Curricular Structure
The Pedagogical Project of the Professional Master’s Degree in Imaging Sciences and Medical Physics aims to provide professionals trained in this program with technical and scientific knowledge and ethical values that allow them to fully develop their activities, which are mainly aimed at promoting improvements in the quality of care in Radiology and Imaging Diagnosis and in Radiotherapy and Medical Physics at their various levels (individual, service and service management), and beyond the limits that the fundamental training of the lato sensu postgraduate course allows. The program has 23 (twenty-three) disciplines, of which 2 (two) are core training and 21 (twenty-one) are optional, which bring together subareas of knowledge and application, consisting of a set of theoretical, theoretical-practical and practical activities, both distance and in-person, requiring the demonstration of skills and competencies. The core training courses recommended for students in all areas are “Scientific Methodology and Clinical Studies” and “Topics in Applied Statistics”, which are taught in person but are supported by the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) provided by the University, Moodle Disciplinas, including programs with pre-determined tasks and development of activities with tutorial support, providing the basic tools of scientific methodology and statistical bases necessary for the development of the student’s project. By determination of the University, and as stated in the Program Regulations, all students must present their work in the form of a Dissertation, with evaluation by a panel of examiners. In addition to the two core courses of methodology and statistics, students must choose from among the other courses a minimum number of courses to be taken, considering the minimum amount of 20 credits required for depositing the dissertation. Furthermore, to achieve the program’s objectives, the curricular structure necessarily includes in-service training, in a tutorial regime, with each student being supervised by a responsible advisor, supported by a group of full professors and collaborators who collaborate in the training of the group of students, in addition to the formation of teams of the master’s students themselves with other professionals from the service, allowing for training in collaborative work. Thus, the support material for the disciplines includes active participation of students in the services of the Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto, a state-owned agency, fulfilling the need to meet social demands, through:
• weekly meetings to discuss protocols and cases of strategic interest in the search for solutions to general or specific problems detected during the discussions,
• regular multidisciplinary meetings (weekly and monthly), in which it is the responsibility of students from specific research areas linked to the theme of the meeting to present scientific papers, allowing for the improvement of communication skills and providing opportunities for multidisciplinary interaction,
• tutorial activity for active participation in the service, in the areas of concentration and related to the lines of research, seeking to develop activities that provide maintenance of in-service training with a focus on acquiring greater security in conducting clinical cases and/or service management problems, aiming at developing management and leadership skills.
The active participation of students in the program in multidisciplinary teams is essential because it allows a broad view of the demand for problems, which indicates opportunities for professional development and greater structure in identifying specific and relevant questions for the application of the scientific method in a real practical scenario.
List of subjects in the program, considering offerings in the four-year period:
Recommended Core Training Subjects for the Master’s Course:
IFM5701 Scientific Methodology and Clinical Studies: with a total workload of 75 hours, corresponding to 5 credits, duration of 5 weeks, with 6 hours per week of theoretical activity and 9 hours of study. In this discipline, the student’s project is discussed in detail, comparing the initial project with the project that underwent changes due to the application of knowledge acquired during the development of the discipline.
IFM5702 Topics in Applied Statistics: with a total workload of 75 hours, corresponding to 5 credits, duration of 5 weeks, with 6 hours per week of theoretical activity and 9 hours of study. In this discipline, projects are discussed in light of the statistical tests necessary to prove the hypotheses raised.
Courses supporting research lines:
The optional courses supporting research lines have a common format, with a total of 150 hours, lasting 10 weeks, with 3 hours per week of theoretical activity, 10 hours of practical activity and 2 hours of study. The course IFM5703 – Image Formation in CT and MRI, functional imaging and quantitative techniques serves as support for more than one line of research (neuroimaging, internal medicine and cardiovascular imaging).
Supporting disciplines for the Neuroimaging Research Line
IFM5704 – Neuroimaging of the Brain (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5705 – Neuroimaging of the Spinal Cord and Vertebral Column (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5706 – Diagnostic Imaging of the Orbit, Ear, Skull Base and Other Regions of the Head and Neck (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5703 – CT and MRI Image Formation, Functional Imaging and Quantitative Techniques (Elective – number of credits = 10)
Supporting disciplines for the Internal Medicine Research Line
IFM5707 – Topics in Diagnostic Imaging in Internal Medicine (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5709 – Topics in Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging of the Male and Female Pelvis (Elective – number of credits = 10) of credits = 10)
IFM5710 – Topics in Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging of the Breast (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5703 – CT and MRI Imaging, Functional Imaging and Quantitative Techniques (Elective – number of credits = 10)
Supporting Courses for the Musculoskeletal System Research Line
IFM5711 – Advanced Topics in Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Musculoskeletal System (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5712 – Topics in Diagnostic Imaging in Rheumatology (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5713 – Topics in Diagnostic Imaging of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5727 – Advanced Topics in Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Musculoskeletal System Magnetic resonance imaging of the musculoskeletal system II (Optional – number of credits = 10)
Supporting disciplines for the Interventional Radiology Research Line
IFM5715 – Endovascular treatment of aneurysms, malformations and arteriovenous fistulas (Optional – number of credits = 10)
IFM5716 – Percutaneous angioplasties and multidisciplinary approach to hyperacute ischemic stroke (Optional – number of credits = 10)
IFM5717 – Oncological and percutaneous interventional radiology (Optional – number of credits = 10)
IFM5718 – Peripheral, percutaneous and visceral vascular interventional radiology (Optional – number of credits = 10)
IFM5714 – Vascular anatomy and catheterization techniques (Optional – number of credits = 10)
Subjects supporting the Radiotherapy and Medical Physics Research Line
IFM5719 – Advanced topics in radiation biology and clinical radiotherapy (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5720 – Seminars in medical physics and dosimetry (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5721 – Advanced topics in IMRT (Elective – number of credits = 10)
Subjects supporting the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Line
IFM5703 – CT and MRI imaging, functional imaging and quantitative techniques (Elective – number of credits = 10)
IFM5708 – Topics in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Radiology
IFM5728 – Cardiovascular imaging and cardiovascular risk assessment (Elective – number of credits = 10)
All subjects in the program are consistent with the academic and professional performance of the responsible teachers, considering that all program advisors, whether permanent or collaborating, are professionals with recognized performance in their field of work, nationally and internationally.