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Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Major

Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician

885 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
10 Master's Degrees Annually
#258 in Popularity

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

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician 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 Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • 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:

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  • 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

Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • 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?

883 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
92% Percent Women
35% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
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:

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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

Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician appeals to people across the globe. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician careers below.

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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

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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