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Medical Physics

A program that focuses on the application of physics, nuclear science, and engineering physics to diagnostic, treatment, and therapeutic processes and public health protection. Includes instruction in radiation biophysics, biophysics, health effects of natural and artificially induced radiation, hazard evaluation, environmental radioactivity, nuclear physics, engineering physics, radiobiology, medical radiology, calibration and dosage theory, computer applications and medical informatics, and specific research problems. Examples: [Biomedical Physics]

Types of Degrees Medical Physics Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Medical Physics can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Bachelor’s Degree	30
Master’s Degree	220
Doctor’s Degree	36

What Medical Physics Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Medical Physics emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Physics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Medical Physics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Medical Physics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Medical Physics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Physics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Physics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Physics graduates include:

• College Professor
• Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Occupational Therapy Professor
• Orthopedics Teacher
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher
• Health Teacher
• Pharmacy Teacher

What Can You Do With a Medical Physics Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Physics commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Physicists	8.5%	$111,776	$89,205–$134,347

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Physics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	32.7%
Master’s degree	31.2%
Post-doctoral training	20.8%
Bachelor’s degree	9.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Physics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 61.1% of Medical Physics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	112	38.9%
Men	176	61.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Physics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	153	53.1%
Asian	32	11.1%
Hispanic or Latino	24	8.3%
Black or African American	9	3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	9	3.1%
Race Unknown	10	3.5%
International Students	50	17.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Physics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Medical Physics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,939
4 years	$60,432
5 years	$70,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,561 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Medical Physics Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Medical Physics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Medical Physics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Medical Physics graduates earn a median of $60,432 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health	41,086
Public Health, General	25,004
Public Health Education and Promotion	3,785
Public Health, Other	2,803
Health Services Administration	2,629
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Environmental Health	1,269
Behavioral Aspects of Health	623
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene	313
Maternal and Child Health	180
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality	121
International Public Health/International Health	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.