Medical Physics in Cancer Radiation Therapy

University of Manchester
Postgraduate PgCert Full-time 6 Months MedicinePhysics and astronomy

About this course

Our MSc Medical Physics in Cancer Radiation Therapy is ideal if you wish to pursue a career in medical physics or cancer research involving ionising radiation. With around 40% of all cancer cures involving radiotherapy as part of treatment the need for multidisciplinary scientists in this field has never been greater.

The course will cover all aspects of the radiotherapy patient pathway including: the accurate delivery of radiation and the optimisation of bespoke treatment plans for every patient; the delivery of particle therapy; the use of imaging throughout the patient pathway; state-of-the-art adaptive radiotherapy techniques; translation of new interventions or research into clinical pathways and methods to evaluate clinical impact.

We will introduce you to cancer biology and radiobiology to provide context for the effect of radiation on cancer cells and normal tissues. Finally, we will develop your skills in cutting edge data science and machine learning and show their potential application within medical physics.

As well as providing detailed background theory the masters will have a strong application component. We will introduce you to python as the primary scripting language and use these skills throughout the course to demonstrate techniques learnt. Our collaboration with The Christie will allow you to undertake unique research projects in its radiotherapy facilities that cannot be carried out anywhere else in the UK or most of Europe.

This course will enable you to train as a multidisciplinary scientist in this area by covering a variety of subjects and content that is delivered by staff with a range of expertise, including physicists, biologists, engineers, clinical scientists and clinical oncologists.

Study Options

This course is available in 4 study options:

Full-time Shown above

Duration: 6 Months

Qualification: PgCert

Location: Manchester

Part-time

Duration: 2 Years

Qualification: MSc

Location: Manchester

Full-time Shown above

Duration: 1 Year

Qualification: MSc

Location: Manchester

Full-time Shown above

Duration: 9 Months

Qualification: PgDip

Location: Manchester

Career Prospects

Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

2127 Engineering project managers and project engineers
2223 Speech and language therapists
2119 Natural and social science professionals
2129 Engineering professionals
3111 Laboratory technicians
2124 Electronics engineers

Course Details

Qualification
Postgraduate Certificate - PgCert
Study Mode
Full-time
Duration
6 Months
Start Date
2025
Academic Year
2025
Campus / Location
Manchester
Scheme
Postgraduate
Subjects
Medicine, Physics and astronomy