Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician

Types of Degrees Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	4,023
Undergraduate Certificate	1,262
Bachelor’s Degree	883
Basic Certificate	103
Graduate Certificate	6
Master’s Degree	3

What Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Majors

A major in diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities for Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Major?

People with a diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	23.2%	$72,510
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician?

This major is dominated by women with about 92% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	56
Black or African American	44
Hispanic or Latino	177
White	530
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	69

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician

Some careers associated with diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	30.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	15.0%
Master’s Degree	13.4%
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.	10.3%
Doctoral Degree	9.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.1%

Online Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Programs

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)	58	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	42	1
Associate’s Degree	239	2
Bachelor’s Degree	4	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician.

Major	Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	27,986
Physician Assistant	12,477
Radiologic Technology	10,598
Surgical Technology	7,433
Respiratory Care Therapy	6,800
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	3,991
Athletic Training	3,255
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,970
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,420
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	921
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	611
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	588
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	384
Polysomnography	235
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	183
Mammography Technician/Technology	110
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	71
Gene/Genetic Therapy	41
Cardiopulmonary Technology	39
Hearing Instrument Specialist	14
Orthopedic Technology	6

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.