Breast MRI (MRES7017)

Course overview

This course will provide students with a broad understanding of the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to image the human breast.
This course will include indications and considerations, fundamental and advanced imaging techniques, post processing, critical image evaluation and the role of complementary imaging techniques.
Additionally, theory & implementation of MR imaging methods currently used to maximise image contrast between signal from flowing blood & stationary tissues, such as time-of-flight and phase contrast imaging.

Mammography and ultrasound are the most common modalities utilised by the clinician to image the human breast. Both are fast, relatively cheap and are readily available in many imaging departments.
Increasingly, more sophisticated imaging techniques such as MRI are playing valuable complimentary roles in breast imaging, contributing additional information to a variety of clinical indications.
This course is an introduction to breast MRI, and will cover:

• Anatomy and physiology of the breast
• Common indications for breast MRIﾠ
• Equipment, patient preparation and positioning technique
• Mammography and Ultrasound
• MR technique
• Post processing
• Benign and Malignant appearances on MRI
• BI-RAD system for Breast MRI
• Role of MRI in the comprehensive work up of breast disease

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Course requirements

Assumed background

Undergraduate qualification in radiography, biomedical engineering or medical physics (or international equivalent).

Restrictions

Enrolment restricted to Master of Magnetic Resonance program suite students.

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

• Another instance of the same course

This course is offered to Internal and external students.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Timetables will be posted on the course Blackboard.ﾠAll tutorials are recorded and posted onto Blackboard.ﾠInternal students are expected to attend tutorials.

Tutorials are held atﾠCentre for Advanced Imaging, Building 57, Level 2 Seminar Room.ﾠTutorials commence Week 1.

Internal tutorial structure - attend in person plus recorded and posted on Blackboard External tutorial structure Tutorial recordings posted on Blackboard

Aims and outcomes

On completion of this course, students will be able to recognise normal anatomy and some common pathologies, be able to tailor the examination accordingly, and to critically evaluate the final images. Students will also have an understanding of required patient for a breast MRI examination. 

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Research Essay

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

20%

Due date

18/09/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L03, L04, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. (learn.uq.edu.au). Students are permitted to submit a draft prior to the final submission.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Literature Review

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

24/10/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. (learn.uq.edu.au). Students are permitted to submit a draft prior to final submikssion.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

End of Semester examination

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

• A maximum of a grade of 3 will be awarded if less than 45/100 is achieved in the final examination.
• Total percentage mark for the course will be rounded up to the following number when decimals have fallen passed .5. For instance a total percentage mark of 74.778 will be rounded to 75.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 45% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Submission of Assignments

Submission of assignments by EMAIL will NOT BE ACCEPTED.

All written assignments eg. essays, reports, proposals, literature reviews etc must be submitted through Turnitin. Students will be given the opportunity to submit a draft prior to the final submission.

Turnitin submission

1. Access the Assessment folder on the course Blackboard site
2. Upload an electronic version through the assessment Turnitin site
3. You will be sent a receipt, retain the receipt as proof of submission.
4. If you don't receive a receipt then your assignment has not been submitted - please re-submit.
5. Students are given the opportunity to submit a draft prior to the final submission

Artificial Intelligence

To pass this course, students will be required to demonstrate a detailed understanding of course material together with a range of associated skills independent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) tools.

For assessment tasks that are completed in-person (including examinations) termed “secure assessment”, the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted unless otherwise advised. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Other non-secure assessment tasks (such as assignments) are designed to help you develop your understanding and skills, and to prepare you for secure assessment. You are thus generally encouraged to complete such assessment without the use of AI/MT, unless explicitly advised to the contrary in the assessment item. In any event, if you choose to use such tools, then you must clearly reference any such use within your submitted work. A failure to reference AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. 

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum date applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met. 

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Other course materials

Additional learning resources information

Students are encouraged to use the UQ Library services.

Students are also encouraged to access a number of international databases available through the library.ﾠ The name and email address of the library contact person is distributed each semester, and students are assuredﾠof her willingness to answer any queries.

UQ library provides guides that will assist with assessments. https://web.library.uq.edu.au/library-services/services-students

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Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.