Certificate Programs

Accreditation of a certificate program in medical physics is recognition that the program conforms to CAMPEP standards. These standards are set such that the certificate program will equip applicants to medical physics residency programs with appropriate graduate level medical physics coursework preparation.

A certificate program must fully address all the topics in the graduate curriculum identified in Section 8 of the Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Educational Programs in Medical Physics, with the exception of Standard 8.7.

Only CAMPEP-accredited graduate programs and residency programs within accredited colleges or universities may apply for certificate training programs in medical physics.

Students enrolled in these certificate programs must have a PhD in physics or a related discipline and shall comply with existing CAMPEP-approved undergraduate physics coursework requirements as specified in the Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Educational Programs in Medical Physics

Accreditation Application
Full instructions are provided on the application template, available from the link on the left hand panel. A right mouse click on the link will enable a copy of the template to be saved to your local disc. The initial application submitted via an online submission process must include an official request for accreditation in the form of a letter from a principal administrative officer of the institution inviting CAMPEP to conduct an evaluation of the medical physics graduate education program. An institution's request for its program to be evaluated by CAMPEP is totally voluntary and, as such, the institution agrees to abide by the decision of the CAMPEP Board of Directors..

The application fee for certificate program accreditation or reaccreditation from a CAMPEP accredited residency program is US $2,500.

A site visit will generally be required to fully evaluate the proposed certificate program. If, upon review of the application, the GEPRC concludes a site visit is not required, a portion of the application fee will be returned to the program.

This fee is due at the time the application is submitted.
Credit card payments may be made via the Online Self Study Submission System.

Contact Jacqueline Ogburn for assistance.

Steps Involved

Provided that the institution applying for accreditation satisfies the preliminary requirements listed above, the accreditation process involves seven steps.

  1. The preparation and submission to CAMPEP of a self-study evaluation by the institution applying for accreditation. All self-study documentation must be in English or must have an accompanying English translation. The purpose of the self-study is to describe the scope and performance of the program. This information is the primary vehicle for CAMPEP’s evaluation of a program applying for accreditation. The official request and institutional accreditation documentation shall be contained in an appendix of the self-study. The fee for accreditation is due at the time the application is submitted. The review of the self-study document by the CAMPEP GEPRC shall commence after receipt of the application fee
  2. The preliminary review of the application by the CAMPEP GEPRC.
  3. The resolution of any questions or concerns identified during the preliminary review. A satisfactory response from the program director to these questions is required before proceeding to the next step. If the preliminary review raises no concerns, this step is not required.
  4. A site visit, if required, by representative members of the GEPRC.
  5. The preparation of a certificate program evaluation report by the GEPRC prior to submission of the report and a recommendation to the CAMPEP Board of Directors.
  6. Consideration of the GEPRC report and recommendation by the CAMPEP Board of Directors.
  7. Communication of the resulting recommendation of the CAMPEP Board of Directors to the applicant institution.

On Site Program Review (if required)
Purpose and Structure
The site visit requires 1 day and is scheduled at a time that will permit the members of the site visit team to meet with one or more administrative officials of the institution, the faculty, and the potential certificate program students (if identified and available).

The purpose of the site visit is to a) meet and talk personally with faculty members, students, and administrative officials, b) observe the adequacy of facilities, c) assess the aptitude and commitment of students and faculty, d) observe the general educational and scientific environment at the institution, and e) obtain any additional data required for evaluation.

The site visit team shall be provided with records generated by the program including, but not limited to, course evaluations, lecture materials, minutes of faculty meetings and/or governing committee meetings, and student admission records. Any records to which the site visit team has legal access shall be available for review at their request.

Site Visit Team Composition
The site visit team (generally one or two members of the GEPRC) is composed of experienced educators and scientists thoroughly familiar with CAMPEP criteria and knowledgeable about both administrative and technical aspects of successful programs. In the selection of members of the site visit team for a particular on-site evaluation visit, every effort is made to eliminate any conflict of interest or bias. For instance, a graduate of the institution under evaluation, or a person having a close and continuing relationship with the institution, would not be chosen to assist in the visit and evaluation. Neither would one be selected who is a faculty member at an institution in the same immediate geographical area nor from one having any substantial number of its graduates on the faculty at the institution being evaluated.

Action Following Evaluation
The possible actions taken by CAMPEP following an evaluation are the same as that for graduate programs. When a certificate program is accredited, CAMPEP will provide a certificate of accreditation to the institution and a copy of the GEPRC report listing any required and recommended changes. The program director must provide updated information on any required and/or recommended changes at the time of each subsequent annual report.

The name of the institution and program will appear on the CAMPEP website on the list of medical institutions whose programs have been accredited by CAMPEP.