Health Physics, PhD

About the Program

Health physics-or the science of radiation protection-is the profession devoted to protecting people and their environment from potential radiation hazards while making it possible to enjoy the beneficial uses of radiation. The use of radiation in medicine, industry and research offers countless benefits. To ensure that radiation and radioactive materials are used safely, nuclear facilities and research laboratories employ personnel who understand the many types of radiation hazards and how to prevent unnecessary exposure and control them.

Specialized education and training are a prerequisite for becoming a professional health physicist. To qualify for professional status, a health physicist needs at least a bachelor’s degree in science, engineering or health science with specialized courses in physics, mathematics, chemistry, nuclear engineering, radiation biology, radiological health and occupational health. A graduate degree in health physics is required for many professional-level positions, including radiation safety officer positions and those involving health physics research or teaching. With a shortage of health physicists, graduates of this program are in high demand.

Program Website

Program Requirements

90 Credits Required

(30 credits from a Master’s may be applied.)

Concentrations

Departmental concentrations:

• Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Health Science
• Radiation Biology

GPA Requirements

Graduate courses taken while registered as a graduate student at Purdue University may be considered for fulfilling the plan of study requirements only if the student has received grades of C or better. For courses at the 300/400-level taken as a graduate student or courses that represent either undergraduate or graduate excess credit or transfer credit, grades of B or better are required for fulfilling plan of study requirements.

A total of 90 credit hours is required for the PhD degree. These residency hours may be any combination of course credit hours or research credit hours. Up to 30 hours may be credited for an MS degree upon recommendation of the PhD graduate student’s advisory committee and this may include all required coursework and the clinical internship if the equivalent has recently been taken. No more than 6 credit hours of coursework at the 300/400-level is allowed to form part of the student’s PhD degree plan of study.

Graduate Programs Disclaimer

• The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
• Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary. 
• Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
• Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
• Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.