Cardiopulmonary Technologist

Types of Degrees Cardiopulmonary Technologist Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many cardiopulmonary technology/technologist graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	19
Undergraduate Certificate	12
Associate Degree	9

What Cardiopulmonary Technologist Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to cardiopulmonary technology/technologist were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist Majors

Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist Majors

A major in cardiopulmonary technology/technologist prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist Majors

As a cardiopulmonary technology/technologist major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Cardiopulmonary Technologist Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with cardiopulmonary technology/technologist:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	10.0%	$56,850

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Cardiopulmonary Technologist?

This major is dominated by women with about 84% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of cardiopulmonary technology/technologist majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	2
White	11
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Geographic Diversity

Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist appeals to people across the globe. About 5.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Cardiopulmonary Technologist Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to cardiopulmonary technology/technologist is $58,730. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Cardiopulmonary Technologist

Some careers associated with cardiopulmonary technology/technologist require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for cardiopulmonary technology/technologist careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	10.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	13.0%
Some College Courses	7.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	63.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	2.8%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	3.9%

Online Cardiopulmonary Technologist Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 7 schools offered some type of cardiopulmonary technology/technologist program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Cardiopulmonary Technologist Worth It?

The median salary for a cardiopulmonary technology/technologist grad is $58,730 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 47% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $376,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Cardiopulmonary Technologist

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to cardiopulmonary technology/technologist.

Major	Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	26,641
Physician Assistant	11,351
Radiologic Technology	9,790
Surgical Technology	7,583
Respiratory Care Therapy	6,845
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	5,396
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	4,850
Athletic Training	3,767
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,911
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,405
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	619
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	568
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	525
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	379
Polysomnography	302
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	138
Mammography Technician/Technology	69
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	51
Hearing Instrument Specialist	32
Gene/Genetic Therapy	31
Orthopedic Technology	15

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.