Graduate Studies in Medical & Health Physics

Welcome

Our programs prepare students for careers in medical physics and health physics. Medical physicists play an essential role in healthcare, specializing in areas such as radiation therapy, diagnostic imaging, and nuclear medicine. As technology advances and healthcare needs grow, the demand for skilled medical physicists continues to increase. Becoming a qualified medical physicist typically requires extensive training, including a degree in physics or engineering, a graduate degree in medical physics, and residency training.

Choosing a graduate program in medical physics can be challenging due to the number of accredited programs available. While all programs share the goal of preparing students for professional practice, each differs in faculty expertise, research focus, and institutional mission. Prospective students should consider how well a program aligns with their academic interests and long-term career goals.

Our program stands out for its strong partnership between Louisiana State University (LSU) and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (MBPCC). This collaboration combines LSU’s academic and research strengths with MBPCC’s clinical resources, creating an exceptional environment for education and training. The program is nationally recognized, CAMPEP-accredited, and has a 100% graduate placement rate.

Flexibility is another key advantage of our program. Many students begin with the goal of earning an MS degree but later pursue a PhD after discovering a passion for research. Others may transition from a PhD track to an MS degree to enter the workforce sooner. Our program encourages students to explore both clinical and research experiences before making career decisions.

Our faculty bring expertise in areas such as advanced radiotherapy technologies, diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiation protection. With approximately 20 faculty members supporting about 24 graduate students, the program offers a low student-to-faculty ratio and personalized mentorship. Students also benefit from access to advanced facilities, including radiotherapy accelerators, medical imaging laboratories, high-performance computing clusters, and other specialized research resources.

Graduates seeking to become qualified medical physicists in the United States must complete a two-year accredited residency. Through our partnership with MBPCC, which leads a residency consortium of four institutions, our MS and PhD graduates receive preference for admission to the residency program.

We invite you to learn more about the medical physics and health physics programs at LSU and MBPCC by exploring our websites.

Kip Matthews

Professor and Program Director, Medical Physics & Health Physics

 

 

Program Statistics

Trainee Handbook

Medical Physics Residency

History

disclosures

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