Health/Medical Physics Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Health/Medical Physics maps to BLS occupations averaging about $150,758, with roughly 3,871,520 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $9,992; common paths include Mechanical Engineers and Electrical Engineers.
Key Statistics
Health/Medical Physics: what the data shows
Common questions about health/medical physics degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a health/medical physics degree?
A Health/Medical Physics program is classified under NCES CIP 51.2205 in the Public Health field family (51.22).
A program that focuses on the application of physics, nuclear science, and engineering physics to diagnostic, treatment, and therapeutic processes and public health protection. Includes instruction in radiation biophysics, biophysics, health effects of natural and artificially induced radiation, hazard evaluation, environmental radioactivity, nuclear physics, engineering physics, radiobiology, medical radiology, calibration and dosage theory, computer applications and medical informatics, and specific research problems
IPEDS counted 30 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of health/medical physics degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.22 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Behavioral Aspects of Health (CIP 51.2212)
- Community Health and Preventive Medicine (CIP 51.2208)
- Environmental Health (CIP 51.2202)
- Health Services Administration (CIP 51.2211)
- International Public Health/International Health (CIP 51.2210)
- Maternal and Child Health (CIP 51.2209)
- Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene (CIP 51.2206)
- Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality (CIP 51.2213)
- Public Health Education and Promotion (CIP 51.2207)
- Public Health Genetics (CIP 51.2214)
- Public Health, General (CIP 51.2201)
How long does it take to get a health/medical physics degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2205 in our file:
- 30 Bachelor's (12.5% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 201 Master's (83.8% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 9 Doctorate (3.8% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Mechanical Engineers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a health/medical physics degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Health/Medical Physics to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Electrical Engineers | 188,790 | $111,910 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 30,780 | $75,190 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 68,440 | $134,830 |
| Nuclear Engineers | 14,740 | $127,520 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a health/medical physics degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Public Health bachelor's program family: median debt $25,768, median earnings $58,808 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.69.
About 5.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,992 and median net price is $17,321.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Health/Medical Physics and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$9,992 Median In-State Public
$39,800 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Health/Medical Physics majors are, on average, $9,992 for in-state public colleges, and $39,800 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Health/Medical Physics programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Health/Medical Physics from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Health/Medical Physics.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 85,991 |
| 4 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 5 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Health/Medical Physics programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 2 | Cypress College | CA | $1,150 |
| 3 | MiraCosta College | CA | $1,158 |
| 4 | San Joaquin Delta College | CA | $1,180 |
| 5 | Monterey Peninsula College | CA | $1,188 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Health/Medical Physics programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 3 | St Petersburg College | FL | $1,471 |
| 4 | Middlesex College | NJ | $2,288 |
| 5 | San Joaquin Delta College | CA | $2,407 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Health/Medical Physics programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Health/Medical Physics programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Health/Medical Physics is in TX (14 completions). That state represents about 46.7% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is OR (0.01% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 14 | 46.7% | 0.01% |
| OR | 5 | 16.7% | 0.01% |
| CA | 4 | 13.3% | 0.00% |
| IN | 4 | 13.3% | 0.00% |
| NE | 3 | 10.0% | 0.01% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.22 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Behavioral Aspects of Health CIP 51.2212
- Community Health and Preventive Medicine CIP 51.2208
- Environmental Health CIP 51.2202
- Health Services Administration CIP 51.2211
- International Public Health/International Health CIP 51.2210
- Maternal and Child Health CIP 51.2209
- Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene CIP 51.2206
- Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality CIP 51.2213
- Public Health Education and Promotion CIP 51.2207
- Public Health Genetics CIP 51.2214
- Public Health, General CIP 51.2201
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2205 in the survey year used in our extract (240 total across levels below).
- 30 Bachelor's (12.5% of IPEDS total)
- 201 Master's (83.8% of IPEDS total)
- 9 Doctorate (3.8% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $150,758. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Health/Medical Physics graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | $134,694 | 286,760 |
| Electrical Engineers | $152,423 | 188,790 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | $84,089 | 30,780 |
| Aerospace Engineers | $161,328 | 68,440 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $175,195 | 14,740 |
| Registered Nurses | $152,361 | 3,282,010 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Public Health CIP family (89 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Health/Medical Physics graduate.
- $25,768 median federal loan debt among completers
- $58,808 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$150,758 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Health/Medical Physics majors is $150,758.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Health/Medical Physics majors.
Occupations by Share
3,871,520 2023 Workforce
The number of Health/Medical Physics graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Health/Medical Physics by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Health/Medical Physics in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Health/Medical Physics.
Age distribution for Health/Medical Physics degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
30 Total Degrees Awarded
10 Male (33.33%)
20 Female (66.67%)
Gender distribution of Health/Medical Physics degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
11 Asian (36.67%)
7 White (23.33%)
4 Hispanic or Latino (13.33%)
4 Two or More Races (13.33%)
1 Black or African American (3.33%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Health/Medical Physics degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Health/Medical Physics are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Health/Medical Physics.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Health/Medical Physics field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Health/Medical Physics majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Health/Medical Physics majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Health/Medical Physics majors.
About
A program that focuses on the application of physics, nuclear science, and engineering physics to diagnostic, treatment, and therapeutic processes and public health protection. Includes instruction in radiation biophysics, biophysics, health effects of natural and artificially induced radiation, hazard evaluation, environmental radioactivity, nuclear physics, engineering physics, radiobiology, medical radiology, calibration and dosage theory, computer applications and medical informatics, and specific research problems
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Health/Medical Physics.
CIP Code
51.2205 - Health/Medical Physics
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $25,768 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $58,808, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Health/Medical Physics graduate.
Men earned 38.9% of 288 Health/Medical Physics completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $150,758. The largest mapped role by headcount is Mechanical Engineers (286,760 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,992 in-state at public colleges and $39,800 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.