HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Medical Physicist

Ensures radiation machines for cancer treatment and imaging are accurate and safe for patients and staff.

Physics and Maths needed After a degree Public sector company (PSU)

Facts checked 29/10/2026

Is this for me?

People in this work enjoy

Using physics and maths for something that helps real patients
Careful, exact measurement work and problem-solving with machines and computers
Working in a hospital team with doctors and technologists, without treating patients yourself

It may not suit you if you dislike

About 6 years of study and training after Class 12, with a compulsory unpaid or low-paid internship year (stipends vary)
Zero tolerance for error: every dose and safety check must be right, which can be stressful
Few training seats and, early on, many short-contract jobs, so the first years can feel uncertain

Class 11–12 subjects: Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Maths (PCM) is the safest start. What matters later is a B.Sc where Physics is a main subject. Some programmes also want Maths as a subject in the B.Sc.
First degree: B.Sc with Physics (3 years), then either an M.Sc in Medical Physics (2 years) or an M.Sc in Physics plus a one-year post-M.Sc diploma in radiological or medical physics. After that comes a compulsory 12-month internship in a radiotherapy centre.
Entrance exams: No single national exam. Each institute sets its own entry. BARC's Diploma in Radiological Physics uses a written test and interview (reported). NISER's M.Sc in Medical and Radiological Physics asks for a JAM or JEST score (reported). Later, an optional RSO (Radiological Safety Officer) exam is conducted by BARC.
Licence or registration: There is no single licence. To work as a medical physicist in radiotherapy, you must complete a course on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) list and a 12-month internship. To act as the hospital's Radiological Safety Officer, you must also pass the BARC RSO exam and get AERB approval.

Subjects that keep this door openClass 11–12: Physics + Mathematics.Physics and Maths needed.Way back: You can add the missing subject later as an extra subject (for example through NIOS) and still apply, but check the exam's and college's rules. A longer road, but open.Check your subjects against every career

What the work is like

Checking and calibrating radiotherapy machines and imaging equipment; planning the radiation dose for each cancer patient with the radiation oncologist; quality checks and records; radiation shielding and safety for staff; training doctors and technologists.

A day in the work
You start the morning by running quality checks on the linear accelerator, the machine that delivers radiation, before the first patient comes in. Then you sit with the radiation oncologist to plan a patient's treatment on a computer, adjusting beams so the tumour gets the dose and healthy tissue gets as little as possible. After lunch you may measure the machine's output with special detectors, check a new plan before it is used, or review safety records for the department. Some days you teach technologists or junior physicists, or deal with a machine fault so treatment is not delayed.

The path, step by step

Step 1 · Class 11–12Take Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Medical physics is mostly physics and maths applied to the human body, so be comfortable with both. There is no medical entrance exam like NEET on this path.
Step 2 · 3 yearsB.Sc with Physics as a main subject. Aim for at least 60%. BARC's diploma needs 60% in both B.Sc and M.Sc (2026 notice). IIT Hyderabad's medical physics M.Sc also asks for 60% in B.Sc.
Step 3 · 1–2 yearsPostgraduate training. Option A: a 2-year M.Sc in Medical or Radiological Physics at an institute on AERB's approved list. Option B: M.Sc Physics, then a one-year post-M.Sc diploma such as BARC's Diploma in Radiological Physics (DipRP). Check that the course is on AERB's list before you join.
Step 4 · 12 monthsCompulsory internship (residency) in a well-equipped radiotherapy department recognised by AERB, under an experienced medical physicist. Only after this are you a qualified medical physicist under AERB's rules.
Step 5 · First jobWork as a medical physicist in a cancer hospital (government or private), a teaching hospital such as an AIIMS, or a research institute. Many hospital posts are advertised on short contracts at first (reported).
Step 6 · OptionalPass the Radiological Safety Officer (Medical) exam conducted by BARC. Then work as RSO with AERB approval. You can also do a PhD and move into teaching, research or regulation.

Ways in

M.Sc Medical Physics routeB.Sc (Physics) → 2-year M.Sc in Medical, Radiation or Radiological Physics at an AERB-listed institute (for example IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kharagpur, NISER Bhubaneswar, Manipal, Panjab University) → 12-month internship.
BARC DipRP routeB.Sc (Physics, 60%) → M.Sc (Physics, 60%, full-time) → one-year Diploma in Radiological Physics at BARC, Mumbai (30 seats in the 2026 course) → 12-month internship. This diploma is seen as a benchmark in the field.

