Master of Science in Medical Physics

at University of Massachusetts Lowell USA

The Exercise Science bachelor of science program at UMass Lowell gives students the confidence and skills necessary to educate, transform and inspire people to live healthier lives.

Exercise Science BS degree in the:

• Exercise and Fitness Management Option – Students acquire knowledge in exercise science, public health, nutrition and business to pursue careers in the fitness industry. Students could choose to earn a minor in business to apply toward UMass Lowell’s MBA program.
• Clinical Option – Students gain a strong foundation in the sciences to work in clinical settings and take the certification examinations by the American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Students would choose this option if they want to apply to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

This program provides students with knowledge of the key issues, research, and theories in the important and emerging field of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Students are challenged to answer the following key content questions:

• How do factors such as poverty, lack of education and social inequity lead to conflict, both internationally and domestically
• What are the causes and conditions which generate and sustain conflict and violence?
• What are the principles and methods for the resolution of conflict and violence?
• What are the norms, practices and institutions for conflict transformation and building peace?

Information technology pervades every aspect of healthcare delivery today, providing access to rich and voluminous data. Those who can analyze and understand how data can best be used to improve healthcare outcomes are in high demand. The UMass Lowell Master of Science in Health Informatics and Management program, ranked the 16th best online master’s degree in this field in the country,* helps students advance their careers and, if they wish to, enter technical fields within the health care industry. Master’s-prepared employees in the field can earn more than $91,000 per year, according to Payscale.com.

While more technical or business-focused programs teach students how to crunch numbers in order to improve the bottom line, UMass Lowell’s program teaches these skills as ways to improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients in organizations that offer satisfying and rewarding work experiences to all staff members. Courses have been developed by faculty in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Department of Public Health, while drawing upon the expertise of industry experts, through an organizational affiliation Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The program is fully online, offering working professionals flexibility.

Due to the breadth and long history of health-related academic programming, UMass Lowell has close connections with dozens of healthcare providers in Massachusetts and New England, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lahey Clinic, Lowell General Hospital, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Kindred Healthcare, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Lowell Community Health Center.

The introductory courses for majors provide the freshmen experience and create common bonds among students in Political Science. Core offerings on American Politics and Policy have been augmented by others on comparative policies of countries ranging from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia to Southern Africa. The Department also offers specialized courses related to gender and citizenship, political economy, race and ethnicity, and public policy of interest to students in a variety of majors across the University.

In addition to traditional courses in political thought, recent course offerings have included work in state theory, feminist political theory, current theoretical conflicts in constitutional interpretation, and the politics of arts and culture.

The Literature concentration introduces students to a range of historical periods, genres, and critical approaches to literature. It prepares them for graduate work in literary and cultural studies as well as careers in publishing, law, teaching, business, the arts, and other professions that require skilled reading, writing, research, and communication. Students take at least two courses that fulfill the department’s Diverse Literary Traditions requirement. These courses explore authors and texts through the historically under-represented perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, post-coloniality, and sexuality. The concentration includes a capstone course that provides a culminating opportunity to complete a substantial learning project. Some capstones focus on in-depth, advanced study of a particular author or period; others encourage deep research into an individual area of interest or provide an internship experience.

The B.F.A. degree prepares students for careers in studio arts and graphic design. Within these disciplines, students may choose to focus on photography, sculpture, painting, ceramics, animation, 3D modeling, drawing, printmaking or interactive digital media.

The art major is designed to develop a rigorous art practice. Students gain a deep knowledge of the technical and conceptual abilities needed to succeed in the professional world. The Art & Design Department offers the professional degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.).

Through a rigorous competence-building sequence of core courses (Graphic Design I,II,III and Typography I,II,III) students learn the fundamentals of design as well as a wide variety of skills such as team building, critical thinking and problem-solving, which are necessary to succeed in the field. They also gain competences in public speaking and writing. In addition, they learn how to continually adapt to new technology.

Assignments focus on Graphic Design systems, Graphic Design in context and professional practice. In addition to these core courses students can take advantage of courses in web design, motion graphics, animation, interactive design and advanced independent studies.
The final year, students focus on their capstone project. The Senior Studio project is a year-long exploration where students develop their online portfolio, resume and create a self-directed project that reflects their talent and skills.

High quality professors, rigorous and relevant curriculum and state-of-the art facilities create an environment that produces excellent student achievement. The graphic design concentration at UMass Lowell provides students with the tools necessary to reach their highest potential as designers and to have a successful design career in today’s global world.

he department offers a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) program and a combined B.S.E./M.S.E. program, both of which offer a thesis and a non-thesis option. The masters degree requires a minimum of thirty credit hours of acceptable graduate work, including nine credit hours of research for the thesis option or nine credit hours in an acceptable out-of-department minor for the non-thesis option. Refer to the graduate catalog for more information on research, thesis and core requirements, as well as degree concentrations.

Students who wish to pursue an MSE in mechanical engineering with a bachelors degree in a physical science or in another field of engineering may be required to take up to five undergraduate mechanical engineering courses. This requirement is to ensure that students have the sufficient fundamentals to complete the master of science in mechanical engineering degree.

Students gain education and training in radiation sciences, radiation protection, medical applications of radiation, and dosimetry, which includes laboratory work and clinical internship. The MS program duration is designed to be two years plus one summer semester, although the typical academic plan may be different due to elective courses and the length of thesis research. The duration of the Ph.D. program depends on the student’s academic progress, and it is usually between four and six years. Both the M.S. thesis and Ph.D. dissertation must be based on hypothesis- or development-driven research, and the student is expected to submit the results to a peer-reviewed journal.

The MS Degree in Medical Physics qualifies students for all medical physics specialties and prepares them for residency programs, junior medical physicist positions, and future ABR exams. The clinical component provides the students with training dominantly in radiation therapy, but diagnostic imaging traineeships are also available.

Upon graduation, medical physics students are prepared to receive advanced clinical training through working under the direction of a board-certified medical physicist or entering a medical physics residency program. The students will be prepared for a career as:

• A professional clinical medical physicist.
• A medical physicist in a research laboratory.
• A medical physicist in industry.
• For Ph.D. students, career as a medical physicist in an academic environment.
• For MS students, further research training in a Ph.D. medical physics program.

The MPH Coordinated Program in Dietetics program is intended for students who want to become Registered Dietitians (RDs). The program combines the coursework and supervised practice requirements to become eligible to take the national examination to become a Registered Dietitian after graduation Dietetics.

The mission of the program is to promote public health nutrition by preparing graduates to practice as entry level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists with knowledge, competence and the ability to address the needs of diverse communities. The dietetics option is an accredited Coordinated Program in Dietetics, which is a highly regarded degree option that combines the academic and supervised practice experience to qualify graduates to become RDs.

The Master of Science program in Security Studies prepares students for careers in the rapid expanding field of cyber security, as well as weapons of mass destruction (CBRNE) and how to address threats to our critical infrastructure.

International Security - Concentration
In this area of concentration, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of complex, intersecting global threats like organized criminal and terrorist networks, and the various policies, strategies and mechanisms to combat these threats.