How to become a radiation therapist in Australia
Medical Radiation Therapists operate high energy X-rays and other radiation and electron generating and monitoring equipment, to administer radiation treatment for medical purposes in conjunction with Radiation Oncologists or Other Specialist Medical Practitioners.
Pay and growth are for the wider medical imaging professionals group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the medical imaging professionals group are projected to grow 33.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Receives referrals to perform radiation treatment of patients.
- Determines appropriate equipment to use.
- Calculates details of procedures such as length and intensity of exposure to radiation, size and strength of dosage of isotopes and settings of recording equipment.
- Explains procedures to patients and answers patients' queries about processes.
- Ensures patients welfare during procedures.
- Positions patients, screens and equipment preparatory to procedures.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the medical imaging professionals group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 93% a degree or higher, 6% a diploma, 0% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria5 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Medical Radiation (Medical Imaging) · RMIT, Bundoora98.00 Medical Radiation (Radiation Therapy) · RMIT, Bundoora95.10 Medical Radiation (Nuclear Medicine) · RMIT, Bundoora89.55 Radiation Sciences · Monash, Clayton85.05NSW and ACT6 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Honours) (Diagnostic Radiography) · Newcastle95.70 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging) · Canberra92.25 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Honours) (Radiation Therapy) · Newcastle88.90 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Honours) (Nuclear Medicine) · Newcastle88.40 Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science in Diagnostic Radiography · Charles Sturt86.50Showing 5 of 6 matches. Search every course.
Queensland1 match
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Radiation Therapy · QUT, Gardens Point96.50Western Australia2 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Science (Medical Radiation Science) in Medical Imaging · Curtin, Perth85.10 Bachelor of Science (Medical Radiation Science) in Radiation Therapy · Curtin, Perth85.10Matched on course names, 14 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Social, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Radiation Therapists", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Dental hygienist$2,210 Sonographer$2,360 Dentist$3,232 Paramedic$2,852 ChiropractorDone this job, or studied for it?
Tell Year 12s the one thing you wish you'd known. First name only, and we read every story before it goes up.
Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.