Your real chances

Training seats are few. In 2026, BARC's 64th DipRP course offered 30 seats, including up to 5 sponsored candidates from government institutions. NISER's M.Sc in Medical and Radiological Physics has 10 seats. I could not find official applicant numbers.

Source: BARC Advertisement 05/2026 – Diploma in Radiological Physics ↗

Time and money

Stage	Time	Government college or body	Private college	Help available
Class 11–12 (Physics, Chemistry, Maths)	2 years	Your school's fees	—	—
B.Sc with Physics (3 years)	3 years	Check the college's fee page	Check the college's fee page	—
Route A: 2-year M.Sc in Medical or Radiological Physics (AERB-listed institute)	2 years	Check the college's fee page; IIT Hyderabad's M.Sc is self-sponsored	Check the college's fee page	Check the college's fee page
Route B: M.Sc Physics (2 years), then BARC Diploma in Radiological Physics	2 years + 1 year	Check the college's fee page	—	Non-sponsored DipRP students paid ₹25,000 per month stipend for 12 months (BARC newsletter 2023)
Compulsory 12-month internship in AERB-recognised radiotherapy department	12 months	Check the notice	Check the notice	Stipend depends on the hospital. Check the notice

Total timeAbout 6 years after Class 12

Total costDepends mostly on the college you choose — compare fee pages.

Good to knowFees are not given on the page for most colleges; the BARC DipRP stipend is for non-sponsored students only, and the internship pay depends on the hospital.

Fees from: BARC Newsletter 2023 – Dip.R.P. stipend · IIT Hyderabad – M.Sc Medical Physics brochure (self-sponsored mode). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

What people earn

Official pay

Pay depends on the employer. Regular Medical Physicist posts at AIIMS have been advertised at Pay Level 10, ₹56,100–1,77,500 plus allowances (7th CPC) (reported, AIIMS Bilaspur 2026). Many AIIMS posts are 11-month contract jobs at a fixed monthly amount instead, for example about ₹86,955 a month at AIIMS Nagpur in 2026 (reported). I could not read the pay line on the official page, so treat these figures as reported.

Source: AIIMS Nagpur recruitment page (lists the Oct 2026 contractual Medical Physicist notice; pay figures reported by job portals) ↗

Earnings usually start modest in the internship years, then grow with experience, a recognised RSO approval, and the employer; large private cancer chains and big cities often pay more than small hospitals, while government posts offer more security.

Myth and fact

Myth: ~~Any M.Sc in Medical Physics will let me work as a medical physicist in a cancer hospital.~~

Fact: Not necessarily. AERB accepts only courses on its approved list, followed by a 12-month internship. Check the list before you pay a fee or join a course.

For girls and students with disabilities

BARC's DipRP has no reserved seats, but the upper age limit is relaxed by 3 years for OBC, 5 for SC/ST and 10 for physically challenged candidates (BARC newsletter, 2023). Women and men apply on the same terms.

Try it now

Class 7–9Do a safe 'shielding' experiment. Shine a torch through 1, 2, 3 and 4 sheets of paper onto a phone light-meter app and note how the brightness drops. This is a simple model of how thickness of a material reduces radiation.
Class 10–12Look up the Physics Olympiad (NSEP is the first stage) run by HBCSE and try one past paper to test your interest in problem-solving.Open link ↗
College or afterOpen AERB's list of approved medical physics courses. Note which institutes are near you, their eligibility, and whether they take direct B.Sc entry or only M.Sc Physics graduates.Open link ↗

Good to know

AERB's rule is strict. Only people who finish a course on its approved list, then a 12-month internship, are eligible to work as medical physicists in radiotherapy. Courses from other institutes are not accepted for this.
Being a medical physicist and being a Radiological Safety Officer are two different things. The RSO needs a separate BARC exam and AERB approval.
Total time after Class 12 is about 6 years: 3 (B.Sc) + 2 (M.Sc) + 1 (internship). The BARC route is the same length.
A medical physicist is not a doctor and does not treat patients directly. You work behind the scenes with the radiation oncologist.

Sources: AERB – Medical physicist qualifications, internship guidelines and list of approved courses (assessed till 30 Oct 2025) · AERB – Medical Physicist Courses in India (earlier edition) · BARC Advertisement 05/2026 – Diploma in Radiological Physics (64th course) · BARC Newsletter 2023 – Dip.R.P., RSO certification, stipend and age relaxation · NISER Bhubaneswar – M.Sc in Medical and Radiological Physics · IIT Hyderabad – M.Sc Medical Physics brochure (AERB-approved) · AIIMS Nagpur – Recruitment page (contractual Medical Physicist notice, Oct 2026)