Physics with Medical Applications

Physics with medical applications directs the power and precision of physical science toward one of its most consequential domains: the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Medical physics underlies the technologies that allow clinicians to see inside the human body, measure its functions, and target treatments with extraordinary precision. From MRI scanners and CT imaging to radiation therapy and ultrasound, the tools of modern medicine are built on physics, and physicists trained in these applications are central to the healthcare systems that use them.

This three-year full-time programme at the University of Liverpool includes a year abroad, taking your studies into an international academic environment. The core physics curriculum develops a thorough grounding in quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, thermodynamics, and mathematical methods, before the medical applications strand directs these foundations toward imaging physics, radiation physics, physiological measurement, and the physics of the body. Liverpool's location in the North West, close to major NHS teaching hospitals and medical research facilities, enriches the programme with connections to professional medical physics practice.

Graduates from this programme are well placed for careers in medical physics, either through the NHS Scientist Training Programme, which leads to registration as a clinical scientist, or through roles in the medical technology industry, research, and academia. Clinical medical physicists work in radiotherapy departments, diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiation protection. The broader physics training also qualifies graduates for roles in data science, scientific computing, finance, engineering, and research across many sectors.

Postgraduate study in medical physics, radiation science, or broader physics is a natural progression for those who want to specialise or pursue research.