concentration prepares students for the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation and other occupational and environmental hazards. Radiation health and safety technicians are responsible for evaluating the hazard environment using instruments and calculations to ensure the safety of workers and the public.