A system and method for modeling gradient coil operation induced magnetic field drift include a computer programmed to acquire a pulse sequence to be applied during an MR scan and determine a power spectrum of a plurality of gradient pulses of the pulse sequence. The computer is also programmed to calculate a drift of the magnetic field attributable to application of the plurality of gradient pulses by the plurality of gradient coils during application of the pulse sequence and apply the pulse sequence during the MR scan. The computer is further programmed to acquire MR data based on application of the pulse sequence, correct the acquired MR data based on the calculated drift of the magnetic field, and reconstruct an image based on the corrected MR data.