Course summary

Learn about the physics of the human body and the technologies used by medical physicists in the NHS. In your final year, you’ll complete a work placement in a local hospital or in industry. Study the physics of human life itself, from the fluid mechanics of blood in our veins to the forces acting on our bones, and begin your career as a research or healthcare expert. Discover the techniques and technologies developed by physicists and used in the NHS, such as radiotherapy, ultrasound scanning and MRI machines. Study Physics with Medical Physics MPhys at Sheffield and set yourself up for a career as a medical physicist or in research. At the start of your course, you’ll cover the essential physics behind everything else you’ll study: heat, motion, electricity, magnetism and quantum mechanics. And we’ll help you see the human body as a physical machine, and how electronics can be used to model biological systems. From lectures to practical work in our modern labs, we’ll make abstract topics come to life in the real world. Essential physics and medical physics will intertwine in the second year, with modules on the tissues of the human body, medical imaging and biomedical instrumentation. In programming classes you can learn skills that are key to medical physics and valuable in many graduate careers, from data science to computer game design. In the third year, you’ll learn how computational techniques are used to examine medical problems and simulate natural systems. And because curiosity is what powers discovery, we’ll encourage you to dive into optional modules like quantum mechanics and dark matter. Finally, your fourth year will see you complete a medical physics placement at a local hospital or in industry. There are also a variety of optional modules to choose from, and you’ll pick a topic for your own research project in medical physics, and work closely with a member of academic staff who is an expert in the area you want to explore. Why study this course?

• No. 1 physics department in the UK - 100% of our research and impact was rated world-leading or internationally excellent by REF 2021.

• Student life - because you’ll be taught across two departments, you’ll have double the options when it comes to your social life. In maths you’ll be able to join pizza socials, the SUMS society ball or football club, or attend film screenings. In physics you might choose to join the Sheffield Space Initiative, and design a Mars rover or launch a rocket.

• Incredible research opportunity - carry out a hands-on research project in the field of medical physics, addressing a current medical or clinical need.

• Accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) - our courses meet the educational requirement for you to become a Chartered Physicist.

• Follow your ambition - you have the options to complete a research project, industrial group project, Quantum Information Lab, or Physics Education and Outreach project – giving you hands-on experience wherever your career aspirations lie.