Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

The Shimadzu School of Radiologic Sciences


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Beth Vealé
Chair, The Shimadzu School of Radiologic Sciences

Lynette Watts
Graduate Coordinator

Graduate Faculty: Johnston, Killion, Sanders, Vealé, Watts
Emeritus Faculty: Bugg

The Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences

The Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences is a professional program of study with majors in Radiologic Administration, Radiologic Education, or Radiologist Assistant.

The Shimadzu School of Radiologic Sciences’ MSRS Mission Statement

The Master of Science in Radiologic Science (MSRS) program strives to be the premier provider of graduate radiologic science on a state, national, and international level by offering opportunities for development in education, research, leadership, and clinical practice. The program prepares leaders in radiologic administration, radiologic education, and advanced radiologic clinical by:

  • Offering opportunities to work with graduate faculty in producing scholarly works, either through applied or original research projects;
  • Providing coursework where students can pursue scholarly writing, projects, presentations, and clinical experiences uniquely tailored to their interests (student-centered learning); and
  • Emboldening students to pursue other educational opportunities such as doctoral work, leadership development, and advanced clinical practice.

Program Description and Educational Objectives

The program features a discipline-specific holistic approach to graduate education and is offered in a hybrid distance learning format which requires students to make visits to the campus each semester. The unique curriculum design permits working professionals to complete the degree with minimal on-campus requirements while preserving the benefits of face-to-face contact with fellow graduate students. Students benefit from the diverse experiences of their colleagues. All Radiologic Science disciplines and modalities are represented in the student population including radiography, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging and sonography. Most of the course requirements are completed independently and coordinated electronically. A limited number of master’s-level courses are available online.

The Radiologic Administration major and the Radiologic Education major have a core requirement of 12 graduate hours in radiologic sciences plus 22 required hours for the thesis track or 25 required hours for the non-thesis track. The Radiologist Assistant major has a core requirement of 12 graduate hours in radiologic sciences plus 43 required hours for the thesis track or 40 required hours for the non-thesis track.

The department offers an alternative route to the Radiologist Assistant major for technologists who have completed a recognized Radiologist Assistant program, have a BSRS degree, and have passed the national certification examination for Registered Radiologist Assistants (RRA) administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). The alternative route offers both a thesis or non-thesis option.

Competitive scholarships may be available to qualified applicants, and for students in Academic Common Market states there is an established mechanism to waive out-of-state tuition fees.

Admission Standards and Requirements

An application for admission to the Midwestern State University Graduate Program is available on the web site at https://msutexas.edu/academics/graduate-school/how-to-apply.php. In addition to completing MSU admission application materials, applicants must complete a separate application for admission to The Shimadzu School of Radiologic Sciences, which can be made to:

The Shimadzu School of Radiologic Sciences Graduate Coordinator
Midwestern State University
3410 Taft Boulevard
Wichita Falls, TX 76308-2099
Phone: 1-866-575-4305

The Graduate Coordinator will provide the applicant with all necessary application materials upon request. NOTE: Applicants to the radiologist assistant major must complete additional admission requirements including an interview. Applicants to the radiologist assistant major must have current ARRT certification in radiography and must have a minimum of two years clinical experience.

  1. Program Admission
    1. Students must meet the general admission requirements to graduate study prescribed by the Midwestern State University Graduate Catalog.
    2. An accredited bachelor’s degree from a university recognized by Midwestern State University. Applicants who graduated from a university outside the United States may have to provide a degree equivalency evaluation.
    3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater on all college-level work and be in good academic standing. Students with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 may be required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and may be admitted under conditional status.
    4. Provide 3 letters of recommendation other than MSU faculty.
    5. Submit a curriculum vitae (CV).
    6. Submission of an essay.
    7. Applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English when applying to
      Midwestern State University. Written and spoken proficiency in the English
      language may be demonstrated by one of the following options:
      1. Option 1 - English is your first language.
      2. Option 2 - Graduated from a regionally accredited four-year college/university in the United States with a bachelor’s or graduate degree.
      3. Option 3 - Acceptable scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS.
  2. Previous Master’s Degree
    Applicants who have earned a master’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education may be accepted on the basis of such degree. Determination of conditions, if any, will be made by the Graduate Coordinator.
     
