Integrated MS & PhD in Physics — Medical Physics Concentration

A dual master’s and PhD medical physics program designed for the future of health care

Thanks to recent technological advancements in health care and nuclear power, there’s an unprecedented need in the U.S. for skilled scientists and professionals with mastery of both medicine and physics. East Carolina University’s integrated PhD and MS program is an ideal path toward a career in this fast-growing field for recent graduates who want a PhD in biomedical physics and an MS in medical physics accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP).

A medical physics PhD and MS designed for you and your goals

There’s never been a better time to enter the field of biomedical physics, and you probably would like to find a meaningful career doing what you love as early as possible. Fortunately, when you earn your biomedical physics PhD and MS at ECU, you can earn your degree in as little as five years, saving yourself an entire year of schooling and paying for tuition.

You will also graduate with more hands-on research/clinical experience in both physics and medical physics than graduates from other dual master’s and PhD programs in biomedicine.

No GMAT or GRE required

Two concentrations

Expert faculty

Small class sizes

Why earn your PhD and MS in biomedical physics at ECU?

As a student in the medical physics program at ECU, you’ll benefit from a unique educational experience, surrounded by world-class faculty and peers who are as committed to science and health care as you are. There are so many reasons why ECU’s PhD and MS in medical physics degree stands out from other dual master’s and PhD programs across the country:

Experiential learning

Learn by doing in ECU’s medical physics PhD and MS degree program, which partners with the Department of Radiation Oncology to provide hours of clinical practice to students in the MS medical physics degree program, in addition to community outreach through volunteer opportunities. Graduate with the expertise and firsthand knowledge to excel as a scientist and health care professional.

National recognition and board eligibility

Since 2006, our MS in medical physics degree has been accredited by CAMPEP. This means you are eligible to sit for Part I of the ABR boards for medical physics. Currently, the American Board of Radiology requires candidates to graduate from CAMPEP-accredited graduate programs (Part I) and complete a CAMPEP-accredited residency (Part II) to be eligible for board certification as a clinical medical physicist.

World-class labs and classrooms

Joining the medical physics program at ECU will give you access to state-of-the-art laboratories to learn how to handle the tools and technologies used by professionals in the field every day. You’ll enjoy working and learning in the Accelerator Laboratory, Biomedical Optics Laboratory, Biophysics Laboratory, and the Biomedical Laser Laboratory—to name just a few of the cutting-edge facilities you’ll benefit from here at ECU.

Courses you will take in the medical physics program

When you earn your integrated PhD and MS in medical physics from ECU, you’ll receive a balanced combination of courses in physics and the biomedical sciences, including targeted courses for the MS in medical physics degree that will build a solid foundation in radiation and nuclear medicine theory and practice.

Thanks to our small class sizes, you’ll get to work closely with faculty mentors who have years of experience as teachers and professionals in the biomedical field. They bring these years of experience into the classroom to help you connect theory and real-world settings and prepare you for the day-to-day life of a biomedical researcher.

Some of the courses that help make us one of the best dual master’s and PhD programs for biomedical physics in the country include:

Radiation Instrumentation
Biomedical Optics
Clinical Rotation in Radiation Therapy Physics

What can you do with your PhD and MS in physics?

As a graduate of ECU’s medical physics PhD and MS degree program, you’ll be prepared to stand out in a wide range of career fields and settings. The combined education in medical physics and biomedical physics in our program will give you the clinical and research experience to work on the ground as a practicing health care professional or in the lab as a researcher furthering the field of medical physics every day.

The tools you need to help others live healthy and comfortable lives

As you earn your PhD and MS in physics and medicine from ECU, you’ll develop and strengthen not only the hard skills necessary to be a successful health care worker and researcher, but also the soft skills to help you be the best professional you can be. These include:

Collaborating with peers and other scientists
Leading groups of researchers and health care providers
Communicating effectively in a number of media and contexts

Where are medical physics program graduates working?

The advanced education in both physics and medical physics we provide gives our graduates the expertise to enter many different fields, including academia, clinical practice, and private organizations. We’re proud to have a high medical physics residency / job placement rate among our graduates throughout the years.

Past graduates have gone on to work as:

Clinical physicists
Non-clinical physicists
Educators
Imaging specialists
Researchers

Employment for medical scientists is expected to grow 17% through 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. That’s more than double the average for other occupations in the U.S.

In addition to the personal and professional satisfaction of doing what you love, you’ll also benefit from an impressive salary: Professionals with a medical physics PhD earn an average salary of $93,310.

Get started on your PhD and MS medical physics degree

Take the next step toward earning your integrated PhD and MS in medical physics. Want to learn more about what sets ECU apart from other dual master’s and PhD programs in medical physics? We have the resources to answer all your questions and help you get started.

Degree programs related to our medical physics program

Accreditation for the integrated PhD and MS in physics and medicine at ECU

The medical physics master’s concentration at East Carolina University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). When you graduate with your integrated medical physics PhD and MS from ECU, your degree will prove to employers and universities that you have the expertise and knowledge to meet the strict accreditation qualification set by CAMPEP for medical physics professionals.