Best degree programs for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 330 schools train Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $96,590 median wage, 90,160 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 330 schools train diagnostic medical sonographers, graduating 7,984 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician. The job pays a median of $96,590 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About diagnostic medical sonographers
Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians. Includes vascular technologists.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
1 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.0910 | 7,984 | 100.0% | 330 | $53,520 | $20,250 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What diagnostic medical sonographers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $128,530 | 10,110 | 0.96× | 31 | 2,069 |
| Florida | $82,940 | 6,670 | 1.16× | 24 | 794 |
| Texas | $92,580 | 6,960 | 0.85× | 37 | 683 |
| New York | $103,920 | 6,880 | 1.22× | 15 | 658 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,710 | 2,980 | 0.85× | 13 | 262 |
| Ohio | $82,870 | 3,160 | 0.98× | 15 | 244 |
| Georgia | $83,250 | 2,700 | 0.95× | 10 | 215 |
| Kansas | $96,310 | 670 | 0.80× | 6 | 187 |
| Michigan | $82,490 | 3,100 | 1.21× | 10 | 187 |
| New Jersey | $103,150 | 3,370 | 1.35× | 14 | 178 |
| Tennessee | $80,640 | 1,880 | 0.99× | 5 | 173 |
| Illinois | $100,660 | 3,270 | 0.93× | 14 | 156 |
| Alabama | $68,180 | 1,510 | 1.23× | 7 | 147 |
| North Carolina | $86,010 | 2,970 | 1.04× | 13 | 131 |
| Indiana | $85,040 | 1,380 | 0.74× | 6 | 120 |
| Virginia | $95,660 | 2,160 | 0.91× | 8 | 120 |
| Minnesota | $102,850 | 1,710 | 1.00× | 5 | 112 |
| Oregonlimited | $120,220 | 1,210 | 1.06× | 2 | 104 |
| Wisconsin | $102,090 | 1,530 | 0.90× | 9 | 94 |
| Washingtonmoderate | $121,340 | 2,190 | 1.06× | 4 | 87 |
| Kentucky | $91,230 | 940 | 0.81× | 6 | 76 |
| Connecticut | $103,230 | 990 | 1.01× | 5 | 74 |
| Massachusetts | $107,480 | 2,190 | 1.04× | 5 | 74 |
| Missouri | $100,130 | 1,930 | 1.13× | 5 | 72 |
| Arizonalimited | $100,040 | 2,070 | 1.10× | 2 | 70 |
| South Carolinamoderate | $83,290 | 1,340 | 1.00× | 4 | 66 |
| Oklahomamoderate | $83,670 | 1,060 | 1.07× | 3 | 63 |
| Utahlimited | $100,100 | 740 | 0.73× | 1 | 48 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $82,670 | 780 | 1.32× | 3 | 43 |
| Louisianamoderate | $80,710 | 1,150 | 1.03× | 4 | 40 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $81,500 | 640 | 0.85× | 3 | 37 |
| Coloradomoderate | $108,410 | 1,430 | 0.86× | 3 | 37 |
| Marylandlimited | $99,210 | 1,760 | 1.10× | 2 | 37 |
| New Mexicolimited | $87,210 | 410 | 0.80× | 2 | 36 |
| Nevadamoderate | $95,980 | 640 | 0.71× | 3 | 36 |
| Alaskalimited | $105,670 | 140 | 0.77× | 2 | 34 |
| Wyominglimited | $100,650 | 90 | 0.53× | 1 | 33 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $92,820 | 380 | 1.31× | 2 | 29 |
| Mississippimoderate | $76,520 | 700 | 1.04× | 4 | 27 |
| West Virginialimited | $76,820 | 780 | 1.92× | 2 | 26 |
| Iowamoderate | $86,480 | 740 | 0.81× | 3 | 25 |
| South Dakotalimited | $80,820 | 370 | 1.39× | 1 | 18 |
| Delawarelimited | $98,530 | 220 | 0.78× | 1 | 15 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $103,760 | 400 | 1.01× | 1 | 10 |
| Mainelimited | $95,230 | 380 | 1.03× | 1 | 9 |
| North Dakotalimited | $84,340 | 240 | 0.98× | 2 | 6 |
| Idaholimited | $99,920 | 510 | 1.02× | 1 | 3 |
| Montanalimited | $101,000 | 230 | 0.79× | 1 | 3 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
- Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
- Provide sonogram and oral or written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
- Select appropriate equipment settings and adjust patient positions to obtain the best sites and angles.
- Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape, and composition of blood, organs, tissues, or bodily masses, such as fluid accumulations.
- Decide which images to include, looking for differences between healthy and pathological areas.
- Prepare patient for exam by explaining procedure, transferring patient to ultrasound table, scrubbing skin and applying gel, and positioning patient properly.
- Determine whether scope of exam should be extended, based on findings.
Skills
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Monitoring3.5
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Active Learning3.4
- Science3.3
- Writing3.3
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.5
- English Language4.1
- Physics3.7
- Medicine and Dentistry3.6
- Administrative3.3
- Computers and Electronics3.3
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Near Vision3.9
- Oral Expression3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Written Expression3.8
Core activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.3
- Getting Information4.2
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.2
- Documenting/Recording Information4.1
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
- Working with Computers4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Diagnostic Medical Sonographers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0910Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician, which awarded 7,984 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Allied Health Diagnostic. Together they graduate about 7,984 people a year.
How much do diagnostic medical sonographers earn?+
The median is $96,590 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $67,820 at the 10th percentile to $129,370 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for diagnostic medical sonographers growing?+
BLS projects a +13.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 5,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
330 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do diagnostic medical sonographers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Sonographer, Ultrasonographer, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-2032.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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