The Accelerated Program is a non-thesis option designed specifically for students seeking a terminal master’s degree with the goal of becoming a board-certified clinical medical physicist. The degree follows our Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) accredited program coursework.
Admissions
Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.
Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.
| Fall Deadline | December 1 |
| Spring Deadline | The program does not admit in the spring. |
| Summer Deadline | The program does not admit in the summer. |
| GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) | Not required. |
| English Proficiency Test | Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241. |
| Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) | n/a |
| Letters of Recommendation Required | 3 |
Admitted applicants entering the medical physics program must have acquired a strong foundation in basic physics and mathematics but are welcome to have come from a range of undergraduate majors in STEM. While a bachelor’s degree in physics is considered the most common preparation, other physical science majors such as engineering, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, etc, are considered, as long as the candidate has coursework equivalent to a minor in physics. The minimum expected physics preparation is two introductory college physics courses, a modern physics course or individual courses covering electromagnetism, atomic structure, and quantum theory, and a total of three upper-level physics courses or equivalent. Additionally, applicants should be proficient in mathematics, including multi-variable calculus, differential equations, Fourier transforms, and linear algebra. Applicants who do not have the equivalent of a minor in physics may be admitted conditionally. If so, additional course work in physics must be taken.
For additional information about the application process, detailed information on required application materials, information on application fee waivers, and frequently asked questions, please refer to this webpage.
Application Checklist
- Three letters of recommendation: These letters are required from teachers, scientists, or supervisors who can attest to the applicant's ability to be successful in graduate work. Letter writers should submit their letters electronically by the department's deadline.
- Statement of Purpose: In a statement not to exceed two pages, applicants should explain why they want to pursue graduate study in Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Applicants should discuss career goals, and their preparation for graduate study, including relevant coursework, related employment, publications, presentations, awards, and honors.
- CV or resume: Upload your resume in your application. Please include any awards, scholarships, research experience, publications, and volunteer work.
- Academic transcript: Upload one copy of your transcript of all undergraduate and previous graduate work in your application. Unofficial copies of transcripts will be accepted for review. Official copies are required if an applicant is recommended for admission.
- Applicant data: Upload your completed Applicant Data Sheet to the application.
- Optional: Upload a document explaining how your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges motivated your decision to pursue a career in Medical Physics. This is separate from the statement of purpose.
- Submit the online Graduate School Application for Admission and pay the application fee.
- English proficiency: Please see the Graduate School requirements for specific information.
Questions
Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator at admissions@medphysics.wisc.edu
For Visiting International Student Program (VISP) Applicants
The following courses are taken as a VISP student in their undergraduate year at UW-Madison and are considered prerequisites. VISP applicants must complete these courses to be admitted to the Medical Physics MS: Accelerated Program option.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Semester (Fall) as Visiting Undergraduate Student | ||
| MED PHYS/B M E/H ONCOL/PHYSICS 501 | Radiation Physics and Dosimetry | 3 |
| MED PHYS/B M E 573 | Mathematical Methods in Medical Physics | 3 |
| MED PHYS 510 | Fundamentals of Cellular, Molecular, and Radiation Biology | 3 |
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
3 credits of elective Rad Labs (MED PHYS 662, MED PHYS 663, MED PHYS 664, MED PHYS 665, MED PHYS 666) | ||
2 credits of MED PHYS 671 (Topic: Anatomy and Physiology) and 1 credit of elective Rad Lab 1 | ||
| Second Semester (Spring) as Visiting Undergraduate Student | ||
| MED PHYS/B M E 566 | Physics of Radiotherapy | 3 |
| MED PHYS/B M E 580 | The Physics of Medical Imaging with Ionizing Radiation | 4 |
| Complete one of the following: | 5 | |
MED PHYS 574 and 2 credits of elective Rad Lab 1 | ||
MED PHYS/PHYSICS 688 and 1 credit of elective Rad Lab 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Funding
Graduate School Resources
The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Program Information
Students enrolled in this program are not eligible to receive tuition remission from graduate assistantship appointments at this institution.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Named Option Requirements
Mode of Instruction
| Face to Face | Evening/Weekend | Online | Hybrid | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
Mode of Instruction Definitions
Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.
Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.
Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.
Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats. Contact the program for more specific information.
Online: These programs are offered 100% online. Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.
Curricular Requirements
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 30 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 16 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 16 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244. |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203. |
| Other Grade Requirements | n/a |
| Assessments and Examinations | n/a |
| Language Requirements | No language requirements. |
Required Courses
The Medical Physics MS: Accelerated Program is a non-thesis option designed specifically for students seeking a terminal master's degree with the goal of becoming a board-certified clinical medical physicist. This named option is Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) accredited.
