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Kraena Pre-Health
Career Library

Technical & Diagnostic

MRI Technologist

Runs the scanner that shows soft tissue nothing else can — strong pay from a two-year degree.

Years after high school

2-3

Degree

Associate's degree plus MRI certification

Entrance exam

Program entrance testing varies

Median pay

$95,480 national median for MRI technologists (BLS, May 2025).

What the job is actually like

Screening every patient for metal before they go near the magnet, positioning them, running sequences, and keeping claustrophobic or anxious people calm inside a loud tube for 30 to 60 minutes at a time.

The path

  1. 012 year associate's degree in radiologic technology
  2. 02ARRT certification in radiography
  3. 03MRI clinical experience and structured education
  4. 04ARRT post-primary certification in MRI

Good fit if

  • You want strong pay without a four-year degree
  • You like technical precision and protocol
  • You can reassure anxious people calmly and repeatedly

Think twice if

  • You want to skip radiography — most paths run through it first
  • You want broad career flexibility later
  • Rotating nights and weekends would not work for you

Similar paths worth comparing

Radiologic Technologist

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Respiratory Therapist (RT)

Manages breathing and ventilators — one of the most critical roles in intensive care.

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Public Health (MPH)

Works on the health of whole populations rather than one patient at a time.

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All salary figures here are median annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 — the most recent full national dataset. 'Median' means half of workers earn more and half earn less. Three things to keep in mind: (1) pay varies enormously by state, city, setting, and experience — a nurse in California and a nurse in rural Alabama earn very different salaries; (2) training lengths are typical, not guaranteed, and programs differ; (3) these numbers change every year. Always verify current figures at bls.gov/ooh before making a decision. For context, the BLS median wage for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations had a median of $86,530 — one of the reasons health care is such a stable field.