Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics (Health Physics)
This is a 4-year undergraduate program science curriculum with emphasis on the fundamental concepts and principles of physics and their applications in health and medicine.
Date of BOR Approval (Institution)
1255th BOR meeting, 27 May 2010
Program Learning Outcomes
- Apply theoretical, computational, and experimental physics in a workplace;
- Conduct research related to health and medical physics that contribute to national development;
- Advance towards higher knowledge and experience requisite to assuming a leadership role in the health and medical physics profession;
- Collaborate with members of the health and medical physics community and representatives from related health and safety professions;
- Synthesize and effectively communicate scientific information in both English and Filipino; and
- Act in recognition of professional, social, and ethical responsibility.
Admission Requirements
Must have passed the UPCAT with a score of at least 70 percentile in Math and Science
Graduation Requirements
Must have passed all the courses. Must be cleared of all accountabilities to the University.
Summary of Credit Units
| Category | Credit Units |
|---|---|
| General Education | 24.0 |
| Legislated Course | 3.0 |
| Foundation Courses | 34.0 |
| Core Courses | 38.0 |
| Specialized Courses | 44.0 |
| Electives | 6.0 |
| Thesis | 3.0 |
| Total | 152.0 |
Curriculum Checklist
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Second Semester | Midyear | |||
| Course Code | Credit Units | Course Code | Credit Units | Course Code | Credit Units |
| GE 1 | 3.0 | GE 2 | 3.0 | GE 3 | 3.0 |
| CMSC 11 | 3.0 | Chem 33 | 5.0 | Math 85 | 3.0 |
| Math 83 | 5.0 | Math 84 | 5.0 | ||
| Physics 106 | 5.0 | Physics 107 | 5.0 | ||
| Physics 106.1 | 1.0 | Physics 107.1 | 1.0 | ||
| PE 1 | (2.0) | PE 2 | (2.0) | ||
| NSTP 1 | NSTP 2 | ||||
| Total | 17.0 | Total | 19.0 | Total | 6.0 |
| Second Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Second Semester | ||
| Course Code | Credit Units | Course Code | Credit Units |
| Biology 110 | 5.0 | GE 5 | 3.0 |
| Math 121.1 | 3.0 | Biology 126 | 5.0 |
| Physics 111 | 3.0 | Physics 112 | 3.0 |
| Physics 108 | 5.0 | Physics 121 | 3.0 |
| GE 4 | 3.0 | Applied Physics 55 | 3.0 |
| PE 2 | (2.0) | PE 2 | (2.0) |
| Total | 19.0 | Total | 17.0 |
| Third Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Second Semester | Midyear | |||
| Course Code | Credit Units | Course Code | Credit Units | Course Code | Credit Units |
| Applied Physics 111 | 3.0 | GE 6 | 3.0 | Applied Physics 190 | 3.0 |
| Physics 130 | 5.0 | Applied Physics 112 | 5.0 | ||
| Physics 140 | 4.0 | Applied Physics 171 | 1.0 | ||
| Applied Physics 158 | 4.0 | Applied Physics 163 | 3.0 | ||
| Applied Physics 180 | 4.0 | Applied Physics 199 | 3.0 | ||
| Applied Physics 195 | 4.0 | ||||
| Total | 20.0 | Total | 19.0 | Total | 3.0 |
| Fourth Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Second Semester | ||
| Course Code | Credit Units | Course Code | Credit Units |
| Applied Physics 197 | 1.0 | Applied Physics 200 | 3.0 |
| Applied Physics Elective | 3.0 | GE 7 | 3.0 |
| Physics 151 | 3.0 | GE 8 | 3.0 |
| Applied Physics 187 | 4.0 | Science Elective | 3.0 |
| Applied Physics 113 | 3.0 | PI 100 | 3.0 |
| Applied Physics 191 | 3.0 | ||
| Total | 17.0 | Total | 15.0 |
Total No. of Units: 152
* Required to have 200 hours of work with any program committee-approved institution
Current advances and trends in Materials Science (particularly Biomaterials). Nanotechnology, Biophysics/Bioengineering, Biophotonics, Advanced Microscopy, etc. Can be taken more than once, but must be of different topics. Additional Applied Physics 191 courses may be credited as applied physics or science elective.
