Master's degree Physics Track Radiation Protection
field(s) of training :
Science, Technology, Health
diploma level :
Grade de Master (Bac+5)
duration of the program :
2 years
location(s) :
Caen
Course overview
You follow a training course in Physics and want to acquire specialised skills and knowledge in civil nuclear energy? In Year 2, the master’s degree in Physics offers the Radiation protection programme. During this senior year, you will be trained in all civil applications of nuclear science: industry, health, and research.
With this master’s degree, you will be trained to the main missions in the field of radiation protection, and will be able to work
- In France (article R4451-123 of the French Labour code and article R1333-19 of the French Public Health code, article R593-112 of the French environmental code)
- Worldwide, at high responsibility positions, as Radiation Protection Expert (RPE)
Highlights
The Radiation protection programme is a joint master co-organised with the Institut national des sciences et techniques nucléaires (INSTN, National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology), the main centre of education for nuclear energy in France, focusing on low carbon energy and health technologies. The INSTN is both
- A public higher education institution administered by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, the CEA)
- Collaborating centre of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the fields of teaching and training in nuclear technologies, industrial and radiopharmaceutics applications, energy, nuclear safety and security
As such, you will attend courses on the INSTN campus located in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, and use its training work site to test your skills in real-life situation.
The master’s programme also delivers you the necessary authorisations to access secured nuclear facilities.
Application requirements
Entry requirements
For Year 2 admission, the selection will be based on:
- Skills and knowledge of a Year 1 postgraduate degree in Physics
- Scholastic records (quality of previous studies, motivation and CV)
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum English proficiency level: B2
Course structure
Courses
- Take place on site in
- Campus 2 (Caen) of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Caen Normandy
- INSTN Campus (Cherbourg-en-Cotentin) during the first two weeks to get security clearances
- Amount to 714 hours a year, around 35 hours a week.
- Are completed by professional training such as compulsory internships, dual or adult education.
Planning for dual education:
- At the start of the school year (September): 8 training weeks
- Until mid-June: 4 working weeks /4 training weeks
- From mid-June: 10 working weeks
Course units
This senior year in Physics offers you specialised course units in radiation protection:
- Fundamentals in dosimetry and radiation protection
- Metrology, simulation and dose measurement
- Risk and laws
- Radiation protection in professional environment: technical and practical aspects
- Public exposure
- Visits and communications
Besides, the program includes a compulsory internship in a laboratory or a company.
Internships and placements
To complete the Radiation Protection programme of the master's degree in Physics, you must do a 6-month internship in a research laboratory or a company.
The internship takes place in the 2nd semester. It comes under a learning agreement and will be evaluated with a internship report and an interview with the jury.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 1 year. Examinations are held at the end of each semester and are graded on a scale from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade. Grade compensation is organized without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit of the same semester.
As the 2nd semester is dedicated to the internship, the 2 semesters do not compensate each other.
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the courses units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
Study abroad
The Radiation Protection programme of the master's in Physics is part of the graduate school in Nuclear Physics, a joint programme supported by the Erasmus Mundus consortia. As such, you have the opportunity to spend a semester in a partner university or to do an internship in any country of the European Union. For more information, read our page on international development and exchange programmes.
Learning outcome
By the end of the Radiation protection programme, you will be able to
- Write the recommendations specified in the French Labour code and the Public Health code (R4451-123, R133-19) or in the directive of the European Union (2013-59, article 82), in application of the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)
- Conceive, modify or accommodate workplace and security measures
- Examine the plans of the facilities
- Optimise radiation protection and define appropriate dose constraints
- Organise missions in centres and institutions dedicated to nuclear energy
- Develop relations with experts in medical physics
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your master’s degree in Radiation Protection, you can pursue various careers opportunities, including doctoral studies, for example within the Physics, Engineering Sciences, Materials, and Energy doctoral school (PSIME · ED 591).
Careers
The Radiation protection programme prepares you for careers such as:
- Radiation protection engineer
- Research and development engineer
- Metrology engineer
- Consulting engineer
- Project leader
- Trainer for nuclear energy professionals
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR des Sciences
Boulevard Maréchal Juin · CS 14032 · 14032 Caen Cedex 5
France