Physics with Medical Applications

Physics with Medical Applications is designed for students who are drawn both to the fundamental science of how the universe works and to its practical application in healthcare. Physics studies matter, energy, and their interactions from the smallest subatomic scales to the largest structures in the cosmos, developing the rigorous quantitative reasoning and experimental skills that underpin all of modern science. Medical applications of physics encompass a growing and significant area of healthcare, including diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy, laser surgery, and the development of medical instrumentation.

At Queen's University Belfast, this three-year full-time programme provides a thorough grounding in modern physics alongside modules that develop specialist knowledge in medical techniques and applications. You will study the physical principles that govern how clinical tools such as CAT scanners, MRI machines, and radiation therapy work, going beyond a surface-level description to understand the physics that makes each technique possible and the assumptions and limits that govern its use. The programme is designed to give you the full scientific foundation of a physics degree while equipping you with expertise that is directly relevant to careers at the interface of physics and medicine.

Graduates of physics with medical applications go on to careers in medical physics, radiography, radiation oncology physics, biomedical engineering, clinical instrumentation, and health technology. Medical physics departments in the NHS employ graduates who have developed the specific combination of physics knowledge and medical context that this programme provides. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in medical physics, medical engineering, clinical imaging, or a related field, and the programme is a strong foundation for doctoral research in areas that have direct clinical relevance.

Physics graduates more broadly are also valued in data science, research, engineering, and finance, given the rigorous quantitative skills the degree develops.