* May take any natural science, health science, or math elective.
Individual Course Titles and Descriptions with Credit Units, Pre-requisites, and/or Co-requisites
Major Courses
Course Code: APHYSICS 55
Course Title: Statistical Methods in Applied Physics
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: CMSC 11, Math 83
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Applications of statistics to applied physics
Course Code: APHYSICS 111
Course Title: Radiation Physics
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 108
Co-requisite: Physics 130
Course Description: Basic nuclear physics, radioactivity, interactions of heavy charged particles, electrons, photons, and neutrons with matter
Course Code: APHYSICS 112
Course Title: Radiation Dosimetry and Protection
Credit Units: 5.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 111
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Essential concepts of ionizing radiation and its detection, measurements, biological effects, and protection
Course Code: APHYSICS 113
Course Title: Environmental Health Physics
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 112
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Geogenic and anthropogenic sources of radiation and radioactivity in the environment; transport in land, water, and air; exposure pathways; environmental standards and regulations; environmental surveillance and monitoring for radioactivity; characterization and remediation of contaminated sites; radiological impact of industry, accidents, and disasters
Course Code: APHYSICS 158
Course Title: Computational Methods
Credit Units: 4.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 112, Applied Physics 55, Physics 108
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Use of computational tools to model physical systems and other real-world problems
Course Code: APHYSICS 163
Course Title: Optics, Light, and Lasers
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 130
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: The interaction of light and matter, formation of images in optical devices and systems, light as a wave, coherence, and basic laser theory
Course Code: APHYSICS 171
Course Title: Bioethics in Health and Medical Physics
Credit Units: 1.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 111, Ethics 1
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Moral and ethical issues in the practice of health and medical physics
Course Code: APHYSICS 180
Course Title: Physical Electronics
Credit Units: 4.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 107, Physics 107.1
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Circuit analysis of analog signals in linear and nonlinear networks, first order and second order transient networks
Course Code: APHYSICS 187
Course Title: Physics of Medical Imaging
Credit Units: 4.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 112, Applied Physics 163
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Physical Principles of Medical Imaging; Radiography; Fluoroscopy; Computed Tomography; Ultrasound; MRI; Radionuclide Imaging
Course Code: APHYSICS 190
Course Title: Practicum
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 171, Applied Physics 195
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: This course is an On-The-Job training program which aims to equip students with hands-on experiences from supervisors in the health and medical physics profession, and other related fields
Course Code: APHYSICS 191
Course Title: Special Topics in Applied Physics
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Senior Standing
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Current advances and trends in Materials Science (particularly Biomaterials), Nanotechnology, Biophysics/Bioengineering, Biophotonics, Advanced Microscopy, etc
Course Code: APHYSICS 195
Course Title: Biomedical Instrumentation and Measurement
Credit Units: 4.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 180, Applied Physics 112
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Analysis of biomedical devices, particularly their mode of measurements and signal analysis
Course Code: APHYSICS 197
Course Title: Undergraduate Seminar
Credit Units: 1.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 199
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Survey of recent advances and current research in the applications of physics to the life sciences
Course Code: APHYSICS 199
Course Title: Research Methods in Applied Physics
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 158
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: This course introduces undergraduate physics students to the principles, practices, and ethics of scientific research
Course Code: APHYSICS 200
Course Title: Undergraduate Thesis
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Applied Physics 199
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Undergraduate research with an adviser leading to a thesis on health and medical applications of physics
Core Courses
Course Code: Physics 106
Course Title: Physics Fundamentals I
Credit Units: 5.0
Pre-requisite: None
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics, fluids, wave motion, and thermodynamics
Course Code: Physics 106.1
Course Title: Physics Fundamentals I Laboratory
Credit Units: 1.0
Pre-requisite: None
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Laboratory component of fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics, fluids, wave motion, and thermodynamics
