Medical Imaging/Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound), BS

Program Code: IMAG-SONO

The program leading to the bachelor of science degree in Medical Imaging is designed to prepare students for admission into an IUP affiliate institution focused on one of three tracks: Nuclear Medicine Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound), or Echocardiography. This program is a 3+1 whereby the student spends the first three years at IUP taking the required math/science and liberal studies courses and then 12- 20 months at an affiliate where they earn a certificate in one of the specialty diagnostic imaging programs.

All of the coursework at IUP is preparatory towards the final year and the requirements by the Medical Imaging profession. A “C” or better in the following courses is required: MATH 105 , CHEM 103 , ENGL 101 , PHYS 111 , BIOL 150 , and ENGL 310  or BCOM 321 . Acceptance at an affiliate school is contingent upon the student meeting the academic program requirements. At the end of their senior year, upon successful completion of the certificate program at an articulated clinical affiliate accredited within the specific discipline, IUP will grant 32 credits that will be applied to the student’s transcript and the bachelor’s degree in the Diagnostic Imaging track will be conferred.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography or ultrasound, is a medical specialty in which allied health care professionals, use specialized equipment to create images of structures inside the human body. The process involves placing a small device called a transducer against the patient’s skin near the body area to be imaged. A stream of high-frequency sound waves are sent into the body, then are detected as the sound waves bounce off internal structures. Different structures in the body reflect these sound waves  differently. The reflected sound waves are analyzed by a computer to make an image of the structure(s) on a monitor or an image that can be recorded on hardcopy . These images created by sonographers help aid  physicians in diagnosing and treating medical conditions in the abdomen, breast, heart and blood vessels and, more recently, in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal problems.