Information on the study program Biomedical Physics
Name of study program: Biomedical Physics
Number and name of branch of study: 4.1.1 Physics and 7.1.1 General Medicine
Study level: bachelor
Guarantor and co-guarantor of the study program:
doc. RNDr. Libuša Šikurová, PhD. (functional professor, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University)
Co-guarantor: prof. MUDr. Ladislav Zlatoš, DrSc. (functional professor, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University)
Program relationships: The master biomedical physics program is a follow-up to this bachelor program.
Expected number of students in class: 25
Brief history of the study program:
The continually increasing application of electronics, computers, up-to-date physical and engineering technologies, new methods of information technology and biotechnology have naturally lead to establishment of study lines in biomedical physics, which, at the end of the 20th century, became part of study programs of most prominent universities in the world. At Comenius University in Bratislava , Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, in cooperation with the School of Medicine , launched the biomedical physics study program in academic year 1995/1996 as a 5 year physics master program. The newly accredited study programs (bachelor and master) are based on the tradition and experience acquired in the biomedical physics program cycles of the last years.
Requirements upon applicants (qualification conditions):
Selection procedure and requirements upon applicants are set out on annual basis by the line's guarantor in cooperation with the co-guarantor (from the School of Medicine ) and approved by the Academic Senate of the Faculty. Winners of natural science olympics and students with average high-school ratings below 1.5 with major ratings (physics, mathematics, biology) not worse than 2 are, as a rule, admitted without qualification test.
Educational and professional goals:
Train specialists in the interdisciplinary field at the frontiers of natural sciences and medicine, comprising physics, mathematics, informatics, medicine, biology and chemistry.
Major lines of education are the following:
general physics (mechanics, molecular physics, electricity and magnetism, waves and optics, atomic physics)
selected topics from theoretical and quantum physics (thermodynamics and statistical physics, quantum mechanics)
mathematics (calculus, algebra and geometry, probability and statistics)
experimental physics (theory and methodology of measurements, basic physical experiments)
chemical and biological foundations of medicine (anatomy, medical biology, fundamentals of chemistry of living systems and biochemistry, histology, physiology, molecular biology, microbiology, immunology)
computers, programming and data processing,
Additional subject fields are Latin medical terminology and at least one foreign language.
Lines of courses read ("subject lines") and their brief description:
Students obligatorily take courses in general physics and theoretical foundations of medicine. To complete the biomedical physics study program and a balanced proportion of all the necessary constituents of this interdisciplinary study, students take courses in physics, theoretical medicine, necessary fundamentals of mathematics and informatics and the respective interdisciplinary disciplines within a single study block. Students can compose their study program by choosing from a number of obligatorily optional and optional courses in the physics, mathematics, biophysics, and informatics. Students may also choose from all-faculty courses (philosophy, sports and languages).
Profile of graduates:
Biomedical physics bachelor is able to pursue the career of a biomedical physics, having knowledge and skills in methods of physical, biomedical and interdisciplinary fields. He can solve theoretical problems based on the corresponding mathematical methods, formulate mathematical models, design and carry out computer simulations of physical and biomedical phenomena, has a command of at least one programming language. He can use statistical data processing techniques, spreadsheets, text processors, and hypertext authoring tools, presentation authoring tools and report generators, he can communicate in a foreign language and has a command of professional terminology (physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and medicine). The bachelor is able to work in interdisciplinary teams of hospitals and specialized laboratories, where he can use diagnostic tools and methods of detection and physical and physico-chemical therapy, monitor, process and evaluate signals. He can also work in interdisciplinary research teams of universities or research institutes, as well as in other areas, where he can operate and use information systems in medicine. He is also able to communicate physical and biomedical knowledge to broader public in popular form. All acquired knowledge, abilities and skills are formed and developed with focus on humanity, respect of human rights, ethical conduct with respect to economic, legal and social contexts, which is reflected in inclusion of the corresponding courses to the common basic block and availability of signing in these courses throughout the study program.
The bachelor study creates a pre-requisite for taking a master program in biomedical physics.
Level of and career opportunities for graduates:
Based on experience with the previous 5 year master program, graduates in the biomedical physics master program shall not have problems with finding enough opportunities to pursue their careers in the field or can employ their education in a variety of related fields.
The most typical examples of careers taken by biomedical physicists are:
health-care facilities or specialized laboratories (operation of medical equipment, monitoring, processing and evaluation of signals, improvement of physical therapies)
basic research (institutes of Academy of Sciences, international research centres, foreign and domestic scientific centres), bachelors can only take part in teams under supervision of experienced specialists.
public health stations (taking and analysis of samples for radioactivity, pollution monitoring, radiation control etc.)
development laboratories
environmental and veterinary facilities
sales companies trading in medical and laboratory equipment, technical service, production facilities
Graduates in biomedical physics have good language skills (especially in English) and, owing to the quality and content of education, may seek career opportunities worldwide.