Program outcomes assessment is ongoing in an effort to assure that the program is meeting its prescribed level of quality and student success.
Results are reported to the JRCDMS and published annually. Outcomes from the past five years of program assessment are published in the tables below, by specialty track.
UW Hospitals and Clinics School of DMS Program Effectiveness (pdf)
Applicants must submit a $50 processing fee with their application into the program.
Applicants accepted to the UW Hospital and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography must submit a $150 enrollment fee to hold their place in the class for which they are accepted. The due date of this fee will be stipulated by the School in the letter of acceptance.
Applicants who do not submit the enrollment fee by the stated deadline will forfeit their enrollment and an alternate applicant will be offered their place in the coming class. The enrollment fee is non-refundable.
The amount of tuition each student pays is determined by the respective university affiliate. Students make tuition payments directly to their college or university. Contact the bursar’s office at your university affiliate for the most current information regarding tuition charges.
All tuition and fees must be paid in full before a student will be granted a certificate of completion and ARDMS Certification Examination eligibility.
Textbooks are required and recommended by the UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. A textbook list will be sent to students with the information packets included with welcome letters when they enroll in the program. Students should plan to spend a total of up to $2,500 for required textbooks. All textbooks may be purchased online.
Tuition paid in advance for more than the current semester will be refunded according to the guidelines of their respective college or university.
Students are responsible for providing their own room and board during the duration of the general/vascular sonography option and/or echocardiography/vascular sonography option. It is recommended that students locate in the Madison area.
The University of Wisconsin Campus Assistance Center can aid students in locating rental housing (houses, apartments, boarding houses and rooms in private residences).
UW Campus Assistance Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1308 W. Dayton St.
Union South
Madison, WI 53715
(608) 263-6400
Students are responsible for their own meals.
Students enrolled in the UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography are expected to be in compliance with the clinical dress code at all times. Students who do not adhere to the dress code are subject to disciplinary action that could result in expulsion.
Costs for professional attire can vary widely, but students can expect to pay $200-500 for professional attire during the two years of clinical study.
Accepted students must have a physical completed by UW Health, at no cost to the student, prior to the start date of the program. They must be screened by Employee Health Services (EHS) and be able to meet the physical and health requirements of the training. All students are required to obtain all vaccines required by EHS prior to the start date of the program and maintain annual compliance during their education. No medical or religious waivers are permitted, as the student will not be able to complete the clinical requirements without being vaccinated. This includes all annual compliance requirements such as, but not limited to, influenza vaccines, any booster vaccines and TB testing.
Students are responsible for their own health insurance coverage. Neither UW Health nor any of the clinical affiliated sites are responsible for payment of charges occurred due to student’s illness or injury.
Students are required to show proof of medical insurance prior to the start of the program and yearly.
If under 26 years of age, maintain parental medial insurance coverage.
Information regarding Affordable Health Care coverage
UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography does not sponsor or award financial aid. Students may apply for financial aid programs available at their respective college or university.
Upon successful completion of the program, graduating students receive a certificate from UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Students receive a diploma from their affiliate college/university and are also eligible to walk in the graduation ceremony on their respective campus.
In addition, graduates are granted eligibility to write the certification examinations given by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS).
Requirements for graduation are as follows:
Prerequisite curriculum is managed by each university affiliate. Specific coursework may vary from one affiliate to another. If you would like to learn more about the coursework required before beginning clinical training, please contact the admissions department at whichever institution(s) you may be interested in attending.
The curriculum during clinical training at UW Hospitals and Clinics is five semesters long, consisting of four traditional semesters and two summer sessions. Students participate in the didactic and clinical portions of the program simultaneously. Combined didactic and clinical hours total 40 hour per week.
We do not offer part-time or evening education. Students should expect to be in class or clinical rotations from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday.
Detailed descriptions of junior and senior year courses for each specialty are available in our Program Handbook (pdf) on pages 15-17 (Echocardiography) and 21-24 (General).
Our academic calendar mirrors that of UW-Madison very closely, with a few variations.
We will go over the calendar in detail with incoming students during orientation into the program.
Please note that you must be currently enrolled at one of our academic affiliates and seeking a Bachelor of Science degree in order to be eligible for application into our program.
Admission to UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography is highly competitive and granted to a limited number of applicants each year. A diagnostic medical sonography student must be a mature, dependable person who is “people-oriented” and genuinely interested in caring for individuals who are ill, injured, or disabled. All applicants are evaluated on the same basis regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, religion, age, national origin or veteran’s status.
The following information offers a general description outlining the attributes of a successful candidate:
You will work closely with your academic advisor to submit your application to our program through your affiliated school.
Applicants complete the first two or three years of their degree requirements at their affiliate college/university (either directly or via transfer credits), then apply to our program for the final two years of professional coursework. If accepted, students complete the junior and senior years of training with our clinical instructors, both in the classroom and at clinical sites in the Southern Wisconsin area. Graduates of the program receive a B.S. degree from their affiliate university.
Please note that you must be enrolled at one of our university affiliates and seeking a bachelor’s of science degree in order to be eligible to apply to complete the professional curriculum at our school. For more information about the Diagnostic Medical Sonography majors at these institutions, please visit their websites, listed below.
