M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Radiation Protection Track

At a Glance

Flexibility

Part Time | Full Time
Delivery Options

On Campus
Degree

MS

With the increasing use of radiation and radioactive material in society, there is a growing need for research and advanced education in the application of radiation in the medical and biotechnology sectors.

Radiation Protection Overview

Gain a deeper understanding of the uses of radiation in the medical and biotechnology fields with UMass Lowell's M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences option, Radiation Protection track.

With access to state-of-the-art facilities, including a nuclear reactor and particle accelerator, you’ll engage in cutting-edge research on radiation effects, cancer treatment advancements and safety protocols.

This flexible program is designed for professionals seeking to enhance their expertise in the growing field of radiological sciences. Whether it be how radiation effects cells to yield more effective cancer treatments or novel attenuation strategies to better shield patients from radiation, this degree will set you apart for career success.

The degree program is part of a multi-campus program with participation from UMass Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell campuses. For detailed graduate program information, please contact Mark Tries, Ph.D., CHP, Associate Professor at: Mark_Tries@uml.edu

Program Quick Facts

Available Part-Time and Full-Time
Scholarships and Financial Aid Available
Cooperative Education Option (Co-op)

Curriculum

The M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences option, Radiation Protection track, is a 31-credit master's degree.

For a complete list of courses and academic requirements, please visit the Academic Catalog.

In the sample degree pathway below, please see Track V for radiation protection courses.

For students entering Fall 2024 and after.

Total program credits required = 31 credits (minimum)

Total number of courses required for the degree = 11

Total number of core courses required = 4
Requirement 1 = Core Courses
Requirement 2 = Laboratory and Instrumentation Course
Requirement 3 = Research Project Course*
Requirement 4 = Track-Specific Course Requirements**

Major Required (Core) Courses

Core Courses
Course number	Course Name	Credits
Sub-total Core Credits Required=		10
Requirement 1 Core Course
BMBT.5200	Bioethics	1
BMEN.5810 or PUBH.5770	Data Analytics & Biostatistics for BME or Biostatistics for Health Data	3
BMEN.5210 or HSCI.5510	Quantitative Physiology or Clinical Pathophysiology	3
Requirement 2 Laboratory and Instrumentation Course (choose 1)
BIOL.5190/5210L	Biochemistry Techniques	3
BIOL.5690	Molecular Techniques	3
BMEN.5200	Bioinstrumentations	3
CHEN.5860	Biotech Processing Projects Lab	3
EECE.5600	Biomedical Instrumentation	3
EXER.5030	Kinesiology Laboratory Methods	3
MLSC.6100/6101L	Clinical Toxicology Lecture & Lab	3
NUTR.5650	Lab Methods in Nutrition Assessment	3
PHRM.6400/6420L	Pharmaceutical Analysis Lecture & Lab	3
RADI.5060	Nuclear Instrumentation with Lab	3
XXXX.xxxx	Other lab course as recommended by the departmental track advisor and approved by BMEBT College Coordinator. Graduate Academic Petition is needed.	3-5

Elective Course Choices (Total courses required =7, 21 required credits minimum)
Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Requirement 3 Research Project Course*		3
Requirement 4Track-Specific Course Requirements**
XXXX.XXXX	Track Course 1	3
XXXX.XXXX	Track Course 2	3
XXXX.XXXX	Track Course 3	3
XXXX.XXXX	Track Course 4	3
XXXX.XXXX	Track Course 5	3
XXXX.XXXX	Track Course 6	3
	Sub-total # of Elective Credits Required =	21

Curriculum Summary

Total number of courses required for the degree = 11

Total credit hours required for the degree = 31

Prerequisite, Concentration or Other Requirements:

* Research Project (3 cr minimum), specific to the student’s track as advised by the college/departmental track advisor, is also required. Students will register for an Independent Study/Advanced Project in the associated college/department. Depending on the departmental track, this may be combined – with additional credits – for the Master’s with thesis option, if applicable.

**Track-specific course requirements

All students shall complete track-specific specialization courses, such that they have completed or transferred a total of 31 credits prior to graduation. Students must meet with the appropriate college/departmental track advisor to select the courses most relevant to the students’ career goals. Specialization courses will help the student attain depth in focused areas.

Biomedical Sciences Tracks

I. Cell And Molecular Biotechnology Track – Department of Biological Sciences

Applicants wishing to follow this track must have a minimum of two semesters or three quarters (equivalent of one academic year) of calculus. The Track consists of four to six courses (17-19 credits). Students must complete two core courses supplemented with elective courses from the list below to achieve a minimum of 31 credits total.

