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MRI Technician

Types of Degrees MRI Technician Majors Are Earning

Those studying MRI Technician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	92
Associate’s Degree	756
Bachelor’s Degree	45
Master’s Degree	162

What MRI Technician Majors Need to Know

Coursework for MRI Technician emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that MRI Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in MRI Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a MRI Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to MRI Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, MRI Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by MRI Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Appointment scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Medical image processing software	Medical software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
GE Healthcare Centricity EMR	Medical software	—
Radiology information systems (RIS)	Medical software	—
Teleradiology systems	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for MRI Technician graduates include:

• MRI Coordinator (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Coordinator)
• MRI Radiographer (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Radiographer)
• Imaging Technologist
• MRI Technologist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist)
• MRI Tech (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technician)
• MRI Specialist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Specialist)
• Research MRI Technologist (Research Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist)
• MRI Special Procedures Technologist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Special Procedures Technologist)
• MRI QA Coordinator (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quality Assurance Coordinator)
• Travel MRI Tech (Travel Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technician)
• Neurological Surgery Teacher
• Physiology Teacher
• Clinical Laboratory Aides Teacher
• Nutrition Professor
• Medicine Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to MRI Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	39.4%
Master’s degree	15.3%
Doctoral degree	10.6%
Bachelor’s degree	10.3%
Postsecondary certificate	8.7%
Post-doctoral training	8.1%
Some college courses	2.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in MRI Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.9% of MRI Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	653	61.9%
Men	402	38.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of MRI Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	305	28.9%
Asian	143	13.6%
Hispanic or Latino	397	37.6%
Black or African American	86	8.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	37	3.5%
Two or More Races	35	3.3%
Race Unknown	39	3.7%
International Students	4	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do MRI Technician Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of MRI Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online MRI Technician Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for MRI Technician. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in MRI Technician Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, MRI Technician graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	51.09
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	51.0999
Athletic Training/Trainer	51.0913
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist	51.0915
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	51.0901
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	51.0910
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	51.0902
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	51.0903
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	51.0904
Gene/Genetic Therapy	51.0914
Hearing Instrument Specialist	51.0918
Hyperbaric Medicine Technology/Technician	51.0921

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.