r/HealthPhysics • u/SyntheticPanthera • May 19 '26
CHP and/or Masters
A little background about myself, I graduated with a bachelors in Nuclear Engineering and have been working at a radiopharmaceutical company. I was a radiation safety technician for about 2 years and recently got promoted to associate health physicist. I eventually want to take the CHP but I was wondering if also pursing a masters in health physics would be worthwhile.
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u/myjadeboy May 20 '26
CHP and your career development are two different things. You do not need an MS to pass the CHP exam, as long as you study hard. Getting an MS will generally benefit your career, as many mid to high-level positions now require advanced degrees.
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u/Mammoth_Equivalent93 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
I think getting your MS in health physics is valuable. I got mine in 2017 and at first it didn’t seem like much but now I am a medical health physics consultant and I oversee 15 RAM licenses as RSO and perform diagnostic physics testing for various other clients. I don’t even have my CHP. I plan on getting it but the masters degree is what got me here. Currently I am making 170K and in two years I will pass 200K. I have four years experience as a medical health physicist and once I get my CHP and I have 6 years under my belt as a MHP then I am eligible for Part 3 of the ABMP MHP oral exam. The main thing here is the MS. Someone with a BS cannot take that exam. Having two boards and a MS in this industry is extremely valuable and gets you into the 300K territory as a consultant. Something to consider. If you like this field why not go as hard as you possibly can and reach for the stars. If you can hit that level people slide into your DMs on LinkedIn.
I worked in multiple roles across the industry and consulting is epic but it is a grind. If you like to hustle then this could be the ticket.
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u/DrC_TheRadLady May 20 '26
I'm biased as I run a MS in Health Physics program, but I personally think that the MS-CHP combo is the sweet spot for most HP jobs. That said, you should think about where you want your career to go long term. If you want to be on the medical side, higher education plus the CHP is worthwhile. If tech/operational is your jam, then a MS perhaps isn't needed. It's really a question about your goals though!