The University of Chicago academic year consists of four quarters; a full-time graduate student is enrolled in three courses each quarter. Graduate students in medical physics begin the program in the Fall Quarter and are in residence throughout the academic year.
This suggested sequence is provided as a guide according to which a student in the Ph.D. program can complete the basic mandatory courses within two years. Various constraints on possible course sequences are imposed by prerequisites for some courses and by the quarters in which courses are offered by other departments.
| Quarter | Year 1 | Year 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Interactions of Ionizing Radiation with Matter (MPHY 35000) | Anatomical Structure of the Body (MPHY 35601) |
| Mathematics for Medical Physicists (MPHY 34900) | Thesis research | |
| Research rotation | ||
| Winter | Physics of Radiation Therapy (MPHY 35100) | Cancer & Radiation Biology (MPHY 35900)* |
| Physics of Medical Imaging I (MPHY 38600) | Thesis research | |
| Research rotation | ||
| Biological Sciences Division Ethics: Responsible, Rigorous, and Reproducible Conduct of Research (non-credit) | ||
| Spring | Physics of Medical Imaging II (MPHY 38700) | Health Physics (MPHY 39700) |
| Practicum in the Physics of Radiation Therapy (MPHY 34400) | Thesis research | |
| Research rotation | ||
| Summer | Physics of Medical Imaging II (MPHY 38700) | Thesis research |
| Practicum in the Physics of Medical Imaging III (MPHY 38800) | ||
| Research rotation |
A statistics course and a single elective course are also required: these courses are usually taken after Year 2 and are selected based on topics relevant to the student's dissertation research. The Biological Sciences Division requires two quarter-long teaching assistantships, which are usually fulfilled during Year 2.
In Year 5, students are required to take Bioethics for Medical Physicists (MPHY 341). When students are enrolled in fewer than 3 courses in any given quarter, students enroll in an appropriate amount of research credit to achieve full-time student status.
A college-level biology course is strongly recommended as preparation for MPHY 35900. If a student enters the GPMP without such a course, he or she will be able to take the course at the University; however, this college-level biology course will not count toward GPMP degree requirements.