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2005 Qualifying Exam
Part I
The Qualifying Examinations are offered in June of each year for students who have completed required courses. This schedule offers students the opportunity to complete two full academic years prior to the exam.
The morning session is four hours in duration and consists of one hundred fifty (150) "Type A" multiple-choice questions with five options (one correct option). Questions are drawn from the required core courses. The session is divided into two parts:
Part IA - Common Short Answer Questions:
All students are required to complete a common Part 1 during the morning session, which shall consist of 100 multiple-choice test items drawn from the four courses required of all students:
Physics of Diagnostic Imaging I (RADI 5015)
Basic Radiation Biology (RADI 5025)
Radiological Anatomy & Physiology (RADI 6024)
STATISTICS: Material common to Radiation & Nuclear Physics (RADI 5011), Biostatistics (PATH 5021) & Clinical Research Biostatistics (MEDI 5072)
- Defining Probability & Probability Theorems
- Probability Distributions & Random Variables,
- Statistical Indexes: Mean, Median, Mode, Standard Deviation, Variance, Percentiles
- The Null Hypothesis
- Proportions & the z-test
- Statistical differences between two groups: the t-test
- Goodness of Data - use of chi-squared tests
- Confidence Intervals
- Statistical Power and Sample Size (alpha & beta)
- Statistical Correlation and Linear Regression
- Agreement: Bland-Altman Analysis and Cohen's kappa statistic
- Receiver Operating Characteristic: Sensitivity, Specificity, Accuracy
Part IB - Track-Specific Short Answer Questions:
Students in the Radiation Biology Track and the Medical Physics Track will complete the second portion of Part 1 during the morning session. These sections shall consist of 50 multiple-choice test items drawn from the following courses required of students in each track:
MEDICAL PHYSICS TRACK:
Physics of Nuclear Medicine (RADI 6012)
Principles of Health Physics (RADI 5020)
Physics of Radiotherapy (RADI 6030)
RADIATION BIOLOGY(RADIATION BIOPHYSICS) TRACK:
Medical Biophysics(RADI 5010)
Principles of Health Physics (RADI 5020)
Radiation and Nuclear Physics (RADI 5011)
RADIATION BIOLOGY(HUMAN IMAGING) TRACK:
Clinical Research Methods (MEDI 5071) & Pat. Oriented Clin. Research Methods (MEDI 6060)
Physics of Nuclear Medicine (RADI 6012)
Introduction to MRI (RADI 6049)
Time allotted for both sections is 4 hours.
Part II
The afternoon session is four hours with questions assigned according to various subspecialties. These questions will be more conceptual than the morning questions and will require a short essay type answer. Students must answer all six questions in their declared specialty but no more than two from any one specialty area, for a total of 12 questions. Questions for each of the specialty areas will be drawn from courses felt to be essential for developing competence in each specialty.
Physics of Diagnostic Imaging : Questions will be drawn from the following courses.
Two questions from Advanced Diagnostic Imaging (RADI 6017)
Two questions common to Intro. to MRI (RADI 6049), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (RADI 6050)
& Biomedical NMR (RADI 6051)
Two questions common to Physics Measurements in Imaging (RADI 5018)
& Physics of Diagnostic Imaging I (RADI 5015)
Physics of Radiotherapy : Questions will be drawn from the following courses.
Two questions from Fundamentals of Radiation Dosimetry (RADI 5005)
Two questions from Physics of Radiotherapy (RADI 6030)
Two questions from Physics Measurements in Radiotherapy (RADI 6031)
Medical Health Physics : Questions will be drawn from the following courses.
Four questions from Principles of Health Physics I (RADI 5020)
Two questions from Radiation and Nuclear Physics (RADI 5011)
Radiation Biophysics: Questions will be drawn from the following courses.
Three questions from Basic Radiation Biology (RADI 5025)
Three questions from Non-ionizing Radiation Biology (RADI 6042)
Neurological Imaging: Questions will be drawn from the following courses.
Two questions from Human Behavioral Imaging-Methods- (RADI 6017)
Two questions from Human Behavioral Imaging-Paradigms- (RADI 6018)
Two questions from Human Behavioral Imaging-Systems - (RADI 6020)
Human Imaging Science:
Six questions will apply prinicples from Clinical Research Methods I (MEDI 5071) and Patient Oriented Clinical Research Methods (MEDI 6060 ). These questions will test the student's ability to incorporate knowledge of medical conditions, clinical practice and the specific features of various imaging technologies to clinical science.
Summary:
Questions for each of the specialty areas will be drawn from courses felt to be essential for developing competence in each specialty. Students taking the exam prior to completion of all required courses must take the course/s eventually, even if the student passes the qualifying exam prior to course completion. Qualifying Exam scores and the average score for each question will be sent to each student.
Students wishing to change their specialty after passing the qualifying examination must retake the afternoon, Part II, portions of the examination in their newly declared specialty. Students wishing to take the next exam should notify the Chair of the Qualifying Examination Committee
Students who fail either portion of the qualifying exam will be required to retake both portions at the next offering.
After successfully completing Parts I & II of the Qualifying Examination, a student with the aid of his/her advisor shall establish a Research Qualifying Committee. The composition of the Committee must be approved by the COGS. The Committee shall consist of at least three members from the Program faculty list. It is recommended that these individuals be chosen such that they will form the nucleus of the Supervising Committee presented to the Graduate Faculty Council when the student requsts admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. This committee shall assist the student in the process of completing Part III of the Qualifying Examination. The committee will be responsible for evaluating student research potential and recommending, to COGS, whether or not the student has successfully completed Part III of the Qualifying Examination.
Part III
Part III of the exam is an oral presentation given in the form of a grant proposal. This exam is preliminary to admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree and is not required of MS students. Students may make their oral presentation on any topic, but preferably their dissertation topic. Part II must be given within a year from the date of passing Part I of the Qualifying Exam. If the student fails to do so, they may be required to retake the exam, barring special circumstances. The Student presentation will be evaluated by the members of the supervising committee, and the proposal will be mailed to the off-campus member for comments prior to the presentation. On March 30, 1994, COGS approved payment by the Division for binding of copies of students' thesis/dissertation for the Supervising Professor, the Radiology Library and the Graduate Office.
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