Curriculum

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The academic year is divided into fall, spring, and summer semesters. During the fall and spring semesters, students attend two days of classroom instruction and three days of clinical instruction. From the very beginning, students are assigned to various treatment units under the direct supervision of a licensed radiation therapist for their clinical instruction. Students have the opportunity to apply the techniques and principles covered in the classroom and learn to operate the equipment used in planning and administering radiation treatments. View our 2024-2025 calendar.

The courses included in the curriculum are sequenced as follows:

Semester I

Semester I: Fall

(15 weeks + Orientation)

Hours
Orientation

37.5

Methods of Patient Care

15

Introduction to Radiation Therapy I

17.5

Clinical Anatomy I

18.75

Record Keeping

6

Radiation Physics I

21

Treatment Set-ups I

18.75

Medical Terminology

10

Clinical Performance307.5
Semester II

Semester II: Spring (16 weeks)

 

Hours
Introduction to Radiation Therapy II

      16.25

Clinical Anatomy II

20

Radiation Physics II

  22.5

Treatment Setups II

20

Principles of Radiography

14

Ethics and Law in Radiation Therapy

20

Clinical Performance*

495

Semester III
Semester III: Fall (15 weeks)Hours
Clinical Radiation Oncology

33

Treatment Planning I

48

Pathology

20

Radiation Protection

21

Image Review

 15

Clinical Performance 

337.5

Semester IV

Semester IV: Spring

(14 weeks + Registry Review)

Hours
Clinical Radiation Oncology

21

Treatment Planning II

48

Radiobiology

19.5

Quality Assurance

14

MRI Basics

10

Registry Review/Professional Development

95

Clinical Performance*

502.5

Total Clinical Hours2145
Total Didactic Hours585.75

During the summer semester, students attend five days of clinical instruction and other required clinical rotations. Students are also required to attend periodic Saturday clinical workshops where they get to put theory into practice. Students also have the option to rotate through our regional clinical sites for periodic month-long clinical rotations. The regional sites are:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Commack
650 Commack Road
Commack, NY 11725

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center West Harrison
500 Westchester Ave
West Harrison, NY 10604

Memorial Sloan Kettering Basking Ridge
136 Mountain View Blvd 
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 

Memorial Sloan Kettering Bergen
225 Summit Ave
Montvale, NJ 07645 

Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth
480 Red Hill Road
Middletown, NJ 07748

Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau
1101 Hempstead Turnpike
Uniondale, NY 11553

Memorial Sloan Kettering Koch
530 East 74th Street
New York, NY 10021

Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 9:00 a.m. to , Monday through Friday. Students are given 15 days-off during the first year and 12 days-off during the second year, in addition to six observed holidays and a 5-day winter break and a 5-day Spring break. All instruction, clinical and didactic, takes place a tour main campus, with the option to rotate through our regional sites listed above.

Grading

Each didactic course is graded on a numerical scale from zero to 100%. 75% is passing in each course. Every course must be taken in sequence such that any student receiving below 75% will be dismissed from the program. Clinical performance is also graded in the fall and spring semesters as well as the summer semester and also must be passed with a 75%.

Our numerical grades can be converted to a letter grade based on the following scale:

GradeLetter Score
Below 75F
75-76C
77-79C+
80-83B-
84-86B
87-89B+
90-93A-
93-96A
97-100A+

Requirements for Graduation

Upon completion of our two-year certificate program, our graduates will have accumulated 2145 hours of clinical instruction and 585.75 hours of classroom instruction. Graduation ceremonies are generally held in mid June.

In order to qualify for graduation from the training program, students must meet the following:

  • Satisfactory completion of all courses with a grade point average equivalent of 75 percent or better
  • Accrual of all necessary clinical days
  • Clinical competence by fulfillment of the clinical objectives with a 75 percent equivalent or better
  • Return of any equipment/books borrowed from the school and/or medical library
  • Fulfillment of all monetary obligations
  • Completion of all program assessment forms/evaluations/surveys, financial aid entrance and exit interviews, if applicable.

Note: Graduation from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center training program does not automatically guarantee licensure by New York State and/or certification by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Licensure and certification are granted by the New York State Department of Health and the ARRT upon passing (75 percent or better) the ARRT Boards.