Courses
Medical Physics Graduate Program


BME 6535

Radiological Physics, Measurements & Dosimetry

Interacting and measuring techniques for x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons and charged particles with matter; radioactive decay processes ion chamber measurements, scintillation detectors, and dosimetry techniques. Applications of cavity theory and dosimetry measurement in medical physics.

  • Course Director: Wesley Bolch, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Fall
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6057

Radiation Biology

Effects of radiation on biological molecules, cells, and man including cancer and mutagenesis; use of radiation in treatment of disease.

  • Course Directors: Izabella Barreto, PhD; BC Schwarz, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Fall
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter 

GMS 6651

Diagnostic Physics I

X- and gamma-ray production and spectra. Radiopharmaceuticals. Medical imaging concepts and hardware. Clinical overview of diagnostic x-ray and nuclear medicine. Application of radiation protection principles.

  • Course Director: Lynn Rill, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Fall
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

BME 6591

Therapeutic Radiological Physics I

Introducing students to the principles of therapeutic radiological physics including the measurement and calculation of absorbed dose and dosimetric calculations. Studying external beam radiation therapy including dose distributions within patients and the treatment planning techniques used to produce desired isodose distributions.

  • Course Director: Therapy Faculty
  • Semester: 1st Spring
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter 

GMS 6652

Diagnostic Physics II

Experience in clinical diagnostic radiological procedures. Application of physical principles to imaging and the quality assurance of the imaging chain.

  • Course Directors: Manuel Arreola, PhD; Izabella Barreto, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Spring
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6085

Nuclear Medicine Instrumentation and Procedure

Theory, evaluation, applications of detecting and imaging systems in nuclear medicine including collimators, scintillation probes, cameras, data-processing devices; uses of radionuclides in medicine for radiopharmaceutical preparation.

  • Course Director: David Gilland, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Spring
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6005

Medical Physics Career Preparation

Introducing students to the physical basis and clinical practice of medical physics. Fundamentals of imaging physics and techniques including radiographic, CT, ultrasound, MRI and nuclear medicine procedures. Image quality metrics are introduced and the fundamental strategies of radiation therapy, treatment planning and components of professional development are studied.

  • Course Directors: Stephanie Leon, PhD; BC Schwarz, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Summer
  • Credits: 1
  • Grading: Letter 

GMS 6602

Radiological Anatomy

Imaging techniques as they relate to human anatomy and physiology.

  • Course Director: BC Schwarz, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Summer
  • Credits: 2
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6653

Diagnostic Physics III

Physics of diagnostic methodologies like ultrasound, NMR, MRI, CT, Electronic imaging systems.

  • Course Director: Manuel Arreola, PhD
  • Semester: 1st Summer
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6086

Research Methods in Medical Physics

  • Course Director: Dr Leon
  • Semester: 2nd Fall
  • Credits: 2
  • Grading: Letter

BME 6592

Therapeutic Radiological Physics II

Building upon the basic principles of radiation therapy studying more advanced radiation treatment planning, electron beam and brachytherapy techniques. Topics of clinical and regulatory significance including radiation shielding and quality assurance.

  • Course Director: Therapy Faculty
  • Semester: 2nd Fall
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6084

Imaging System Analysis with Medical Physics Applications

The application of linear systems theory for the analysis of medical imaging systems with an emphasis on radiological imaging. Topics covered include the following: convolution, Fourier Transform, linear filtering, sampling theory, image reconstruction from projections and methods for image quality evaluation.

  • Course Director: David Gilland, PhD
  • Semester: 2nd Fall
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

ENU 6636

Medical Radiation Shielding and Protection

Shielding design fundamentals. Methods of calculating gamma-ray attenuation, fast neutron penetration, effects of ducts and voids in shields, problems of heat generation and deposition in reactor components.

  • Course Directors: Manuel Arreola, PhD; Stephanie Leon, PhD
  • Semester: 2nd Spring
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

ENU 6623

Radiation Dosimetry

Concepts, dosimetry quantities and units, calculations for external gamma, beta, and neutron radiation, calculation of dose from internal radioactivity, dose measurements concepts, gamma and beta dose measurements, dose assessment from survey and personnel monitoring.

  • Course Director: Wesley Bolch, PhD
  • Semester: 2nd Spring
  • Credits: 3
  • Grading: Letter

GMS 6910

Supervised Research

  • Course Director: Supervisory Committee Chair
  • Semester: 2nd Spring
  • Credits: 2
  • Grading: S/U

GMS 6089

Seminar in Medical Physics

  • Course Director: Dr Arreola
  • Semester: 2nd Spring
  • Credits: 1
  • Grading: Letter