If you are considering a career in healthcare and your interest is in sonography, this article can help.
We will provide you with a handful of accredited sonography schools in Texas. The state has many to offer with over 20 accredited schools.
The sonography schools in Texas offer associate degrees or certificates in cities across the state; there are community and technical colleges, universities, and private institutions that offer the program.
Most of the sonography tech programs have on-campus lecture components, a lab component, and a clinical component. Most graduates go for the associate degree in sonography offered by schools as this will allow them to pursue certification and will also help them become familiar with the workplace.
The clear-cut definition of a sonographer is that they make use of sonographic equipment that carries sound waves into the selected parts of the body. The equipment photographs the reflected echoes of the body structures for diagnosis.
Some duties of a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer are:
- Explaining the procedure to the patient and taking record of his/her medical history especially if it relates to the ailment that he/she is evaluating.
- Adjusting the equipment to the appropriate settings and guiding the patient into several positions for the best results.
- Preparing the patient’s body by applying a special gel to the area to be examined and scanning the patient’s body using sonographic equipment.
- Searching for clues to the underlying medical condition and taking images to show physicians for further evaluation.
- Updating, storing patient records, and maintaining the equipment.
Sonographers can work in a lot of places, they work in clinics, hospitals, private practice offices, laboratories, or even public health facilities.
They are not limited to being technicians only, they have huge opportunities to advance their career in education, and research, as technical advisors, or even as sales representatives for equipment.
The List of Sonography Schools in Texas
Before Sonographers can start their bright careers, they have to begin the journey by attending one of the many sonography schools in Texas that exist.
Below, you will find 20 institutions that are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP):
1. Dallas College El Centro Campus (ECC)
ECC is a public community college in Dallas, Texas. The college was established in1966. Because of its outstanding faculty, The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is recognized locally and nationally.
ECC offers students two pathways to choose from: The Diagnostic Medical Sonography A.A.S. is a degree program for students without an educational background in the medical field.
There is also an Advanced Technical Certificate available for students who already have a degree in a designated allied health field or a B.S. with a major in science.
The tuition fee for the degree programs in sonography offered by ECC can be found here.
2. El Paso Community College (EPCC)
EPCC is a community college located in El Paso, Texas, United States. They were established in 1972. This is listed as one of the sonography schools in Texas because it offers two sonography programs and both options prepare students to sit for the ARDMS exam and make them eligible for an entry-level position in a healthcare facility.
The tuition fee for the Associate program is $9,812 Specialized.
3. St. Philip’s College
St. Philip’s College is a public historically black community college in San Antonio, Texas. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is part of the Alamo Colleges District.
The college offers a program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography and it is designed to prepare students for professional positions in both private and public facilities.
The program has a curriculum that teaches the required knowledge and skills needed by sonographers. In addition, students must participate in a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer work in a healthcare setting.
The tuition fee per year is,
In-State: $6,450.
Out of State: $13,980
4. Temple College
Temple College is a public community college in Temple, Texas and it was founded in 1926. The school offers three different degrees you can opt for: An Advanced Technical Certificate (ATC) in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, an ATC in Non-Invasive Vascular Technology, or an AAS in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
The program exposes students to the necessary knowledge, skills, technology, and belief systems they would need for the practice of sonography.
The tuition fee for Temple College is outlined here.
5. Texas Southmost College (TSC)
TSC is a public junior college located in Brownsville, Texas, and was established in 1926. The institution offers allied health programs and has an enrollment of 5062 undergraduate students.
The school’s Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program is designed to prepare students for professional positions in this field both in private and public health facilities.
Diagnostic. The program offers an education that teaches the required knowledge and skills the students need to engage in the field of sonography.
Admission is very competitive and several prerequisites must be met before one is considered.
The tuition fee depends on the number of credit hours and residency status. You can take a look at it here.
6. Tarrant County College (TCC)
TCC is a Public community college in Tarrant County, Texas. The school was ranked as the sixth-largest in Texas among other communities and colleges and universities.