Cell and Molecular (One of the following; 3-4 credits)

BIOL.5690 Molecular Techniques (4 cr)¹ or BIOL.5190 Biochemistry² (3 cr)
BIOL.5420 Advanced Cell Biology (3 cr)

Bioinformatics (One of the following; 3-4 credits)

BIOL.5300 Cancer Genomics (4 cr)
BIOL.5320 and BIOL.55340L Genomics + Lab (3 + 1 cr)
BIOL.5892 Crystallography and Structural Bioinformatics (3 cr)
BIOL.5700 + BIOL.5772L Data Science for Biologists in Python + Lab (3 + 1 cr)
BIOL.5062 and BIOL.5062L Bioinformatic Tools in Sequence Analysis + Lab (3 + 1 cr)

Plus any of the following electives to reach the 31-credit minimum for MS BMEBT

BIOL.5000 Professional Experience (3 cr)
BIOL.5062 Bioinformatics Tools in Sequence Analysis (3 cr)
BIOL.5062L Bioinformatics Tools in Sequence Analysis Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.5072 Data Science for Biologists (3 cr)
BIOL.5072L Data Science for Biologists Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.5190 Biochemistry I (3 cr)
BIOL.5200 Biochemistry II (3 cr)
BIOL.5210L Biochemistry Techniques (2 cr)
BIOL.5225 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry (2 cr)
BIOL.5260 Evolutionary Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5300 Cancer Genomics (4)
BIOL.5320 Genomics (3 cr)
BIOL.55340L Genomics Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.5380 Advanced Genetic Analysis (3 cr)
BIOL.5280 Molecular Biotechnology: Recombinant Protein Production (3 cr)
BIOL.5280L Molecular Biotechnology: Recombinant Protein Production Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.6660 Selected Topics in Molecular and Cellular Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5420 Advanced Cell Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5600 Stem Cell Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5670 Molecular Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5690L Molecular Techniques Lab (4 cr)
BIOL.5760L Cell Culture (4 cr)
BIOL.5930 Immunology (3 cr)
BIOL.5950L Immunology Lab (2 cr)
BIOL.5940 Immunology II (3 cr)
BIOL.5720 Virology (3 cr)
BIOL.5820 Cancer Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5700 Data Science for Biologists in Python (3 cr)
BIOL.5772L Data Science for Biologists in Python Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.6030 Colloquium (1 cr)
BIOL.5900 Human Neurobiology (3 cr)
BIOL.5620 Cardiovascular Physiology (3 cr)
BIOL.5630L Cardiovascular Physiology Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.5800 Developmental Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5810L Developmental Biology Lab (1 cr)
BIOL.5892 Crystallography and Structural Bioinformatics* (3 cr)
BIOL.5945 Host Pathogen Interactions
BIOL.5385 Epigenetics and Chromatin
BIOL.7330 MS Research Project (1-6 cr)
BIOL.7430 MS Thesis Research (3-6 cr)

BIOL.5670 Molecular Techniques may not count for both the Lab/Instrumentation requirement and the Cell and Molecular Biotechnology Track Core. Students using BIOL.5670 for the Lab/Instrumentation requirement must enroll in Biochemistry BIOL.5190
BIOL.5190 Biochemistry is a Pre-/Co-requisite for BIOL.5210L Biochemistry Techniques (A potential Laboratory and Instrumentation course)
Most labs are Pre-/Co-requisites with the corresponding lecture course

II. Medical Materials Chemistry with Thesis Track – Department of Chemistry

Applicants wishing to follow this track must have a minimum of two semesters or three quarters (equivalent of one academic year) of calculus. The track consists of one required course (3 credits), one elective course from a list of approved courses (3 credits) and a minimum of 12 credits of Thesis research with defense

REQUIRED the following course: (3 credits)

CHEM.6310 Medicinal Chemistry (3 cr)

Choose one course of the following (3 credits)

CHEM.5500 Biochemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5510 Biochemistry II (3 cr)
CHEM.5260 Chromatography (3 cr)
CHEM.5130 Spectroscopy (3 cr)
CHEM.5140 Advanced Analytical Chemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5800 Advanced Analytical Biochemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5950 Supramolecular Chemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5660 Nanomaterials and Nanostructures (3 cr)
POLY.5030 Advanced Polymer Science I (3 cr)
POLY.5040 Advanced Polymer Science II (3 cr)
POLY.5050 Polymer Preparation and Characterization (3 cr)
POLY.5110 Biopolymers (3 cr)
CHEM.5221 Solid-State Materials Chemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.6310 Medicinal Chemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5600 Advanced Physical Biochemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5700 Protein Biochemistry (3 cr)
CHEM.5620 Biopharmaceutical Development (3 cr)
CHEM.5690 ML and AI in Living Organisms

III. Medical Materials Chemistry with Non-thesis Track – Department of Chemistry

Applicants wishing to follow this track must have a minimum of two semesters or three quarters (equivalent of one academic year) of calculus. The track consists of one required course (3 credits), and 5 courses (15 credits) from a list of approved courses.

