Best degree programs for Radiation Therapists, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 212 schools train Radiation Therapists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $105,310 median wage, 17,070 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 212 schools train radiation therapists, graduating 4,302 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist. The job pays a median of $105,310 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About radiation therapists
Provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiation oncologist according to established practices and standards. Duties may include reviewing prescription and diagnosis; acting as liaison with physician and supportive care personnel; preparing equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, and protection devices; and maintaining records, reports, and files. May assist in dosimetry procedures and tumor localization.
A radiation therapist, therapeutic radiographer or radiotherapist is an allied health professional who works in the field of radiation oncology. Radiation therapists plan and administer radiation treatments to cancer patients in most Western countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, most European countries, and Canada, where the minimum education requirement is often a baccalaureate degree or postgraduate degrees in radiation therapy. Radiation therapists can also prescribe medications and radiation, interpret tests results, perform follow ups, reviews, and provide consultations to cancer patients in the United Kingdom and Ontario, Canada . In the United States, radiation therapists have a lower educational requirement and often require postgraduate education and certification in order to plan treatments.
Read more on Wikipedia →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 51.0907 | 4,302 | 100.0% | 212 | $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 radiation therapists 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $129,620 | 820 | 0.77× | 20 | 473 |
| Ohio | $98,650 | 690 | 1.13× | 11 | 286 |
| Illinois | $124,600 | — | — | 6 | 206 |
| Arkansas | $78,950 | 80 | 0.56× | 8 | 198 |
| Florida | $100,920 | 1,280 | 1.17× | 8 | 191 |
| Maryland | $107,120 | 250 | 0.81× | 10 | 181 |
| Pennsylvania | $100,540 | 560 | 0.84× | 10 | 179 |
| New Jersey | $129,460 | 600 | 1.28× | 9 | 170 |
| Michigan | $95,890 | 450 | 0.94× | 11 | 168 |
| Tennessee | $83,520 | 350 | 0.98× | 7 | 165 |
| Nebraska | $98,670 | 120 | 1.07× | 5 | 164 |
| South Carolina | $100,790 | 200 | 0.77× | 11 | 164 |
| Texas | $105,770 | 1,000 | 0.65× | 6 | 149 |
| Wisconsin | $93,600 | 550 | 1.70× | 5 | 137 |
| Georgia | $94,460 | 470 | 0.88× | 5 | 134 |
| California | $166,450 | 1,720 | 0.86× | 5 | 124 |
| Kansasmoderate | $108,830 | 240 | 1.54× | 3 | 96 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $98,000 | 210 | 0.66× | 4 | 96 |
| Connecticutlimited | $116,170 | 110 | 0.61× | 1 | 92 |
| Massachusetts | $106,300 | 330 | 0.83× | 6 | 88 |
| Nevadamoderate | $92,990 | 110 | 0.67× | 3 | 83 |
| Washingtonlimited | $125,880 | 540 | 1.37× | 2 | 75 |
| West Virginia | $71,590 | 120 | 1.61× | 6 | 73 |
| Missourimoderate | $99,890 | 420 | 1.31× | 4 | 66 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $97,760 | 170 | 0.78× | 4 | 59 |
| Indiana | $96,690 | 360 | 1.04× | 6 | 57 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $99,250 | 710 | 1.31× | 4 | 54 |
| Oregonmoderate | $131,600 | 160 | 0.75× | 3 | 45 |
| Oklahomamoderate | $98,390 | 120 | 0.64× | 4 | 42 |
| Idaholimited | $99,660 | 100 | 1.05× | 2 | 32 |
| Utahlimited | $107,660 | 70 | 0.39× | 1 | 31 |
| Arizonalimited | $108,760 | 410 | 1.16× | 2 | 26 |
| South Dakotalimited | $97,470 | — | — | 2 | 24 |
| Hawaiilimited | $125,520 | — | — | 1 | 21 |
| New Mexicolimited | $100,010 | 100 | 1.06× | 1 | 13 |
| Virginialimited | $103,310 | 500 | 1.10× | 1 | 13 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $106,270 | 60 | 0.74× | 1 | 9 |
| Louisianalimited | $94,710 | 230 | 1.06× | 1 | 6 |
| Vermontlimited | $101,060 | 50 | 1.51× | 1 | 6 |
| District of Columbialimited | $100,250 | 70 | 0.96× | 1 | 5 |
| Iowalimited | $81,610 | 120 | 0.71× | 1 | 3 |
| Alabamalimited | $87,330 | 120 | 0.53× | 1 | 1 |
| Mississippilimited | $88,100 | 70 | 0.53× | 1 | 1 |
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
- Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription.
- Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards.
- Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others.
- Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification.
- Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician.
- Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage.
- Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation.
- Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur.
Skills
- Active Listening3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Monitoring3.3
- Speaking3.3
- Writing3.1
- Active Learning3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.6
- English Language4.0
- Medicine and Dentistry4.0
- Physics3.8
- Mathematics3.6
- Education and Training3.5
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Oral Expression3.9
- Written Comprehension3.8
- Information Ordering3.6
- Written Expression3.6
Core activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.6
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.6
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.6
- Documenting/Recording Information4.6
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Radiation Therapist
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 Radiation Therapists1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0907Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist
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 Radiation Therapist?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist, which awarded 4,302 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Radiation Therapist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Allied Health Diagnostic. Together they graduate about 4,302 people a year.
How much do radiation therapists earn?+
The median is $105,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $80,560 at the 10th percentile to $156,710 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 radiation therapists growing?+
BLS projects a +1.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
212 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 radiation therapists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Dosimetrist, Radiation Therapist (RT), Staff Radiation Therapist, Registered Radiation Therapist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1124.
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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