Though there are a wide variety of educational institutions that offer radiology technician training and thus can be considered radiology technician schools in the USA, they are not all equal. Some have a far better reputation than others, and this is an important consideration when choosing an educational program. There are a few schools that are considered “top” schools for this field. This doesn’t mean there aren’t other high quality institutions, but knowing which schools and programs are considered the cream of the industry can help a student get a sense of perspective. Let’s take a look at a few top schools and what they offer:
Belmont University
Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee is on the US News “Schools to Watch” list. The school was founded in 1890 and thus has years of experience as an educational institution. It offers mainly Bachelor and above level degrees that are comprehensive and complete. Its medical imaging degrees are subsumed under larger educational categories, mainly physics. So this school does not only offer degrees in radiology technology, but rather offers more thorough programs that cover medical imaging and technology.
The school has an undergraduate student body of 3,317, and a faculty to student ratio of 1:12. This allows for small classes and individualized attention. The tuition is $17,260. It is a fairly competitive school, with the average GPA of incoming freshman being 3.5 and more than 40 percent of SAT test scores between 1000 and 1099 and more than 50% of ACT scores being between 24 and 29.
University of St. Francis
The University of St. Francis, in Joliet Illinois, offers a Bachelor of Science of Radiography degree. This is what they call a 2+2 program. It begins with two years of liberal science courses, which take place at the University itself. Thereafter, the student applies to the Swedish American Health System in Rockford, Illinois or the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. These latter two years cover the practical/clinical work in the field as well as further class and lab work.
This school has an average freshman retention rate of 76%. It has 1,249 undergraduates attending. The faculty to student ratio of 1:13. The average GPA of freshmen entering the university is 3.3. The tuition is $18,530. More than 50% of freshmen have scores between 18 and 23. The SAT scores are unavailable.
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia, offers a Bachelor’s degree with a major in radiologic science. This is a fairly standard college program, but is very highly regarded and considered well run and comprehensive. Radiologic science, more general science and mathematics courses, health sciences, and something they call liberal learning outcomes (perhaps some variety of the liberal arts designation) are all covered.
The University of Charleston has a student body of 901, and a faculty to student ratio of 1:13. The tuition is $19,400. The average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.4. More than 30% of incoming freshmen had SAT scores of 1000-1099, and more than 50% had ACT scores of 18-23.
These schools are fairly competitive, but bear in mind it never hurts to apply. Even if you don’t get in, checking out these schools programs can serve as a good bench mark and indicator of the type of courses, areas covered, and expectations in a radiology technician Bachelor’s program.
You may have noticed that all the programs mentioned above offer Bachelor’s degrees rather than associate’s degrees. This tends to indicate that the more highly regarded colleges and universities tend to offer the longer term degrees and to emphasize a more thorough academic background. Make of this what you will, but realize that a Bachelor’s degree in radiology does tend to set the stage for advancement a bit better than a two year Associate’s degree.
This does not mean, however, that you have to pursue a Bachelor’s degree. Associate’s degrees are popular mainly because they allow students to join the workforce faster, and since there is high demand in this field, chances are that with an Associate’s degree, there will be a good number of jobs open.
What you should rather bear in mind is that with a Bachelor’s, it is easier to diversify quicker and get involved, say, in other medical imaging modalities such as CT scanning and ultrasound. These are equally in demand areas and may afford you a more varied and interdisciplinary work experience. Schools that offer two year programs move you quickly toward employment, and colleges offering four year Bachelor’s programs tend to give you more time to select areas of specialization and get a well rounded education.
So the choice among Radiology Technician Schools in the USA of is up to you. There are still possibilities to diversify at two year schools, and much depends simply on the professional experience you have after college. Two and four year programs both have their advantages and disadvantages. The important thing is to find a program that works for you and with which you feel comfortable.