There are two degrees offered by the schools in medical sonography: The Associate’s degree and The Advanced Technical Certificate.
You can find out details about their tuition fee here.
7. Pima Medical Institute (PMI)
PMI is a private medical career college with campuses throughout the western US. The college trains students for careers in allied health care professionals. PMI is the largest independently owned, private allied health school in the U.S.
PMI has a sonography program at both the Houston and El Paso campuses. The program prepares students with the theoretical aspect of the knowledge and skills, as well as the training required of an entry-level sonographer.
The tuition fee for a sonography program is $39,075.
8. Parker University
Parker University is a private university that is located in Dallas, Texas, and is focused on healthcare.
The institution was founded in 1982. It has a program in sonograph where only a limited number of students get accepted each year because of the competitive nature of the program.
You will find small class sizes led by dedicated professionals, who teach the students using a thorough and research-based curriculum. They also prepare them for the fieldwork by making them undergo real-life experiences.
The details on tuition fees can be viewed here.
9. Midland College (MC)
MC is a public community college in Midland, Texas. It was established as an independent junior college in 1972.
The school offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Sonography. Students can sit for the ARDMS SP&I exam after they complete the program.
The tuition fee for Midland College can be seen here.
10. The Harris Health System (HHS)
HHS is the first accredited healthcare institution in Harris County, Texas, and one of the largest in the country.
This is one of the sonography schools in Texas where their sonography program’s goal is to prepare students for entry-level positions in hospitals and clinics.
Also, they undergo clinical rotations in labs and hospitals in nearby hospitals. They are expected to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in classes to the clinic setting.
The tuition fee for this program per semester is:
In-district – $800.
Out of district – $850.
Out of state – $1,000.
11. Angelina College
Another sonography school in Texas is Harris Health System Angelina College. It is a public community college in Lufkin, Texas, United States. The college enrolls a minimum of 5,000 students in its undergraduate degree programs.
The college has a School of Health that offers eight different healthcare programs that have state-of-the-art facilities and partners with local hospitals to provide students the full experience. One of which is a two-year program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
There is a points-based system used to rank applicants for the DMS program at the college. The points are based on cumulative GPA, sonography lab hours, and an interview, among others. Also, bonus points are given to applicants who already hold a degree.
The tuition fee varies:
In-district Tuition is $2,010/year.
In-State Tuition is $3,300/year.
Out-of-state/International Tuition is $4,650/year.
12. San Jacinto College (SJC)
SJC is a public community college in Greater Houston with campuses in Pasadena and Houston, Texas. It was established in 1961.
Students here can undergo a program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The program is full-time and it has 15 clinical facilities in the area where students can have hands-on experience.
For in-district students, the tuition, fees, and books are approximately $2,960/ year. Find a link to downloadable material here.
13. Alvin Community College (ACC)
ACC is a public community college in Alvin, Texas. The school provides educational opportunities in several areas like academics, technical fields, workforce training, and personal development.
There are two programs in Sonography offered by ACC that students can choose from, An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, which is a two-year program, and then for those who already have a degree in a related healthcare field, they can go for a degree and graduate with an Advanced Technical Certificate in DMS.
Students that are interested in attending have to attend an admission session with the college and also take the Ultrasound Student Assessment exam.
The tuition fee for this degree program is $4,479 for students from the district and $7,404 for students outside the district.
14. Weatherford College (WC)
WC is a public community college in Weatherford, Texas, with branch campuses in nearby Wise County, and Granbury. The institution was established in 1869.
WC offers courses on Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Adult Echocardiography Certificate or a Vascular Certificate to graduates of a DMS program who want to expand their skill set.
They are both 2-semester programs with 24 semester credit hours in total. The majority of the course and clinical hours are performed during the week from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. while the clinical learning experience in clinics would be during evening hours or on the weekend.
You will find spreadsheets of their tuition fee here.
15. Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT)
LIT is a public technical school in Beaumont, Texas. Initially, LIT was a part of Lamar University, but it became a separate institution when the university joined the Texas State University System in 1995.
