Training & Education

PHYSIOLOGY is the study of the functions and activities of life and living matter at all levels of organization within an organism. While physiology research is frequently at the molecular level, the tradition of the discipline challenges the researcher to consider all the homeostatic and developmental functions of the organism. Experiencing this challenge creates a research perspective particularly valuable in the field of medicine. The Nobel Foundation awards a prize recognizing the contribution of physiology to the field of medicine. The American Physiological Society is devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences.

BIOPHYSICS is a branch of science that applies the principles of physics and chemistry and the quantitative methods of mathematics, engineering, and computer modeling to understand how biological systems work. The Biophysical Society is devoted to fostering education, scientific research and dissemination of information in the biophysical sciences.

Several graduate programs at USC, including the Medical Physiology MS program, support graduate education in biophysics as described here.

The MS in Medical Physiology program is a two-year degree program. A progressive degree is offered to undergraduate students.