Our rankings
We're ranked 22nd globally for life sciences and medicine by the 2021 QS University Rankings by Subject.
Our graduates are ranked 1st in Australia and 4th globally for employability by the 2022 QS Graduate Employability Rankings.
In response to COVID-19, the University of Sydney has reviewed the availability of courses to be delivered remotely.
This course will be available for students to study remotely whilst the Australian border remains closed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Please note that some units of study that are not essential to completing the degree may not be available to be studied remotely.
About this course
Sharpen your skills and be part of the highly scientific and technical field of medical physics. The Graduate Diploma in Medical Physics provides specialist postgraduate training in the application of radiation physics, dosimetry, imaging and radiobiology to cancer diagnosis and treatment, and to radiation detection and protection.
The one-year Graduate Diploma course is designed to meet the growing global demand for graduate physical scientists with the specialised knowledge, skills and expertise to work within a clinical setting in the highly scientific and technical environment of medical physics.
It offers you a wide variety of subjects in radiation physics, nuclear physics, radiation dosimetry, anatomy and biology, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy physics, medical imaging physics, image processing, radiation biology, health physics and research methodology.
This program is offered through the School of Physics, which will give you access to world-class teaching and research facilities. As a student of this program you will benefit from highly experienced teaching and research staff in this discipline area through the Institute of Medical Physics and affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes.
After completing the Graduate Diploma, you may choose to transfer to the Master of Medical Physics, which is the entry level qualification that medical physicists have as clinical physical scientists.
For academic requirements check the ‘Admission requirements’ section on this page.
You can apply online via the application portal. When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply’ button on this course page. Visit the How to apply page for other important information.
Applying for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP)
There is no separate application required to apply for a CSP. Once you apply for admission, if you are successful in securing a CSP, you will receive notification via an offer of admission.
A Commonwealth supported place (CSP) is not guaranteed as there are a limited number of CSPs available for postgraduate courses. The number of available CSPs for a course can change each semester/year. CSPs are also not automatically awarded for course transfers and upgrades.
CSPs are awarded for the duration of a course based on academic merit determined by the University and eligibility criteria specified by the Australian Government. Learn more about CSPs. If you do not qualify for a CSP you may be offered a domestic fee-paying place.
Closing dates
Semester 1 - 31 January of the commencing year
Late applications may be considered subject to availability of places. We strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible, offers are made on a rolling basis and places are limited. Separate scholarship deadlines apply - check the scholarships website for details.
Semester 1 (February)
You can apply online via the application portal. When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply’ button on this course page. Visit the How to apply page for other important information.
Closing dates
Semester 1 - 15 January of the commencing year
We strongly encourage international applicants to apply as early as possible to allow time for visa and travel arrangements. Separate scholarship deadlines may apply - check the scholarships website for details.
Semester 1 (February)
Candidates for the Graduate Diploma in Medical Physics complete 48 credit points of core units of study. Full time study can normally be completed over the course of 2 semesters, with 4 units taken per semester. Your individual study plan will depend on the availability of units in a given semester.
Degree sample: Graduate Diploma in Medical Physics
Year |
Sem |
Unit of study |
Unit of study |
Unit of study |
Unit of study |
1 |
1 |
PHYS5002 Anatomy and Biol Essentials for Physicists |
PPHYS5029 Nuclear Medicine Physics |
PHYS5011 Nuclear Physics |
PHYS5012 Radiation Physics and Dosimetry |
|
2 |
PHYS5005 Radiotherapy Physics |
PHYS5006 Medical Imaging Physics |
PHYS5018 Health Physics and Radiation Protection |
PHYS5020 Computation and Image Processing |
For admission into this course, you should have a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Engineering with a major in the discipline of physics. As part of the embedded program, upon successful completion of the Graduate Diploma in Medical Physics with a credit average, students may gain entry to the Master of Medical Physics through an internal "upgrade". There are no Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) available in the Graduate Diploma in Medical Physics. However, a very limited number of CSP may be available to domestic applicants for the Master of Medical Physics from year to year.
Please note these opportunities may require completion of the Masters course:
There are a number of career pathways in Medical Physics. You could work in one of many different health areas such as being involved with the commissioning, calibration, safe operation and maintenance of systems used for looking at or measuring what is happening in the body eg x-rays, ultrasound, light in various frequencies, laser Doppler blood flow measurement, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine.
Once you complete your degree you can apply for a training position (TEAP) at a clinical department in Australia or New Zealand as a Registrar in one of the following three speciality areas: nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and diagnostic imaging.
Radiation oncology medical physicists (ROMPs) are medical physicists who create, implement and monitor the procedures which allow the best treatment using radiation.
Diagnostic imaging medical physicists (DIMPs) are involved in numerous modalities for acquiring images of a patient's anatomy or physiology and play an important role in the quality assurance of equipment and ensuring optimum image quality with minimal radiation exposure.
Medical physics graduates may also be employed In the following areas:
Non-Hospital employers:
Health related, non-clinical roles include:
Research:
Medical physicists may undertake higher degree studies through a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research program.