Visiting International Student Program (VISP) students should consult the program for details on completing coursework.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| MED PHYS/B M E/H ONCOL/PHYSICS 501 | Radiation Physics and Dosimetry | 3 |
| MED PHYS/B M E 573 | Mathematical Methods in Medical Physics | 3 |
| MED PHYS 510 | Fundamentals of Cellular, Molecular, and Radiation Biology | 3 |
| MED PHYS 701 | Ethics and the responsible conduct of research and practice of Medical Physics | 1 |
| MED PHYS/B M E 566 | Physics of Radiotherapy | 3 |
| MED PHYS/B M E 578 | Non-Ionizing Diagnostic Imaging | 4 |
| MED PHYS/B M E 580 | The Physics of Medical Imaging with Ionizing Radiation | 4 |
| MED PHYS/N E 569 | Health Physics and Biological Effects | 3 |
| MED PHYS 671 | Selected Topics in Medical Physics (Topic: Anatomy and Physiology) | 2 |
| Elective | ||
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Data Science in Medical Physics | ||
| Radiation Production and Detection | ||
| Radiation Physics Metrology | ||
| Advanced Brachytherapy Physics | ||
| Advanced Radiation Treatment Planning | ||
| Lab | ||
| Select one of the following lab courses: | 1 | |
| Laboratory for Medical Imaging with Ionizing Radiation | ||
| Rad Lab - Diagnostic Radiological Physics | ||
| Rad Lab - Nuclear Medicine Physics | ||
| Rad Lab - Health Physics | ||
| Rad Lab - CT, MRI, and DSA Physics | ||
| Rad Lab - Medical Ultrasound Physics | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Students in this program may not take courses outside the prescribed curriculum without faculty advisor and program director approval. Students in this program cannot enroll concurrently in other undergraduate or graduate degree programs.
Policies
Graduate School Policies
The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.
Named Option-Specific Policies
Prior Coursework
Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.
Credits Earned as a University Special student at UW–Madison
With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 14 credits of coursework numbered 500 or above taken as a UW-Madison Special student. However, these credits are not allowed to count toward the 50% graduate coursework minimum unless numbered 700 or above or are taken to meet the requirements of a capstone certificate and has the “Grad 50%” attribute.
Probation
For a graduate student in the Medical Physics Department to be making satisfactory progress, they must:
- Obtain at least a 3.0 GPA in the most recent semester. Grades in all research courses and courses with grades of P, S, or U are excluded from the average. A student who fails to make satisfactory progress may be withdrawn from the department. In exceptional cases, the department chair may grant permission to continue for a specified probationary period.
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all courses taken while in the Medical Physics program and for all Department of Medical Physics courses. All research courses and all courses with grades of P, S, or U are excluded from the average.
Any student who fails to meet the requirements of 1–2 above, will be placed on probation. Failure in the first semester of probation to obtain a 3.0 average for the semester and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 will result in termination unless the student's advisor requests and the department and the Graduate School approves, continued enrollment. The particular courses which count toward the GPA in any probation semester must be approved in writing by the student's advisor and the Medical Physics Graduate Committee Chair in order for the work to count toward returning the student to good standing.
Advisor/Committee
Students will be assigned an advisor by the beginning of the first semester of study.
Credits Per Term Allowed
15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.
Time Limits
All MS degree course requirements should be completed by the end of the second year of study.
MS students who have been absent from the program for five or more consecutive years will not be able to use those courses before their absence for satisfying degree requirements.
Grievances and Appeals
These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:
- Bias or Hate Reporting
- Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
- Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
- Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
- Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
- Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
- Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
- Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
- Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
- Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
- Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)
Grievance Policy for Graduate Programs in the School of Medicine and Public Health
Any student in a School of Medicine and Public Health graduate program who feels that they have been treated unfairly in regards to educational decisions and/or outcomes or issues specific to the graduate program, including academic standing, progress to degree, professional activities, appropriate advising, and a program’s community standards by a faculty member, staff member, postdoc, or student has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance following these grievance procedures. Any student who discusses, inquiries about, or participates in the grievance procedure may do so openly and shall not be subject to intimidation, discipline, or retaliation because of such activity. Each program’s grievance advisor is listed on the “Research” tab of the SMPH intranet.
Exclusions
This policy does not apply to employment-related issues for Graduate Assistants in TA, PA and/or RA appointments. Graduate Assistants will utilize the Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures (GAPP) grievance process to resolve employment-related issues.
