This page lists the 13 Pennsylvania schools in the UltrasoundDegree directory with an accredited sonography program, grouped by region. Each entry shows the accreditation the directory records, the degree, the length and tracks where known, and what sets the program apart. The page also covers Pennsylvania’s licensing status and May 2025 wage data for the state.
The number 13 counts institutions whose directory entry records accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The directory holds 19 Pennsylvania entries. Four are duplicate pairs, so 19 entries are 15 institutions. One of the 15, Crozer-Chester Medical Center, is a hospital that has closed; its program continues at Widener University and is counted there. One, Westmoreland County Community College, has no sonography program data in its record. The other 13 all record CAAHEP accreditation granted on the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS). Ten award an associate degree, three a bachelor’s. One is hospital-based. None is a cardiovascular technology program under the separate JRC-CVT committee, although five run cardiac or vascular tracks inside a general program. An earlier version of this page listed six schools. Three of them, Gwynedd Mercy University, Montgomery County Community College, and Bucks County Community College, have no directory record and are not counted here. Ten schools that do have records were missing.
Accreditation in Pennsylvania: what the directory records
Two different things get called “accredited.” Institutional accreditation covers the whole college or hospital. Programmatic accreditation covers one program. For sonography, that is CAAHEP, which accredits diagnostic medical sonography programs on the recommendation of JRC-DMS. Cardiovascular technology programs go through a separate committee, the JRC-CVT, and include non-ultrasound cardiac and vascular methods; no Pennsylvania entry is a JRC-CVT program. CAAHEP allows an accredited college or an accredited hospital to sponsor a program, and both kinds appear in Pennsylvania. The CAAHEP standards are competency-based. They set the skills a graduate has to demonstrate in each concentration, not a minimum number of clinical hours. That is one reason program length runs from 15 months to four years across the state. Accreditation can also apply to one track and not another, as the Northampton Community College and Mount Aloysius College entries below show. The difference between the two kinds of accreditation is covered in programmatic vs. institutional accreditation and in Chapter 11, Accreditation.
Accreditation matters for the certification exams. The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) awards its credentials by exam only, and each applicant has to meet one of its prerequisites first. Prerequisite 2 covers current students and graduates of a CAAHEP-accredited sonography, cardiac sonography, or vascular technology program. No clinical experience beyond the program is required, and students may apply up to 60 days before graduation. Every counted program here records CAAHEP accreditation, so Prerequisite 2 applies to its graduates. The other routes exist for people who trained elsewhere or in an unaccredited track. Prerequisite 1 is a two-year allied-health program plus 12 months of clinical ultrasound experience. Prerequisite 3A is a bachelor’s degree in any field plus 12 months. Prerequisite 3B is a sonography bachelor’s with at least 12 months of clinical work inside it. Prerequisite 5 is a crossover for holders of a credential from Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), or Sonography Canada.
Every ARDMS credential requires the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam plus a specialty exam, and the second has to be passed within five years of the first. The general credential is the Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS). The cardiac credential is the Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) and the vascular credential is the Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT). That is why the cardiac and vascular tracks below lead to different exams than the general track. Details: Chapter 4, Licensing and Certification, the SPI exam, the RDMS credential, ARDMS vs. CCI, and how to verify a program’s accreditation.
Below, “CAAHEP (JRC-DMS)” means the directory entry records that accreditation; where a school’s own website confirmed it in September 2026, the entry says so.
Sonography schools in Pennsylvania by region
Philadelphia and the Southeast
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography through the university’s College of Health Professions, with multi-specialty options across Jefferson Health clinical sites. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). One of three bachelor’s-level entries in the directory and the only entry in Philadelphia itself; the record does not name the tracks.
Widener University, Chester. Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography with abdominal-extended and OB/GYN concentrations. The sonography portion runs 20 months after general-education prerequisites, with up to 60 transfer credits accepted. The fall cohort is capped at 16; January admission is considered only if fall does not fill. Sitting for the registry exams in physics, abdomen, and OB/GYN is a graduation requirement. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS); the university’s own program page confirmed the accreditation in September 2026. This program began as a hospital-based partnership inside Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland; the hospital has closed, and the program now runs on Widener’s Chester campus. The directory’s Crozer-Chester entry and its second Widener entry, Widener-Crozer Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, describe this same program; this page counts it once.
Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley. Associate in Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a public community college, two years, with four tracks: abdominal-extended with OB/GYN, abdominal-extended with vascular, vascular, and adult cardiac. Students complete 1,560 hours of clinical education, the only published clinical-hour total among the Pennsylvania entries. The directory records CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). The college’s own website, checked in September 2026, limits the accreditation to the abdominal-extended and OB/GYN track. The two sources differ in scope, and this page reports both.
Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences, West Reading. Associate in Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a hospital-based school affiliated with Tower Health. Clinical training is in the Reading Hospital setting, and the school offers a dual-enrollment pathway with Alvernia University. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). The only hospital-based program in the Pennsylvania directory. The record was not re-checked against the school’s website in September 2026.
Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Central Pennsylvania
Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), Harrisburg campus. Associate in Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography focused on the abdomen and OB/GYN concentrations, with clinical, lab, and classroom components run together through the curriculum. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). HACC was founded in 1964. The only directory entry in the Harrisburg area.
Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, Lancaster. Associate degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at an independent college that teaches only the health professions, at 850 Greenfield Road. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). The directory record does not name the tracks.
Saint Joseph’s University, Lancaster. Associate degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography through Saint Joseph’s University’s School of Nursing and Allied Health. The directory’s original listing describes a 66-credit program finished in under two years, and names associate degrees in vascular and in cardiac sonography plus certificates in each of the three. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). This entry shares its street address, 850 Greenfield Road, with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences entry above. The directory records no relationship between them, so this page counts two entries and notes the overlap.
South Hills School of Business and Technology, State College. A private career school with three sonography pathways: a three-year associate degree (an Associate in Specialized Technology), a two-year diploma, and a 15-month diploma. Tracks cover abdominal, OB/GYN, cardiac, and vascular sonography. Graduates are eligible for the ARDMS exams and for CCI’s exams, the only Pennsylvania entry to name both. Institutional accreditation is the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). CAAHEP (JRC-DMS) for all three pathways; the school’s own website confirmed this in September 2026. The directory holds a second entry for this school under a slightly different name; this page counts it once.
Mount Aloysius College, Cresson. Medical Imaging Ultrasonography program at a private Catholic liberal-arts college, with an associate track of three years and a bachelor’s track of four. Concentrations are abdominal-extended and OB/GYN. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS) accredits the associate program; the college’s own page confirmed this in September 2026. The college’s separate bachelor’s-level echocardiography major states that its accreditation is in progress.
Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and the Northeast
Lackawanna College, Scranton. Associate in Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a private two-year college. The program runs daytime, evening, and Saturday classes, with clinical externships through the Northeastern Pennsylvania Clinical Education Consortium. It offers three tracks: diagnostic (abdominal and OB/GYN), vascular, and cardiac. Admission is selective. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). The directory holds a second entry for the Scranton main campus at the same Vine Street address; this page counts the college once.
Misericordia University, Dallas, near Wilkes-Barre. Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a private Catholic university in three formats: a full-time Bachelor of Science, a part-time post-certification bachelor’s for people who already hold a sonography credential, and a certificate. Concentrations cover abdominal, obstetric, gynecologic, and vascular sonography. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). The only Pennsylvania entry with a post-certification bachelor’s format.
Pittsburgh and the Southwest
Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), Boyce Campus, Monroeville. Associate of Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at the county’s public community college. Students choose one of three fields: general ultrasound (abdominal-extended and OB/GYN), cardiac ultrasound (adult echocardiography), or vascular ultrasound. Institutional accreditation is Middle States, last reaffirmed in 2018. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS); the college’s own program page confirmed the accreditation and the three fields in September 2026. A second directory entry for CCAC’s Monroeville campus, at the same address, records no accreditation; it is the same campus, so this page counts CCAC once. The only counted entry in the Pittsburgh area.
Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood campus. The directory holds an entry for this public two-year college, but the record contains no sonography program data: no degree, no length, no accreditation. It is listed so a reader who finds it knows what the record holds; it is not counted.
Erie and the Northwest
Great Lakes Institute of Technology, Erie. Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a private career school, awarded as a 21-month Associate in Science and Technology. That is shorter than the two-year associate degrees elsewhere on this page, per the school’s website, checked in September 2026. Institutional accreditation is ACCSC. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). The only directory entry in the state’s northwest.