Common mandatory course: (3 credits)

CHEM.6310 Medicinal Chemistry (3 cr)

Choose five courses from the following (15 credits)

IV. Biophysics Track – – Department of Physics & Applied Physics and Department of Biological Sciences
Applicants wishing to follow this track must have a minimum of two semesters or three quarters (equivalent of one academic year) of calculus. The Track consists of a minimum of 15 course credits and 6 credits of MS Thesis research, which may be combined with Requirement 3 above. Students must complete three core courses supplemented with elective courses from the list below.

Common mandatory course*

BIOL.5410 Topics in Cell Biology (3 cr)

Cell and Molecular Biology (Choose one of the following; 3-4 credits)*
BIOL.5690 Molecular Techniques (4 cr)¹ or
BIOL.5190Biochemistry² (3 cr)
BIOL.5420 Advanced Cell Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5670 Molecular Biology (3 cr)

Bioinformatics (Choose one of the following; 3-4 credits)*
BIOL.5300 Cancer Genomics (4 credits)
BIOL.5320 + BIOL.5340L Genomics + Lab (3 + 1 credits)
BIOL.5892Crystallography and Structural Bioinformatics (3 cr)
BIOL.5700 + BIOL.5772L Data Science for Biologists in Python + Lab (3 + 1 cr)
BIOL.5062 + BIOL.5062LBioinformatics Tools in Sequence Analysis + Lab (3 + 1)

Select 6 credits from the following
BIOL.5090 Photobiology (3 cr)
BIOL.5820 Cancer Biology (3 cr)
BIOL.5900 Human Neurobiology (3 cr)
BIOL.5490L Biology of Muscle and Lab (4 cr)
BIOL.5820 Cancer Biology (3 cr)
BMEN.5110 Tissue Engineering (3 cr)
BMEN.5305 Biomechanics (3 cr)
BMEN.5325 Biofluid Mechanics (3 cr)
PHYS.5130 Mechanics (3 cr)
PHYS.5210 Statistical Thermodynamics (3 cr)
PHYS.5530Electromagnetism I (3 cr)
PHYS.5630Computational Methods in Physics (3 cr)
PHYS.5540Electromagnetism II (3 cr)
PHYS.5960/70 Biomedical Imaging and Sensing Lab (3 + 1)
POLY.5110 Biopolymers (3 cr)
RADI.5060 Nuclear Instrumentation with Lab (3 cr)
RADI.5620 Radiation Biology (3 cr)
RADI.6060 Monte Carlo Simulation of Radiation Transport (3 cr)
BIOL.XXX Molecular motors in the cytoskeleton – New course
PHYS.ZZZ Physics of Cancer – New course

BIOL.5670 Molecular Techniques may not count for both the BMEBT Lab/Instrumentation requirement and the Biophysics track requirement. Students using BIOL.5670 for the Lab/Instrumentation requirement must enroll in Biochemistry BIOL.5190
BIOL.5190 Biochemistry is a Pre-/Co-requisite for BIOL.5210L Biochemistry Techniques (A potential Laboratory and Instrumentation course.)
* Students who have taken these or equivalent courses can select an elective instead.

V. Radiation Protection Track – Department of Physics & Applied Physics

Applicants wishing to follow this track must have a minimum of two semesters or three quarters (equivalent of one academic year) of calculus. Select a minimum of 18 credits from the following courses, with the approval of the advisor:

RADI.5010L Radiation Safety and Control I (3 + 1 cr)
RADI.5020L Radiation Safety and Control II (3 + 1 cr)
RADI.5060 Nuclear Instrumentation with Lab (3 cr)
RADI.5240 Environmental Health Physics (3 cr)
RADI.5330 External Radiation Dosimetry and Shielding (3 cr)
RADI.5340 Internal Radiation Dosimetry and Bioassay (3 cr)
RADI.5410 Radiochemistry (3 cr)
RADI.5620 Radiation Biology (3 cr)
RADI.5820 Numerical Methods in Radiological Science * (3 cr)
RADI.6050 Radiation Interactions and Transport * (3 cr)
RADI.6060 Monte Carlo Simulation of Radiation Transport * (3 cr)

* May be petitioned to replace BMEN.5810 in Requirement 1

VI. Kinesiology non-thesis and thesis track- Department of Physical Therapy & Kinesiology

Core Course Requirements (13 credits)

The core courses provide a common foundation for all students, whether from life science, physical science, or engineering backgrounds. Core requirements are divided into three categories. The college/departmental track advisor must approve all course selections.

