Ultrasonographer Program Prerequisites and Tuition
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Prerequisites
University of Utah Health Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences offers two certificate pathway options for interested candidates. You must meet only ONE of the two following, to become eligible for the application:
Post-Primary Pathway:
Applicants eligible for selection include individuals who have successfully passed one or more of the following certification categories:
- Radiography (ARRT)
- Radiation Therapy (ARRT)
- University of Utah Health Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences offers two certificate pathway options for interested candidates. You must meet only ONE of the two following, to become eligible for the application:
- Nuclear Medicine Technology (ARRT or NMTCB)
- Observation is required. See below for more information.
Primary Pathway:
NOTE: The program prerequisites for primary pathway sonography have now been updated for those planning to apply for the 2026 program. Please see the new information below. Thank you.
To be eligible for the Ultrasonography Program primary path, you must have obtained at least an bachelor’s degree by the start of the program session you’re applying for. In addition, you must have successfully completed human anatomy + lab and human physiology lecture within the last seven years and earning a minimum of a C grade in all prerequisites:
- Human Anatomy + Lab
- Human Physiology lecture (Lab optional)
- Medical Terminology
- Math (Intermediate Algebra, or higher)
- Observation is required. See below for more information.
- Patient Care experience (80 hours minimum)
o Patient care experience can be from previous healthcare work.
o This can be from either volunteer work or current/previous work in a healthcare/clinical setting
o It should be direct patient care, where you were involved working with patients directly and other healthcare staff. Examples include, but are not limited to: CNA, MA, Phlebotomy, Public/Social/Community health settings.
o If looking for volunteer work, you should contact hospitals, clinics and/or free clinics in your area to find opportunities that may work.
- Course Articulation: If you are interested to find out which courses and course numbers satisfy the prerequisites for your program, please review our updated course articulation document which contains this information from most of the universities and colleges in Utah. Please note that this list contains our preferred courses for the prerequisites, but there may be others that would be acceptable. If you do not see your course listed here and you are curious if would satisfy the requirement, please contact the program administrator, Otto Casal by email.
o COURSE ARTICULATION DOCUMENT
- Observation experience (Both Post-Primary and Primary Pathway Candidates):
- A requirement for radiography applicants will be 12 hours (minimum) of observational experience in a general radiology department. University of Utah Hospital will provide 4 hours of this time (see below for observation application) but the candidate will need to identify an additional 8-hours of time from additional hospital or clinic radiology departments.
- To request observation with U Health, please visit: Observation Application.
- Out of state candidates please inquire with the program administrator for additional options in your home location.
*The observation experience is meant to provide practical experience in a clinical radiology department, so that the candidate may learn what some general expectations and responsibilities of a radiology tech will be. Gaining varied experiences will help to increase this knowledge, as each clinical site will operate differently and perform different exams.
Competitiveness
Our Ultrasonography program has quickly become quite popular, which in turn increases the competitiveness between candidates. Here is some additional insight for applicants:
Radiography Candidates
Earning certification in radiography before moving into sonography is the traditional track for application. Radiographers will come with one to two years of direct patient care experience in a clinical setting which typically makes them strong candidates. For those applying with radiography certification there are no additional courses required but we will look to see how much time, if any, has been spent doing observation in ultrasound departments.
Bachelor’s Degree Candidates
Our program will accept any major earned from your undergraduate career however, all candidates must successfully complete the four courses listed above (whether those courses were part of your major or not) prior to start date of program. In addition, candidates applying with a bachelor's degree should be able to demonstrate direct patient care experience either through employment or volunteer work in a clinical setting. Examples are CNA, MA, phlebotomy, etc. We do not have a specific number of hours required but it should be sufficient to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities of day-to-day clinical work. Candidates are also strongly encouraged to complete observation in an ultrasound department so that the candidate is aware of what the job truly entails.
Tuition
The tuition for the 2025-26 program session is $6,800.00. Payment plan is available and can be discussed with program administrators prior to the program start.
Note: The sonography program is a certificate only program. As such, we are unable to accept/process any type of Federal Financial Aid or Federal Scholarships. There may be scholarships available from diagnostic medical sonography societies, please inquire with those directly for offerings and more information.
Additional Fees
The following are approximate costs and are subject to changes:
- Lab coats/Scrubs: $100.00
- Parking pass: $270.00 (price may change each academic year)
- Textbooks: $300.00 (approximately)
- SPI examination: $225.00
- Abdominal specialty examination: $250.00
- OB/GYN specialty examination: $250.00
- Trajecsys (Student Tracking Program): $100.00
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