Tennessee·Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations·SOC 29-2034

Best Radiologic Technologist programs in Tennessee, ranked by enrollment

Take x-rays and CAT scans or administer nonradioactive materials into patient's bloodstream for diagnostic or research purposes.

13 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 419 people a year. The job pays a median of $64,630 in Tennessee across about 4,660 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledRadiographerRadiologic Technologist (RT)X-Ray Technologist (X-Ray Tech)Computed Tomography Technologist (CT Tech)SkiagrapherMammographerRadiology AideX Ray Operator
Graduates / yr
419
in Tennessee
Median pay · Tennessee
$64,630
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
4,660
people employed
Schools
13
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
38%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,740
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Tennessee page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 51.0911In Tennessee
243
58.0%
7$53,520$20,250
2
CIP 51.0907In Tennessee
165
39.4%
7$53,520$20,250
3
CIP 51.0919In Tennessee
11
2.6%
1$53,520$20,250

Top 13 schools in Tennessee

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 13 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1South College
Knoxville, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
103Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$44,88842%$20,346
2Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, TN Public · 2 feeder programs
52Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist$53,18026%
3East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
41Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$48,67153%86%
4Roane State Community College
Harriman, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
37Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist$40,60136%
5Volunteer State Community College
Gallatin, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
29Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist$45,59928%
6Baptist Health Sciences University
Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
24Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$57,63340%$13,93882%
7Fortis Institute - Cookeville
Cookeville, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
23Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$40,99450%$26,000
8Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
22Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$47,80940%96%
9Columbia State Community College
Columbia, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
22Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist$51,09330%
10Concorde Career College - Memphis
Memphis, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$37,25955%$23,74095%
11Jackson State Community College
Jackson, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
18Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist$48,91926%
12Fortis Institute - Nashville
Nashville, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer$46,19343%$30,570
13Southwest Tennessee Community College
Memphis, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
12Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist$48,29019%

All 13 schools in Tennessee

Every school in Tennessee with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Tennessee that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
South CollegeKnoxvillePrivate for-profit1031
Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanoogaPublic522
East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson CityPublic411
Roane State Community CollegeHarrimanPublic371
Volunteer State Community CollegeGallatinPublic291
Baptist Health Sciences UniversityMemphisPrivate not-for-profit242
Fortis Institute - CookevilleCookevillePrivate for-profit231
Austin Peay State UniversityClarksvillePublic221
Columbia State Community CollegeColumbiaPublic221
Concorde Career College - MemphisMemphisPrivate for-profit221
Jackson State Community CollegeJacksonPublic181
Fortis Institute - NashvilleNashvillePrivate for-profit141
Southwest Tennessee Community CollegeMemphisPublic121

What radiologic technologists and technicians earn in Tennessee

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Tennessee
$64,630
Mean annual
$68,990
Jobs in state
4,660
What the range looks like
10th pct$50,540Median$64,63090th pct$90,790
Versus the national median
-19.3%

U.S. median $80,110. Tennessee pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.96×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Tennessee

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$76,450median
1,450 jobs
Johnson City, TN
$75,980median
190 jobs
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
$66,320median
890 jobs
Clarksville, TN-KY
$62,380median
110 jobs
Knoxville, TN
$68,890median
670 jobs
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$62,090median
350 jobs
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$61,450median
200 jobs
Jackson, TN
$64,620median
160 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.3%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
12,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
9,800
228,000 → 237,800
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Radiologic Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Radiologic Technologist

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.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionMonitoringCritical ThinkingWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Tennessee

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Radiologic Technologists and Technicians3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 51.0907Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist
  • 51.0911Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer
  • 51.0919Mammography Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing radiologic technologists and technicians programs in Tennessee.

What degree do you need to become a Radiologic Technologist?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer, which awarded 243 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 58.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Radiologic Technologist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Allied Health Diagnostic. Together they graduate about 419 people a year in Tennessee.

How much do radiologic technologists and technicians earn in Tennessee?+

The median is $64,630 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 19.3% below the U.S. median of $80,110. 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 radiologic technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +4.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 12,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Tennessee?+

13 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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 radiologic technologists and technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Radiographer, Radiologic Technologist (RT), X-Ray Technologist (X-Ray Tech), Computed Tomography Technologist (CT Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-2034.

Radiologic Technologists and Technicians in other statesTexasCaliforniaFloridaNew YorkIllinoisIndianaOhioGeorgia

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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