Doctorate Degrees in Radiology




There are two major degrees in radiology – academic and professional doctorates. PhD in radiology is the most popular doctorate. Nowadays you can get traditional and online PhD that focuses on original applications of core biomedical and physics principles. The PhD leads to either an academic professor or industry scientist career.

The professional Doctor of Medical Physics (DMP) or Doctor of Science (SciD) emphasizes the application of existing research to specific problems in radiography or radiation therapy. These applied doctorates target a professional career path in a specific area of medical or industrial R&D.

The majority of radiological science applications involve the diagnosis and treatment of serious medical conditions.

Radiologic Treatment

The following specializations focus on the diagnosis and treatment of a particular medical condition using radiation:

  • Radiation oncology (cancer treatment specialty)
  • Cardiovascular radiologic technology (cardiac interventional radiography (CI) and vascular interventional radiography (VI))
  • Neuroscience radiation
  • Mammography

Industrial Radiography Specializations

  • Imaging
  • Ionizing radiation
  • Materials science (testing and production)

Radiologic Science Specializations

  • Radiologic Biology
  • Radiologic Physics

You should explore your specialization interests because it can help you navigate your radiologic science doctorate options. The majority of graduate programs exist under the auspices of another department such as medical physics, biomedical technology, or engineering. These associations shape the resources and research specializations available to doctoral students.

You may start an academic or professional career in your radiological specialty. It depends on the doctoral degree you choose. As a rule, academic careers include scientific research and teaching. Medical radiologists may spend some time in clinical service too.

Professional careers combine both research and expert consultation. Roles may involve leadership of research and development labs, product development, medical consulting, and public policy and administration. You can get the following jobs:

  • Senior lab director
  • Medical physicist
  • FDA medical regulatory compliance engineer
  • Senior product development engineer
  • Radiological safety consultant
  • Materials R&D engineer
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