  3. Additional admission requirements for all MSRS candidates
    1. Hold credentials in one of the medical imaging modalities or radiation therapy and have at least one year’s experience. (For education and administration majors only.)
    2. Hold a baccalaureate degree related to radiologic sciences. Candidates who have appropriate credentials with other degrees will be considered on an individual basis.
  4. Specific additional requirements for RA majors
    Enrollment in the RA courses is limited and competitive. Students must be approved by the faculty for entry into the RA professional courses following an interview. Applicants are rank-ordered according to a formula based on, but not limited to, several criteria such as grade point average, endorsement of a radiologist preceptor, clinical environment, essay, interview, and previous experiences in medical imaging environments.
    1. Students must submit the following with the MSRS application:
      1. Students must provide documentation of Professional Certification. The RA curriculum is based on general diagnostic radiography clinical practice. Applicants must have a working knowledge of general diagnostic radiography procedures. Evidence = Copy of current ARRT card showing certification in radiography.
      2. Students must provide documentation of the Formal Written Agreement with the Radiologist Preceptor/Group. Although one radiologist will be identified as the preceptor, it is better for students to develop an arrangement with a group of radiologists rather than with an individual radiologist. The Preceptor Agreement must be approved and accepted by the MSU faculty.
      3. Students must submit the email addresses of at least one radiologist and one current work supervisor for references.
    2. Before entry into clinical rotations, students must submit the following:
      1. Students must provide documentation of two (2) years of clinical experience within the previous ten (10) years. Evidence = Letters from appropriate employers/human resource departments.
      2. Students must provide documentation of current American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS) AND Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider status. Evidence = Copy of current AHA BLS and ACLS card.
      3. Students must be in compliance with Texas Mandated Immunizations.
      4. Students must provide documentation of the Formal Written Agreement with the Clinical Facility. The students, their preceptors, and the Clinical Facility need to be aware of the variety and quantity of procedures required. The Clinical Facility Agreement has to be approved and accepted by the MSU faculty.
      5. Students must pass a 10-panel drug test and background screening.
      6. Students may have other requirements listed in the clinical affiliation agreement.

Admission to Candidacy

Graduate students in their last semester in the program will submit a completed candidacy form to their Graduate Advisory Committee. The Graduate Advisory Committee will review the application for candidacy and make a recommendation. The student will be notified of this action.

Degree Requirements

The program leading to the Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences with majors in Radiologic Administration, Radiologic Education, and Radiologist Assistant has a common core of 12 graduate hours. Each major requires variable numbers of graduate hours in the major and graduate level electives. All majors offer a thesis or non-thesis option.

Satisfactory Student Progress

Graduate students are expected to do uniformly high quality work on all MSRS course work pursued (course grades of A or B). Only grades of A or B are acceptable for graduate courses transferred from another university.

Graduate students may earn a grade of C on as many as two graduate courses and remain in the MSRS program as long as their cumulative grade point average remains 3.0 or higher. If a graduate student earns a grade of C on more than two graduate courses, the student will be dismissed from the MSRS program. Any grade below a C will also result in dismissal from the MSRS program.

Thesis

Students pursuing the thesis option are expected to write a substantial proposal and have the proposal approved by the Thesis Advisor and the Graduate Advisory Committee prior to enrolling in the first thesis course (RADS 6983 ). The thesis is to be prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the current Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Additional information regarding the thesis is found in the academic requirements section of this catalog.

Research Project

Students pursuing the non-thesis option are required to submit a substantial research project. The completed research project must be submitted to the College Office at least three weeks before the end of the semester. A copy of the approval page will be sent to the Office of the Registrar to verify completion of this requirement. Papers must be prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the current Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Final Comprehensive Examination

At the completion of all required didactic course work, the student is required to take a written comprehensive examination. The student will schedule the examination with the Graduate Coordinator at the completion of the required course work. The results will be reported as a Pass or Not Pass. If the student receives a Not Pass on the examination, he/she may repeat the examination the following semester. A student is allowed to repeat the examination twice before additional course work is required.

Programs and Courses

Programs

    Major

    Courses

      Radiologic Sciences

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