LIT offers a program in sonography. It is a 65-credit program, with 50 lectures and 90 laboratory hours. They offer classroom study and clinical experience.
The tuition fee is dependent on residency status and the number of semester credit hours. You can get more information on that here.
16. Lone Star College (LSC)
LSC is a public community college system serving the northern portions of the Greater Houston, Texas, area. The school enrolled about 95,000 students in 2017.
The college offers programs in sonography. For a student’s application to be accepted, there is a mandatory information session they must attend. The programs prepare students for employment in sonography professions in the healthcare industry.
The Tuition & Fees for 2022-2023 can be viewed here.
17. Houston Community College (HCC)
HCC is a public community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. The school is notable for actively enrolling a large number of international students, over 5,700 in 2015. It has an open enrollment policy that does not require proficiency in English.
HOC offers a full-time four-semester daytime program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Students are required to have completed an Associate’s degree in allied health or a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
The tuition fee is based on residency status, it can be viewed here.
18. The Austin Community College District (ACC)
ACC is a public community college located in the metropolitan area of Austin, Texas. The college has several campuses, centers, and distance learning options that serve about 100,000 students in academic, continuing education, and adult education programs.
They offer competitive programs in Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography and Diagnostic Medical-Vascular Sonography. Admission into the sonography program at ACC is based on a points system.
The tuition fee in ACC is dependent on residency status and the number of credit hours.
For 15 credit hours, the In-District fee is $1,275.
The out-of-District fee is $4,290.
Out-of-State & International Students $5,295.
19. Del Mar College (DMC)
DMC is a public community college in Corpus Christi, Texas. The school was founded in 1935 and It offers an Associate in Applied Science degree with specialties available in general or cardiac sonography. The institution offers a program in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
You can check out the tuition fees for Del Mar here.
20. Tyler Junior College (TJC)
The last on our list of sonography schools in Texas is Tyler Junior College. TJC is a public community college in Tyler, Texas. It is one of the largest community colleges in Texas.
TJC has been offering a program in sonography since 1997. It is a 16-month, full-time program and in the program, all coursework must be met with a grade of “C” or better for the student to progress. It is quite competitive.
The sonography program at the college is committed to serving students by providing the necessary training, job skills, and proper education needed to fulfill the duties of a sonographer.
The tuition fee depends on residency status:
In-district is $2,962.
Out of district is $4,762.
To wrap up, one can have an exciting career in sonography. There are constant changes in their technology and equipment, this keeps sonographers at the forefront of change. If you have plans of studying sonography in the state of Texas, I hope this article helps you make your pick. I’ll be rooting for you.
How To Become A Sonographer In Texas?
Having seen the sonography schools In Texas, it is important to know that there are no official licensing or certification requirements, but for many sonographers, the end goal is to be certified by The American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS).
To take the examination, you must have either graduated from an accredited sonography program or completed a two-year allied health education program. In addition, 12 months of full-time clinical ultrasound experience.
There are other certifications required to become a photographer. They can be obtained through Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) or American Registry for Radiologic Technicians (ARRT).
Is There A High Demand For Sonographers In Texas?
Yes, there is a high demand for sonographers in Texas and this is because jobs for people in this field are projected to grow. In Texas, jobs for sonographers are growing at a rate of 34.6% and it is estimated that there will be 490 annual job openings and 7,040 total jobs in 2026.
How Much Do Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Make In Texas?
The average annual pay for a sonographer in Texas, as of June 12th, 2022 is $55,294/year. That is $26.58/hour, $1,063/week, and $4,608/month.
What Is The Difference Between A Sonographer And An Ultrasound Technician?
Both sonographers and ultrasound technicians diagnose medical conditions using ultrasound technology, in most instances, they are both interchangeable terms.
But a major difference is that sonographers are required to complete additional training and certifications.
For this reason, many prefer to be called a photographer when they have been certified instead of an ultrasound technician. What are your thoughts about these sonography schools in Texas? Please share your thoughts below.