Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist

Types of Degrees Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many nuclear medical technology/technologist graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	285
Associate Degree	201
Undergraduate Certificate	79
Basic Certificate	14
Master’s Degree	8
Graduate Certificate	1

What Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to nuclear medical technology/technologist and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist Majors

nuclear medical technology/technologist majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a nuclear medical technology/technologist 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 Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist Major?

People with a nuclear medical technology/technologist degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Nuclear Medicine Technologists	10.0%	$76,820

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist?

The major attracts more women than men. About 72% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	12
Black or African American	13
Hispanic or Latino	42
White	190
International Students	8
Other Races/Ethnicities	20

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist, too. About 2.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist

Some careers associated with nuclear medical 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 nuclear medical technology/technologist careers below.

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)	3.8%
Some College Courses	1.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	45.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	18.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.0%
Master’s Degree	10.9%
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.	2.8%
Doctoral Degree	7.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	5.8%

Online Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist 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)	20	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	34	4
Bachelor’s Degree	5	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist

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

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
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	6,280
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
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.