Radiological Sciences

Women's College and College of Adult Undergraduate Studies

Overview
Program of Study
Three-Year Plan

M. Kristine Kirk, Ph.D., Coordinator

The School of Arts and Sciences offers a baccalaureate degree linked with a clinical certification program in various areas of radiological sciences in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Medical Imaging. Through studies in liberal arts, science and mathematics, students in the Women's College and the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies broaden their professional knowledge and competence, strengthen their critical thinking and communication skills, develop their leadership potential and deepen their ethical commitments. The technical curriculum provides both theoretical training and practical hands-on clinical experience. There is a strong emphasis on clinical education with the aim of producing graduates who are leaders in health care.

The typical radiological sciences student fulfills the requisite mathematics and science courses as well as the general education requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree at Notre Dame. All courses credited toward the major must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Effective June 2014, students beginning Radiography training must complete all non-clinical requirements prior to admission to the program (see the Three-year Sample Program of Study below). The student seeking certification in Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic Sonography or Echocardiography must complete at least 60 college credits before starting the clinical program. Students apply to the full-time clinical program in the fall semester prior to the start of the program. The College of Adult Undergraduate Studies students who have completed a clinical training program and are certified technologists are awarded a block of credits towards the bachelor's degree.

Driven by an aging population and advances in technology, there is a great demand for professionals in this field. Students must demonstrate academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills, and knowledge of the profession. Under the guidance of the radiological sciences program coordinator, the qualified student begins the application process for clinical studies. Students must monitor the qualifications for admission to programs in which they are interested to ensure they have met all the requirements for clinical training. They are expected to confer regularly with the coordinator as to their readiness and preparedness for clinical study. The clinical training site determines the admissions criteria for the clinical component, in accord with the professional accrediting agencies. Students are advised that admission to the clinical component of this program is highly competitive and determined by the hospital.

On completing the academic and clinical programs, students are qualified to become licensed medical imaging technologists by passing the national registry exam.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Maryland State Board of Higher Education approve these programs for the education of veterans.

Students in a Bachelor of Science degree program follow the general education program for a Bachelor of Arts degree, except for fine arts and foreign language, which are recommended, but not required.

The student completes one of the following full-time clinical certification programs and one of the two options to obtain the degree.

Clinical Certification Programs
Radiography - 18 months
Nuclear Medicine Technology - 18 months
Diagnostic Medical Sonography - 14 months
Echocardiography - 14 months

Currently, the radiography program is accredited by the Joint Review Committee (JRC) on Education in Radiologic Technology; the Nuclear Medicine Technology program is accredited by the JRC on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology; and the Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Echocardiography programs are accredited by the JRC on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

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Program of Study

Part I

Pre-clinical Certification Requirements

Required Courses in Core (Credits)

CHM-110 and CHM-111 General Chemistry I* & II or **CHM-104 Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry* (8 or 3)
CHM-210 and CHM-211 Organic Chemistry I & II or **CHM-106 Introduction to Organic Chemistry (8 or 3)
PHY-101 and PHY-102 General Physics I* & II or **PHY 111 College Physics* (8 or 3)
BIO-201 and BIO-202 Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II (8)
CST-130 Introduction to Microcomputer Applications (3)
COM-201 Interpersonal Communication* or COM-106 **Fundamentals of Oral Communication (3)
LCL-332 Scientific and Specialized Terminology (3)
MAT-107 Elementary Functions* or MAT-211 Calculus I* (3 or 4)
MAT-215 Basic Statistics* (3)
PHL-339 Medical Ethics* (3)
PSY-101 Introductory Psychology* (4)
* Course also satisfies general education requirement
** College of Adult Undergraduate Studies course

Part II: Professional Training

Option I

Complete two clinical concentrations (not an option for Radiography)
Radiography (38)
Nuclear Medicine Technology (38)
Diagnostic Medical Sonography (38)
Echocardiography (38)

Advanced Imaging Programs (prior completion of Radiography is required)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) (6 months) (12)
Computed Tomography (CT) (6 months) (12)
Interventional Cardiovascular (6 months) (12)

Option II

Complement one clinical certification program with the equivalent of one year of concentrated study in business (required for Radiography, optional for other modalities).

Business Concentration

The purpose of the business concentration is to meet the needs of radiological sciences professionals in middle-level positions who find themselves supervising staff or who have substantial information systems responsibilities beyond the level of their preparation in typical clinical certification programs. All business concentrators will have exposure to management and professional communication principles, and some accounting and finance.

Beyond these core courses, students may choose the organizational management track or the computer systems management track. The organizational management track emphasizes preparing to supervise others and contributing to the market orientation now emerging in health care organizations. Students following this track will qualify for a minor in business without taking additional courses. The computer systems management track prepares students to address the increasingly complex information systems responsibilities faced by many health care professionals. Students following this track may qualify, depending on course selection, for the minor in business.

Core Required Courses
BUS-302 Principles of Management (3)
BUS-310 Professional Communications (3)
BUS-416 Managing Financial Resources (3)

Organizational Management Track   
BUS-303 Principles of Marketing (3)
ECO-212 Introduction to Microeconomics (3)
BUS-480 Organizational Behavior or BUS-486 Human Resource Management (3)

Select one of the following (3)
BUS-334 Teamwork and Negotiation
BUS-360 Business Research
BUS-400 Leadership and Empowerment
COM-403 Organizational Communication

Computer Systems Management Track
CST-141 Fundamentals of Information Systems (3)
CST-171 Programming Concepts (3)
CST-385 Systems Analysis (3)
CST-421 Database Concepts (3)

Select two of the following (6)
ECO-212 Introduction to Microeconomics
BUS-400 Leadership and Empowerment
CST-355 Project Management
CST-356 Internet/Intranet Information Management

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Three-Year Plan

Sample program of study for the radiological sciences major in the Women's College prior to clinical training (required for Radiography, recommended for all modalities). Students should select courses with the assistance of the program coordinator. (See course descriptions for a list of required courses and description of course and program options.)

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