Answer to Question #2044 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

In your opinion, which schools offer the most well-rounded graduate training in health physics?

A

The question you have asked is best answered with a question: What do you desire to obtain from your graduate experience? This question should be considered very carefully. Where do you envision yourself 5 years, 10 years, and even 15 years after completing an advanced degree? What areas of health physics do you find the most interesting? Within which subdiscipline of the profession of health physics will you be seeking employment? Can you identify potential employers? If you can identify potential employers, then which set of skills and expertise do they most desire? Graduate programs are frequently designed to meet the educational needs of the student; they really are not "training programs" but instead educational opportunities. The distinction is important. I train my Labrador retriever. I give the commands. He accomplishes the task exactly as trained. He is not required to have a cognitive ability beyond that expectation. I interact with graduate students. Through these formal and informal interactions I impart to them a "matrix" of information. They have to manipulate this information for the purpose of creation and problem solving. At the end of the experience they are expected to obtain a substantial understanding of the fundamental principles behind the science and then demonstrate some level of synthesis. The capstone for this effort is typically a graduate thesis or dissertation. The ultimate societal goal of a graduate program is to produce leaders in the discipline of health physics. "Well rounded" programs are not interested in just punching someone's ticket so that they might obtain a pay raise. I'm glad you started your question with "in your opinion" as any choice that can be made which would identify the most well-rounded graduate program in health physics is probably mostly opinion and will certainly reflect some level of bias. Academic programs each have different characteristics. Some are certainly more capable than others. Your mission is to find the one with those characteristics most consistent with your goals. Unfortunately, there is not yet a formal way to draw a line in the sand that distinguishes serious programs from all possible self-identified programs in the health physics discipline other than reputation.

The Health Physics Society has been working with ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) to establish both graduate and undergraduate accreditation programs in health physics. If you wish to, you may go to the ABET website and review the Applied Science Accreditaton Commissions section. Health Physics Programs will start to undergo the accreditation process this fall. It will take a few years for all of the programs to work their way through the process. During the interim, my advice is to simply start asking around and evaluate the success of graduates and the reputation of the various programs available. A complete list of all self-identified Health Physics Programs can be found on the HPS website. Look into the Health Physics Education Reference Book.

If you really just want a short biased answer, I'll be glad to tell you that the Idaho State University Health Physics Program is the best possible choice in the universe, based upon all possible criteria including economics. However, if I provided that information I might be considered crass . . . oh well.

Richard R. Brey, PhD, CHP
Director, Idaho State University Health Physics Program