This policy does not apply to instances when a graduate student wishes to report research misconduct. For such reports refer to the UW-Madison Policy for Reporting Research Misconduct for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Research Associates.
Requirements for Programs
The School of Medicine and Public Health Office of Basic Research, Biotechnology and Graduate Studies requires that each graduate program designate a grievance advisor, who should be a tenured faculty member, and will request the name of the grievance advisor annually. The program director will serve as the alternate grievance advisor in the event that the grievance advisor is named in the grievance. The program must notify students of the grievance advisor, including posting the grievance advisor’s name on the program’s Guide page and handbook.
The grievance advisor or program director may be approached for possible grievances of all types. They will spearhead the grievance response process described below for issues specific to the graduate program, including but not limited to academic standing, progress to degree, professional activities, appropriate advising, and a program’s community standards. They will ensure students are advised on reporting procedures for other types of possible grievances and are supported throughout the reporting process. Resources on identifying and reporting other issues have been compiled by the Graduate School.
Procedures
- The student is advised to initiate a written record containing dates, times, persons, and description of activities, and to update this record while completing the procedures described below.
- If the student is comfortable doing so, efforts should be made to resolve complaints informally between individuals before pursuing a formal grievance.
- Should a satisfactory resolution not be achieved, the student should contact the program’s grievance advisor or program director to discuss the complaint. The student may approach the grievance advisor or program director alone or with a UW-Madison faculty or staff member. The grievance advisor or program director should keep a record of contacts with regards to possible grievances. The first attempt is to help the student informally address the complaint prior to pursuing a formal grievance. The student is also encouraged to talk with their faculty advisor regarding concerns or difficulties.
- If the issue is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may submit a formal grievance to the grievance advisor or program director in writing, within 60 calendar days from the date the grievant first became aware of, or should have become aware of with the exercise of reasonable diligence, the cause of the grievance. To the fullest extent possible, a grievance shall contain a clear and concise statement of the grievance and indicate the issue(s) involved, the relief sought, the date(s) the incident or violation took place, and any specific policy involved.
- On receipt of a written grievance, the following steps will occur. The final step must be completed within 30 business days from the date the grievance was received. The program must store documentation of the grievance for seven years. Significant grievances that set a precedent may be stored indefinitely.
- The grievance advisor or program director will convene a faculty committee composed of at least three members to manage the grievance. Any faculty member involved in the grievance or who feels that they cannot be impartial may not participate in the committee. Committee composition should reflect diverse viewpoints within the program.
- The faculty committee, through the grievance advisor or program director, will obtain a written response from the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed. The grievance advisor or program director will inform this person that their response will be shared with the student filing the grievance.
- The grievance advisor or program director will share the response with the student filing the grievance.
- The faculty committee will make a decision regarding the grievance. The committee’s review shall be fair, impartial, and timely. The grievance advisor or program director will report on the action taken by the committee in writing to both the student and the person toward whom the grievance was directed.
- If either party (the student or the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed) is unsatisfied with the decision of the program’s faculty committee, the party may file a written appeal to the SMPH senior associate dean for basic research, biotechnology and graduate studies within 10 business days from the date of notification of the program’s faculty committee. The following steps will occur:
- The grievant will be notified in writing, within 5 business days of the written appeal, acknowledging receipt of the formal appeal and establishing a timeline for the review to be completed.
- The senior associate dean or their designee may request additional materials and/or arrange meetings with the grievant and/or others. If meetings occur, the senior associate dean or their designee will meet with both the grievant and the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed.
- The senior associate dean or their designee will assemble an ad hoc committee of faculty from outside of the student’s graduate program and ask them to prepare a written recommendation on whether to uphold or reverse the decision of the program on the student’s initial grievance. The committee may request additional materials and/or arrange meetings with the grievant and/or others. If meetings occur, the committee will meet with both the grievant and the person or persons toward whom the grievance is directed.
- The senior associate dean or their designee will make a final decision within 20 business days of receipt of the committee’s recommendation.
- The SMPH Office of Basic Research, Biotechnology, and Graduate Studies must store documentation of the grievance for seven years. Grievances that set a precedent may be stored indefinitely.
- The student may file an appeal of the School of Medicine and Public Health decision with the Graduate School. See the Grievances and Appeals section of the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures.
Time Limits
Steps in the grievance procedures must be initiated and completed within the designated time periods except when modified by mutual consent. If the student fails to initiate the next step in the grievance procedure within the designated time period, the grievance will be considered resolved by the decision at the last completed step.
Other
Students in the Medical Physics: Accelerated Program, MS are generally self funded.
Professional Development
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.