Doctorate in Medical Physics in Nashville United States | Vanderbilt University

The DMP Medical Physics Program focuses exclusively on diagnostic medical physics. This track involves at least 50 credit hours of classroom and lab coursework, 6 credit hours of independent research, and 36 credit hours of clinical rotations. The first two years concentrate on academic instruction, while clinical training spans a minimum of 24 months. During Year 2, students undertake a Practicum (roughly 3 months full-time) to gain initial clinical exposure, completing standardized requirements for 6 credit hours.

Students must also pass an oral qualifying exam by their fifth term.

Those fulfilling all MSMP degree requirements, including the exam, receive the MSMP degree. Upon entering Year 3, DMP students are considered medical physics residents.

From Summer Semester of Year 2 through Summer of Year 3, students select a doctoral research topic (6 credit hours), a faculty mentor, and a Research Project Committee, subject to Program Director approval. The independent study involves literature review, experimental design, data collection, and analysis, equivalent to 4-5 months of full-time work. A final manuscript-style report is required, with encouragement to submit findings for conference presentation or journal publication. The research concludes with an oral presentation to the committee and faculty, with final grading determined by the mentor.