Program types found in Pennsylvania
| Program type | Schools | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Associate degree, public community college | 3 | Northampton (Bethlehem); Harrisburg Area (Harrisburg); CCAC (Monroeville) |
| Associate degree, private college or career school | 6 | Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences and Saint Joseph’s University (Lancaster); South Hills (State College; three years); Mount Aloysius (Cresson; three years); Lackawanna (Scranton; two years); Great Lakes (Erie; 21 months) |
| Associate degree, hospital-based | 1 | Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences (West Reading; Tower Health) |
| Bachelor’s degree | 3 | Thomas Jefferson (Philadelphia); Widener (Chester; 20-month sonography portion); Misericordia (Dallas; also post-certification). |
| Certificate or diploma inside a degree-granting school | 3 | South Hills (diplomas); Misericordia (certificate); Saint Joseph’s, Lancaster (certificates). No Pennsylvania entry is a stand-alone certificate program. |
| Cardiac or vascular track inside a general program | 5 | CCAC; Lackawanna; South Hills; Northampton (not covered by its accreditation, per the college); Saint Joseph’s, Lancaster. Misericordia names a vascular concentration. |
Nationally, the associate degree is the typical entry-level education for a diagnostic medical sonographer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook; certificate and bachelor’s programs also exist. Ten of the 13 Pennsylvania programs match that pattern. What separates the degree levels is covered in associate vs. bachelor’s sonography degrees; the certificate route is covered in sonography certificates for career changers and in Chapter 2, Educational Pathways. Cost context is in Chapter 13, Cost and Financial Aid. Selective admission, which two entries describe, is covered in sonography prerequisites.
Hospitals were the largest employer of sonographers nationally in 2024, with about 57 percent of jobs, according to the BLS. The setting question is covered in hospital vs. outpatient sonography. The cardiac and vascular tracks named above map to the cardiac and vascular specialty pages; the general track maps to abdominal and OB/GYN.
Program pages in the directory: Thomas Jefferson, Widener, Northampton, Reading Hospital, HACC, Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, Saint Joseph’s Lancaster, South Hills, Mount Aloysius, Lackawanna, Misericordia, CCAC, and Great Lakes.
State licensing in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania does not license diagnostic medical sonographers. As of 2026, the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) lists four states that mandate a sonographer license: New Mexico, Oregon, North Dakota, and New Hampshire. Pennsylvania is not one of them, and neither is any state that borders it. Certification is separate from licensing: the ARDMS, ARRT, and CCI credentials described in Chapter 4 are national and do not depend on the state. Organization page: SDMS.
Sonographer wages and employment in Pennsylvania
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program reports state figures for diagnostic medical sonographers (SOC 29-2032). The May 2025 release gives Pennsylvania the following, next to the national figures from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
| May 2025 | Pennsylvania | National |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $82,710 | $96,590 |
| Mean annual wage | $86,130 | — |
| 10th percentile | $68,370 | $67,820 |
| 90th percentile | $103,570 | $129,370 |
| Employment | 2,980 | 92,200 |
Source: BLS OEWS state estimates for SOC 29-2032, May 2025 (Pennsylvania); BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 (national).
Pennsylvania sonographers are paid below the national median. The state’s $82,710 is $13,880 under the national $96,590 and ranks 42nd of the 52 states and territories in the OEWS table. The gap is at the top of the range. Pennsylvania’s 10th-percentile wage, $68,370, is slightly above the national 10th percentile. Its 90th-percentile wage, $103,570, is $25,800 below the national 90th. By headcount the picture differs: with 2,980 sonographers, Pennsylvania has the ninth-largest sonographer workforce in the table. The neighbors split around it. New York’s median was $103,920 (10th) and New Jersey’s $103,150 (13th). Ohio’s was $82,870 (41st), one place above Pennsylvania, and West Virginia’s $76,820 (49th). BLS projects national employment of sonographers to grow 14 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 6,000 openings a year. No Pennsylvania-specific projection is given on this page. Other states: sonographer salary by state. Chapter 8, Salary and Compensation, and Chapter 7, Job Market and Employment Trends, cover the national picture. Occupation profile: diagnostic medical sonographer.
Related pages
- Pennsylvania school directory: all 19 entries, with addresses and official-site links
- Sonography and Ultrasound Degree Guide: the 13-chapter reference this page draws on
- CAAHEP, JRC-DMS, JRC-CVT, ARDMS, ARRT, and CCI organization pages
- RDMS, RDCS, and RVT credential explainers; Chapter 12, Sonography Specialties, for the rest
- How to evaluate a sonography program and reading program outcome data
- Other state guides: Alabama, California, Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Virginia
- CAAHEP’s accredited-program search, ARDMS, and BLS OEWS tables
Last verified: September 2026. School facts come from the UltrasoundDegree directory entry for each school; the entries for Community College of Allegheny County, Great Lakes Institute of Technology, Lackawanna College, Mount Aloysius College, Northampton Community College, South Hills, and Widener University were checked against each school’s own website in September 2026. Most directory entries link the school’s official site, where current admission rules and accreditation status are published.