Requirement 1. Common BMEBT Courses (7 credits)

BMBT.5200 Bioethics (1 cr)
PUBH.5770 Biostatistics for Health Data (3 cr)
BMEN.5210 Quantitative Physiology (3 cr)

Requirement 2. Laboratory and instrumentation course (3 credits)

EXER.5030 Kinesiology Laboratory Methods (3 cr)

Requirement 3. Research project course (3 credit)

DPTH.6430 Evidence Directed Care (3 cr)

Track-specific course requirements (minimum of 18 credits)

Required PTK courses (9 credits)

EXER.6010 Topics in Human Movement Sciences (3 cr)
EXER.6020 Advanced Exercise Physiology (3 cr)
DPTH.6160 Research Method (3 cr)

Elective PTK courses (9 credits)

EXER.4250/5010 Clinical Exercise Physiology (3 cr)
EXER.4300/5020 Exercise is Medicine (3 cr)
EXER.6110 Advanced Motor Learning, Control and Performance (3 cr)
EXER.6120 Principles of Human Performance (3 cr)
EXER.6130 Physical Activity Assessment and Promotion (3 cr)
DPTH.6020 Neuroanatomy (3 cr)
DPTH.6040 Neurophysiology (3 cr)
DPTH.6120 Cardiopulmonary PT (3 cr)
BMBT.7200 Independent Study (3 cr)
* Other non-PTK courses approved by advisor/program director

Thesis students only (6 credits)

DPTH.6290 Directed Research

Last Updated 5/24/24

Why study Radiological Sciences at UMass Lowell?

Scholarship Opportunities

We award roughly $30,000 per year in scholarships, directly for Radiological Sciences students.

Student using remote manipulators in the reactor hot cell

Paid Experiential Learning

Advance your skills and earn income through paid experiential learning through our laboratories or external partners.

UMass Lowell's quantitative radio chemistry lab set up for analytical and separations chemistry

Advanced Radiation Research Assets

Various opportunities for research and professional development are possible through the use of our research assets.

1 million watt nuclear reactor
5.5 million volt particle accelerator
Nuclear forensics and radiochemistry facility
Radiation imaging suite
Neutron activation analysis lab

Chemical/Nuclear Engineering student working in reactor.

Workforce Shortages

Over the last few decades the Radiological Sciences field has seen a drastic decline of the workforce while the use of radiation continues to increase.

This has resulted in many opportunities for our trained Health Physicists working in the radiation protection sectors across the globe.

Career Outlook

Our graduates are typically offered well-paying jobs upon graduation or even before they graduate as radiation safety professionals in:

Hospitals
Biotechnology companies
National laboratories
Consulting firms
Radiopharmaceuticals production
Universities
Government agencies

Tuition and Admissions

Eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for financial assistance.

Complete the FAFSA

View Estimated Annual Tuition and Fees for the 2025 - 2026 Academic Year

As a graduate student, you may qualify for federal student aid and other need-based scholarships. To be considered for financial assistance, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more at UMass Lowell Graduate Aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain eligible non-citizens. Please visit Financial Aid if you have questions about your eligibility.

Application:
- Summer 2025-Spring 2026,
- Summer 2026-Spring 2027
Application Fee: $50
Statement of Purpose: Outline goals, experience and achievements (maximum 2 pages).
Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) for master's, three (3) for doctoral applicants.
Transcripts: You may apply with unofficial transcripts, but if accepted, official transcripts are required. We do not accept opened, photocopied, emailed PDFs or faxed official transcripts.
Test Scores: UMass Lowell’s school code is 3911. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are only required for the following programs:
- Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science,
- Medical Physics and Radiological Sciences.
- Some programs will waive the test score requirements under certain conditions.

All materials must be received before your application is reviewed. To add documents before review, log in and select “Program Materials.”

Chemistry and Polymer Science Ph.D. Applicants

All required documents are due to the Office of Graduate Admissions by February 15 for full Fall consideration. Applications received after this date will be reviewed for the next semester.

International Applicants

A transcript evaluation is required for the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. in Applied Biology.

International transcripts must indicate completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree (equivalent of an American bachelor's degree) before an application will be processed. The Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to have any application credentials evaluated. Baccalaureate verification may be obtained for a fee from:

English proficiency is required. If English is not your country’s national language, please submit one of the following scores:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 79+
International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5+
Duolingo: 115+
ASC English: Level 6+
Pearson Test of English (PTE): 53+

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At a Glance