Offered in: Chicago

Health care professions separate from nursing, medicine, and pharmacy provide a range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic and direct patient care and support services that are critical to other health professionals they work with and the patients they serve.

The overall employment outlook for individuals with professional certifications varies, but is projected to be good to excellent by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BS degrees include Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Histotechnology, Medical Technology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Therapy Technology, and Radiography. These areas involve completing required course work at Roosevelt University, followed by clinical training at the appropriate affiliate clinical site. A separate application to the clinical training program is required, and acceptance is not guaranteed. Roosevelt University offers five programs with clinical training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago (Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Histotechnology, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Therapy Technology, and Radiography) and one program with clinical training at NorthShore Health Systems, Evanston (Medical Technology).

Requirements

Courses taken for the major must be taken on a letter grade basis. A grade of C- is the minimal acceptable grade for a course to be applied to the major, or to be acceptable as a prerequisite for subsequent courses. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for all courses in the major. However, it is important to note that the clinical affiliates have their own GPA requirements and may not accept grades of C- for certain required prerequisite courses.

Each of the areas of study has its own prerequisite courses and requirements. These programs require students to complete all required coursework before applying to the clinical affiliate. Students are not guaranteed admission into the clinical training portion of the degree. Students must make certain they are fully aware of each area's  specific acceptance requirements. Students interested in these health care careers should seek early guidance from an advisor in the Department of Biological, Physical, and Health Sciences.

Standards

• AP biology credit with a score of 3.0 or higher may apply toward the major in biology or the general education requirements after consultation with an advisor.
• AP chemistry with a score of 4 or higher satisfies the requirements for CHEM 201 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I with lab.
• AP Physics I (2014 or later) with a score of 3.0 satisfies the requirement for PHYS 201 INTRODUCTION TO NON-CALCULUS BASED PHYSICS I with lab.
• AP Physics II (2014 or later) with a score of 3.0 satisfies the requirement for PHYS 202 INTRO TO NON-CALCULUS PHYSICS II with lab.
• AP Physics C: Mechanics with a score of 3.0 satisfies the requirement for PHYS 201 INTRODUCTION TO NON-CALCULUS BASED PHYSICS I with lab and PHYS 233 CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS I DISCUSSION.
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism with a score of 3.0 satisfies the requirement for PHYS 202 INTRO TO NON-CALCULUS PHYSICS II with lab and PHYS 234 CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS II DISCUSSION.

In addition, students must:

• Take a minimum of their last 30 credit hours at Roosevelt University; off-site clinical courses count toward this requirement.
• Take at least 20 credit hours in acceptable Biology, Chemistry, or Physics courses at Roosevelt University; minimum 15 credit hours of Biology courses must be completed at Roosevelt University.
• Transfer students need to complete a minimum of 1 year of full-time studies at Roosevelt University to be eligible for affiliate benefits. 
• Once enrolled in the program, complete all remaining Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics course requirements for these BS degrees at Roosevelt University. Under special circumstances, written permission to take required courses elsewhere may be granted by the program director.
• Apply only courses in biology taken within the past eight years toward graduation.
• Limit to 4 credit hours the total of independent study hours (BIOL 395 INDEPENDENT STUDY/BCHM 395 INDEPENDENT STUDY/CHEM 395 INDEPENDENT STUDY) and independent research (BIOL 392 RESEARCH IN BIOLOGY/BCHM 392 RESEARCH IN BIOCHEMISTRY/CHEM 392 RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY) used to fulfill the requirements of the major.

The Diagnostic Medical Sonography curriculum is designed to provide the student with a comprehensive body of knowledge and the necessary skills expected of a competent diagnostic medical sonographer technologist, also known as an ultrasound technologist. Diagnostic medical sonographers use high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to produce dynamic visual images of organs, tissues and blood flow inside the body. Sonographers work closely with physicians by providing diagnostic images and a summary of technical findings to aid in reaching a medical diagnosis. This is a non-radiation modality, and it may be used on any patient, from unborn babies to the elderly.

Sonographers may work in a hospital, a clinic, a physician's office, education, sales, or as an applications specialist. Students interested in allied health careers should seek early guidance from an advisor in the Department of Biological, Chemical, and Physical Sciences.

This is a 3+1.5 program in which the first three years of course work is completed at Roosevelt University with the final year and a half-completed at the clinical affiliate site, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago.

Standards

A grade of C- is the minimal acceptable grade for a course to be applied to the major, minor, or concentrations. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for all courses in the major. Note that these requirements differ from the clinical partner's requirements. 

Clinical Admission

Admission to clinical training is at the discretion of Northwestern Medicine. Students are not guaranteed admission. The minimum GPA for application for this clinical program is a 2.5 GPA overall and a C grade in the pre-requisite courses. All applicants whose native language is not English must submit official TOEFL test scores by the application deadline to Northwestern Medicine. Clinical course enrollment is subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-clinical course work and admission to the clinical program. Please consult the Northwestern Medicine Clinical Schools website for specific information in regards to application and admission.

Students in the clinical training are registered through Roosevelt University and pay Roosevelt University tuition. There is no additional tuition charge for the clinical portion of the program. 

Requirements

Diagnostic Medical Sonography students complete a minimum of 73 credit hours of academic work, including the College of Science, Health and Pharmacy general education requirements, in addition to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography core courses outlined below. Students must take their final 30 credit hours before clinical training at Roosevelt University. They complete their last 47 credit hours in an 18-month, full-time, daytime clinical training program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital*.

Upon successful completion of the program, students are awarded a certificate of program completion for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) from the hospital and will be eligible to be certified through examination by the national certifying agency, the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Graduates of the school may also take the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation, Abdomen and OB/GYN examinations. Students will also earn a BS in Diagnostic Medical Sonography from Roosevelt University.

*

Acceptance into the clinical training is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the clinical site.

CORE Requirements (General Education)

¹

Higher level of Math may be required by major

²

Coursework must come from outside of students' major discipline

³

A maximum of 9 credits can be applied from a single discipline towards humanities and social science requirements

These quantitative requirements also apply to degrees.

• Students must earn a minimum of 120 semester hours.
• Students may apply no more than 60 credit hours of 100-level courses toward the degree.
• Students must apply no fewer than 60 credit hours of 200- and 300-level courses toward the degree.
• Students must have at least 18 credit hours (of the 60 credit hours above) at the 300 level.
• Students may transfer in no more than 70 credit hours from community colleges.
• Students earning less than 60 total hours in residence must take their final 30 hours at Roosevelt University. Note that some majors have additional requirements for RU hours.
• Students must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher to graduate. Note that some majors have additional GPA requirements.
• Students may apply no more than 51 hours in the major (BA) or 57 hours in the major (BS)

Your degree map is a general guide suggesting courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from your academic program. Your program’s degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change (although you retain the same course requirements as long as you are continuously enrolled in your degree program).

Always work closely with your academic advisor to understand curriculum requirements and scheduling, as each student’s academic plan can look slightly different.

¹

Experiential Learning class must be 200/300 level and satisfies CORE requirement.

*

Must be accepted to clinical school for clinical training courses. Not guaranteed.