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Kraena Pre-Health
Career Library

Technical & Diagnostic

Radiologic Technologist

Produces the images physicians rely on to see inside the body.

Years after high school

2–4

Degree

Associate or bachelor's degree

Entrance exam

Program-specific admissions testing

Median pay

$80,110 national median for radiologic technologists and technicians (BLS, May 2025).

What the job is actually like

You position patients, protect them and yourself from unnecessary radiation, and capture diagnostic-quality images — often with patients who are in pain and hard to position. Fast-paced in emergency settings.

The path

  1. 012-year associate degree (most common) or a bachelor's
  2. 02ARRT certification exam
  3. 03Optional advanced credentials in CT, MRI, mammography, or interventional radiology — each raises pay

Good fit if

  • You want to be working and earning within about two years
  • You are technically minded and detail-oriented
  • You want a clear ladder of add-on credentials that each raise your pay

Think twice if

  • You want to be the one making diagnoses rather than producing the images

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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.