Most university affiliates accept some transfer credits. Please contact the admissions department at your chosen affiliate to learn more about transfer options and to have your previous coursework evaluated.
| Carroll University (Waukesha) Go to www.carrollu.edu/academics/health-sciences/diagnostic-medical-sonography Select Academic, then Undergraduate Programs, then Diagnostic Medical Sonography * Admissions: (262) 524-7220 |
| Edgewood College (Madison) Go to www.edgewood.edu/academics/programs/details/health-sciences/undergraduate Select Pre-Medical Sonography. * Admissions: 1-800-444-4861 |
| Marian University (Fond du Lac) Go to https://www.marianuniversity.edu/campus-programs/bs-diagnostic-medical-sonography/ * Admissions: 1-800-262-7426 |
| University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Go to catalog.uwlax.edu/undergraduate/radiologicscience/diagnosticmedicalsonography-echocardiographyvascularbs/ Sonography program information forthcoming * Admissions: (608) 785-8939 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Go to uwm.edu/healthsciences Select a career description, then Diagnostic Medical Sonographer * Admissions: (414) 229-2222 |
| University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Go to https://uwosh.edu/biology/undergraduate/majors/medical-imaging/ * Admissions: (920) 424-1234 |
The diagnostic medical sonographer is a health care professional who performs diagnostic ultrasound examinations under a physician’s supervision.
Sonographers are required to integrate medical knowledge of cross-sectional and three-dimensional anatomy, physiology, pathology and ultrasound physics to imaging patients in the clinical setting. Sonographers work within the framework of an examination protocol, where they must exercise judgment to tailor each examination to the individual patient’s needs and answer the clinical questions.
The interaction between ultrasound and a patient’s body tissues requires the constant adjustment of techniques and procedures during the course of the examination. Therefore, the sonographer must be able to understand the interaction between ultrasound physics, anatomy, pathology and equipment manipulation to produce diagnostic medical images that provide comprehensive information about the patient’s specific pathology.
Most sonographers work in hospital-based radiology departments performing abdominal, pelvic and vascular examinations or in cardiology (i.e., echocardiography) departments performing cardiac and vascular examinations in emergency, operating room, inpatient and outpatient situations. However, vascular surgery departments and obstetric departments can also employ sonographers who perform specialized ultrasound examinations tailored to follow specific protocols needed in those specialties. Many sonographers prefer to work in outpatient clinics and mobile medical imaging services where ultrasound examinations are performed on a non-emergency basis. Non-clinical positions are available with medical imaging equipment manufacturers who employ sonographers to test ultrasound equipment and function as application specialists to teach new technologies to clinical sonographers.
It is the goal of the UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program to produce highly qualified sonographers who function in a competent fashion in meeting the health care needs of the patient. Graduates of the program will be able to use the mechanical equipment used by ultrasound departments for the production of high quality diagnostic sonograms.
The School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography offers professional training in two specializations. Both programs include training in vascular ultrasound.
The general diagnostic medical sonography option provides didactic and clinical instruction in:
The general sonography curriculum covers ultrasound imaging in obstetrics and gynecology, evaluation of the abdomen, thyroid, scrotum, prostate and neurosonography. The vascular section includes evaluation of the major blood vessels of the neck, brain, abdomen and extremities. In addition to attending formal classes, students often have an opportunity to attend physician lectures and conferences on ultrasound-related topics.
The echocardiography, or cardiac ultrasound, option provides didactic and clinical instruction in:
The echocardiography curriculum covers ultrasound imaging of the heart in a variety of different ways including transesophageal, transthoracic and introduction to stress echocardiograms on both adult and pediatric patient populations. Students are also exposed to the basic principles of fetal echocardiography as these patients tend to be followed by echocardiographers as neonates. In addition to attending formal classes, students often have an opportunity to attend physician lectures, cardiology conferences and interesting case readout sessions conducted by cardiologists.
The UW Hospitals and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography has been dedicated to educating students in the art and science of diagnostic medical sonography since 1980.
For the most up-to-date information about our program and academic policies, please download our Program Handbook (pdf).
The mission of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics School of Diagnostic Medical Sonography is to educate students in the art and science of diagnostic medical sonography.
Our graduates serve all of Wisconsin. Our mission complements the missions of UW Health, UW Center for Health Sciences and the UW Hospital and Clinics. These overall missions include caring for the ill and injured, serving community health needs, educating new health professionals and furthering the use for medical research through medical imaging. As an integral part of the UW Health community, students participate in the achievement of the schools and institution’s mission and goals.
Our school’s mission is achieved when the graduate has successfully completed the program as determined by the program standards. The program’s mission, goals, outcomes and standards are evaluated annually by the faculty, department and hospital administration and the school advisory committee.
Diagnostic medical sonography uses ultrasound, or high-frequency sound waves, to identify and diagnose diseases in body organs and tissues.
The diagnostic medical sonographer is a health care professional who performs diagnostic ultrasound examinations under a physician’s supervision. To perform imaging on patients in the clinical setting, sonographers are required to integrate medical knowledge of anatomy and physiology, pathology and ultrasound physics. Among the parts of the body most commonly viewed through ultrasound are the heart and blood vessels, abdominal organs, pelvic organs and pregnant uterus.
Qualified diagnostic medical sonographers are needed in hospitals, clinics, physicians’ offices, medical laboratories, industry and public health. Teachers, managers and researchers in diagnostic ultrasound are also in demand.
The U.S. Department of Labor stated that employment of diagnostic medical sonographers was expected to grow to more than 12,000 openings between 2020 and 2030, which is much more growth than the average for all occupations. Learn more