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Applying for a Medical Physics Phd

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:11 pm
by hcaulfield1985
Hi all,

I am just looking for some help in applying for a medical physics Phd, preferably in the area of Radiation Therapy. A bit of background: I have a B.A. in Physics and a M.Sc. in Medical Physics from Trinity College Dublin. I also have two years experience as a part II clinical scientist trainee in the UK. Basically a residency trainee program. I am interested in doing a Phd and I have been looking at programs in the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. However, I have not seen many projects come up to apply to. Is it the norm to just contact groups directly and see what they have? I have done this before for programs in the USA and I was told that you need to apply for the graduates program for admission first. Is this correct? Can anyone give me any information they have on applying for medical physics Phds, especially if they were an international student applying or any other advice they have?

Thanks

Re: Applying for a Medical Physics Phd

Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:03 am
by twistor
First off, it's not clear what kind of information you're looking for. I can offer you some general advice.

Groups will take your emails seriously if you have already applied. If you haven't already applied you should contact the department secretary who should be able to arrange a visit if you want one. That's true regardless of whether or not you've already applied.

You're background is more than sufficient for you to be a competitive applicant at any of the major universities offering medical physics degrees.

I don't know what you mean when you say you haven't found many programs. While I cannot speak for Australia, New Zealand, and Europe there are plenty in the USA.

Re: Applying for a Medical Physics Phd

Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 10:41 am
by Minovsky
First off, PhD programs in the US are very different than in the UK or Europe. In Europe, PhD positions are listed more like jobs. In the US, PhD programs are listed as academic programs (like a BSc or MSc). So in the US you apply to departments, not to work on specific projects by specific faculty. It is my understanding that PhD candidates in Europe are considered employees of the university. In the US, PhD candidates are considered students at the university. So naturally, you won't find many "PhD projects" to apply to, because that's not how it works here.