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Studies & Degrees in Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. The US National Cancer Institute distinguishes two main types: external beam radiotherapy, delivered by a machine outside the body, and internal radiotherapy, in which the source is placed inside the body (with a solid source this is called brachytherapy). The World Health Organization (WHO) lists radiotherapy next to surgery and systemic therapy as the usual components of cancer treatment, and reports that cancer caused nearly 10 million deaths worldwide in 2024.

As a subject of study, radiotherapy trains the health professionals who plan and deliver that treatment day after day. Their title depends on the country: therapeutic radiographer in the United Kingdom, radiation therapist in Ireland and the United States, and técnico superior en radioterapia in Spain. The doctor who prescribes the treatment, the radiation oncologist, follows a different route: a medical degree and then a medical specialisation.

What students learn

Programmes combine physics, biology and patient care with long periods in hospital. At Trinity College Dublin, for example, the first two years of the degree cover basic sciences such as chemistry, physics, biochemistry and physiology, together with the principles of cancer care, psychology and communication. The third and fourth years move on to radiobiology, treatment planning, treatment localisation and verification, and a research project. Clinical placements start early (four weeks in the first year and five in the second) and are full time, at 35 hours per week.

The Spanish vocational curriculum shows the same mix on a shorter scale. Its modules include patient care, physical principles and equipment, anatomy through imaging, radiation protection, treatment simulation, physical and clinical dosimetry, teletherapy and brachytherapy, plus a training period in a workplace.

Qualifications and levels

  • United Kingdom: according to NHS Health Careers, a therapeutic radiographer must complete an approved degree or master's in radiotherapy. Degree courses take three or four years full time, or up to six years part time, and some postgraduate programmes take two years. Graduates must register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) before practising; "therapeutic radiographer" is a protected title. Typical entry requirements are two or three A levels, including physics, chemistry or biology.
  • Ireland: Trinity College Dublin teaches a four-year honours bachelor's degree in Radiation Therapy (NFQ Level 8) with 30 places. Applicants need a science subject, for example grade C at A level in physics, chemistry or biology, and must meet the university's Band B English language requirements.
  • United States: the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that radiation therapists typically need an associate's or bachelor's degree in radiation therapy, and that most states require a licence or certification, which often includes a national certification exam. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certifies radiation therapists.
  • Spain: the qualification is a higher vocational training (FP) diploma, Técnico Superior en Radioterapia y Dosimetría, a 2,000-hour grado superior in the health family. Holders work under the supervision of the specialist doctor and need accreditation as an operator of radioactive facilities from the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN).

Where to study radiotherapy

SpainExchange lists 11 schools for this subject in nine countries: two in Spain, two in the United States and one each in India, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. They include CEU FP Madrid, a vocational training centre in Madrid; Trinity College Dublin; Cardiff University in Wales; the University of Ferrara in Italy; and Bellevue College in the US state of Washington.

Radiotherapy is a regulated health profession almost everywhere, so the first thing to check is whether the programme is approved by the regulator of the country where you want to work, and what a foreign graduate must do to register there. Teaching and hospital placements take place in the local language, and students work with patients from the first year, so the language requirement is a practical one. Ask each school how many weeks of clinical placement the programme includes and in which hospitals. At Trinity, students can also take a placement in a European radiotherapy department in the summer of the third year.

Careers

Most graduates work in hospital radiotherapy departments, using CT scanners and linear accelerators and seeing the same patients daily: external beam treatment is usually given once a day, five days a week. In Spain the FP diploma also leads to work in hospital radiophysics services, radiation protection units and research centres. With experience, NHS Health Careers mentions research, teaching and management as further pathways.

In the United States, radiation therapists held about 17,400 jobs in 2025, 60 percent of them in hospitals. The BLS projects employment to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 700 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

Is radiotherapy the same as radiography?

No. Diagnostic radiographers produce images to diagnose injuries and diseases, while therapeutic radiographers plan and deliver treatment using radiation. In the United Kingdom they are separate protected titles and separate degrees.

How long does it take to qualify?

It depends on the country: three or four years for a full-time degree in the United Kingdom, four years at Trinity College Dublin, an associate's or bachelor's degree in the United States, and a 2,000-hour higher vocational diploma in Spain.

Do I need a medical degree to work in radiotherapy?

Not to deliver treatment as a radiation therapist or therapeutic radiographer. The radiation oncologist, the doctor who specialises in using radiation to treat cancer, does need a medical degree and a specialisation.

Can I work abroad with my qualification?

Each country regulates the profession separately, for example through HCPC registration in the United Kingdom and state licences in the United States. Ask the regulator of the country where you want to work what it requires from holders of a foreign qualification.