Course Code: Physics 107
Course Title: Physics Fundamentals II
Credit Units: 5.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 106
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, and light
Course Code: Physics 107.1
Course Title: Physics Fundamentals II Laboratory
Credit Units: 1.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 106.1
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Laboratory component of fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, and light
Course Code: Physics 108
Course Title: Physics Fundamentals III
Credit Units: 5.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 107
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Special relativity; Quantum physics; Introduction to atomic structure, nuclear physics, fundamental particles and interactions
Course Code: Physics 111
Course Title: Mathematical Physics I
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Math 84
Co-requisite: Math 85
Course Description: Physics 111 is the first of a series of courses on methods employed in physics. This course discusses matrix algebra, vector analysis, cartesian tensors and concepts in elementary differential equations geometry, and abstract linear spaces and operators. This is a preparation for the core physics courses
Course Code: Physics 112
Course Title: Mathematical Physics II
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 111
Co-requisite: Math 121.1
Course Description: Complex analysis; differential equations and special functions; Fourier series and transforms
Course Code: Physics 121
Course Title: Theoretical Mechanics I
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 111, Physics 108, Math 121.1
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Newtonian mechanics of single and multiple particles, oscillations, non-linear systems and chaos, Lagrangian mechanics, Calculus of Variations, Hamiltonian mechanics and Poisson brackets
Course Code: Physics 130
Course Title: Electromagnetic Theory
Credit Units: 5.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 108, Physics 112
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: A comprehensive study of classical electromagnetic theory using advanced vector calculus. Topics include electrostatics, boundary-value problems, Laplace and Poisson equations, dielectric and magnetic materials, magnetostatics, Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves, energy and momentum in electrodynamics, polarization, reflection and refraction, gauge transformations, and an introduction to relativistic electrodynamics with applications
Course Code: Physics 140
Course Title: Quantum Mechanics
Credit Units: 4.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 112, Physics 121
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Standard Postulates and Mathematical Formalism of Quantum Mechanics, Simple One-dimensional Systems, Three-dimensional Systems, Angular Momentum, Identical Particles, Approximation Methods, Scattering Theory
Course Code: Physics 151
Course Title: Statistical and Thermal Physics
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: Physics 121
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Review of Thermodynamics, Probability, Statistical Mechanics, Magnetic Systems, and Many-particle Systems
Elective
Any Applied Physics 191 (Special Topics in Applied Physics) course that was not already taken by the student.
GE Courses
Course Code: Nat Sci 4
Course Title: The Earth: Our Habitat
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: None
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: This is a three-unit course on environmental geology. It focuses on the Earth and the complex interaction between humans and their habitat. In the last several decades, the Earth has been beset with numerous environmental problems caused by geogenic and anthropogenic factors. Addressing these problems requires an understanding of the different facets of the physical environment, which hosts the various processes and cycles. Natural Science 4 (The Earth: Our Habitat) aims to develop this understanding. It deals with the interaction between humans and the physical environment, with emphasis on resource management, combating pollution problems, coping with and mitigating impacts of natural hazards, and environmental health
Course Code: Science 10
Course Title: Probing the Physical World
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: None
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: This is a three-unit course that studies the origin of the universe, synthesis of the elements, formation of the Earth, and the various critical issues affecting our worldview and our planet through the methods and interconnected concepts of the physical sciences
Course Code: STS 1
Course Title: Science, Technology, and Society
Credit Units: 3.0
Pre-requisite: None
Co-requisite: None
Course Description: Science, Technology and Society is an interdisciplinary GE course that examines the past, present, and future of science and technology in society (including their nature, scope, role and function) and the social, cultural, political, economic and environmental factors affecting the development of science and technology, with emphasis on the Philippine setting. It uses local and practical examples to analyze and illustrate the dynamics between science and technology and society. The course is best taken at the junior or senior level