This page lists the six Virginia schools in the UltrasoundDegree directory that offer a sonography program. The schools are grouped by region. Each entry shows the accreditation the directory records, the degree awarded, the program length where the record has one, and what sets the program apart from the others in the state. The page also covers Virginia’s licensing status and May 2025 wage data for the state.
The number six counts schools. Each school runs one sonography program, so it is also the number of programs. All six directory entries record programmatic accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), granted on the recommendation of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS). Five award an Associate of Applied Science (AAS). One, Virginia Commonwealth University, awards a bachelor’s degree. Two of the six are hospital-based schools run by health systems rather than colleges. None of the six is a cardiac or vascular program; all six train general diagnostic medical sonographers. An earlier version of this page counted five programs and listed Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands. That school has no directory record, so it is not listed or counted here. Two schools that do have directory records, Sova School of Health Professions in Danville and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, were missing from the earlier list.
Accreditation in Virginia: every listed program records CAAHEP
Two different things get called “accredited.” Institutional accreditation covers the whole college or hospital. Programmatic accreditation covers one program. For sonography, programmatic accreditation comes from 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 Virginia entry in the directory is a JRC-CVT program. CAAHEP allows two kinds of sponsor: an accredited college or university, or an accredited hospital or clinic. Both kinds appear in Virginia. The sponsor has to award at least a certificate or diploma at completion. 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, which is one reason program length varies from school to school. The difference between the two kinds of accreditation is covered in programmatic vs. institutional accreditation and in Chapter 11, Accreditation. CAAHEP’s own search is the primary source for current status; as of June 2026 it listed 390 accredited sonography programs at 275 institutions nationwide.
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 Virginia program on this page records CAAHEP accreditation, so Prerequisite 2 is the route that applies to its graduates. The other routes exist for people who trained elsewhere. Prerequisite 1 requires a two-year allied-health program in a patient-care field plus 12 months of full-time clinical ultrasound experience after it. Prerequisite 3A requires a bachelor’s degree in any field plus 12 months of clinical experience. Prerequisite 3B covers bachelor’s programs in sonography that include at least 12 months, or 1,680 hours, of clinical work. Prerequisite 5 is a crossover for people who already hold 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. The SPI has its own prerequisite: a physics course passed with a grade of C or better, or 12 ARDMS-accepted physics continuing-education credits earned within the prior two years. Once the first exam is passed, the second has to be passed within five years. The general credential is the Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS); every Virginia program page in the directory points to it. ARRT runs a separate Sonography credential, and one Virginia college names the ARRT exam as an alternative for its graduates. Details: Chapter 4, Licensing and Certification, the SPI exam, the RDMS credential, and how to verify a program’s accreditation.
In the entries 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 Virginia by region
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Springfield. Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a public community college serving Northern Virginia. The sonography program is at the Springfield campus. Admission is competitive. The program prepares graduates for ARDMS certification as Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). This is the only directory entry in Northern Virginia; the other five are in central Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Danville.
Central Virginia: Richmond, the Tri-Cities, and Charlottesville
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond. Bachelor of Science in Clinical Radiation Sciences with a concentration in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, through the College of Health Professions. The curriculum covers sonography physics, sectional anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical education across multiple imaging modalities. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). This is the only bachelor’s-level sonography program in the Virginia directory. It is a university degree rather than the associate degree the other five schools award; what separates the two levels is covered under program types below.
Southside College of Health Sciences, Colonial Heights. Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a hospital-based college affiliated with Bon Secours Health System. The college also runs radiologic technology and nursing programs. Graduates are eligible for the ARDMS credentialing exams. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). Colonial Heights is in the Tri-Cities area south of Richmond. The directory entry’s website link points to the Bon Secours health-system site rather than to a program page.
Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), Charlottesville. Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a public two-year college in the Virginia Community College System. The program runs 21 months over five semesters and totals 72 credit hours. It offers two JRC-DMS concentrations, Abdominal-Extended and Obstetrics and Gynecology. Graduates are eligible for the ARDMS RDMS exams in those two specialties or for the ARRT sonography exam. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS); the college’s own program page confirmed the accreditation in September 2026. This is the only Virginia entry with a published length, credit count, and named concentrations in the directory’s records.
Hampton Roads
Tidewater Community College (TCC), Virginia Beach. Associate of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at a multi-campus public college serving the Hampton Roads region. Admission is selective. The program includes hands-on clinical rotations and prepares graduates for the ARDMS exams. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). This is the only directory entry in Hampton Roads. The directory record comes from the college’s program page; it was not re-checked in September 2026 because the college’s website blocked automated checks, so current details are on the college’s site.
Southside Virginia
Sova School of Health Professions, Danville. Associate of Applied Science in Sonography at a hospital-based school operated by Sovah Health. The program is two years, full-time. Classroom and clinical training run across Sovah Health facilities in Danville and Martinsville, so students train in two cities. Graduates are eligible for the ARDMS credentialing exams. CAAHEP (JRC-DMS). With Southside College of Health Sciences, it is one of the two hospital-based programs in the state’s directory, and the only entry whose clinical sites span two cities in the record.
Shenandoah Valley, Roanoke, and Southwest Virginia
The directory holds no entry for a sonography program in the Shenandoah Valley, the Roanoke area, or Southwest Virginia. Southwest Virginia Community College in Richlands appeared on an earlier version of this page, but it has no directory record, so this page does not list or count it. CAAHEP’s accredited-program search, linked under related pages, is the primary source for any program the directory does not hold.
Program types found in Virginia
| Program type | Schools | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Associate degree (AAS), college-based | 3 | Northern Virginia Community College (Springfield); Piedmont Virginia Community College (Charlottesville; 21 months, five semesters, 72 credit hours); Tidewater Community College (Virginia Beach) |
| Associate degree (AAS), hospital-based | 2 | Southside College of Health Sciences (Colonial Heights; Bon Secours Health System); Sova School of Health Professions (Danville and Martinsville; Sovah Health; two years full-time) |
| Bachelor’s degree | 1 | Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond; BS in Clinical Radiation Sciences, sonography concentration) |
| Certificate | 0 | No Virginia directory entry awards a certificate. |
| Cardiac or vascular focus | 0 | No Virginia directory entry is a JRC-CVT program or records a cardiac or vascular concentration. The cardiac (RDCS) and vascular (RVT) credentials are covered on their own pages. |
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. Five of the six Virginia programs match that pattern. What separates the degree levels is covered in associate vs. bachelor’s sonography degrees. Chapter 2, Educational Pathways, covers certificate programs, a type no Virginia directory entry offers. Cost context is in Chapter 13, Cost and Financial Aid. Two Virginia entries describe admission as competitive or selective; what that means in practice is covered in sonography prerequisites.
Hospital-based programs are a distinct type. CAAHEP allows an accredited hospital or clinic to sponsor a program in its own right, and both of Virginia’s hospital-based schools belong to a health system: Bon Secours at Southside, Sovah Health at Sova. Hospitals were also 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.
Program pages in the directory: NOVA, VCU, Southside College of Health Sciences, PVCC, Tidewater, and Sova.
State licensing in Virginia
Virginia 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. Virginia is not one of them. Certification is separate from licensing. The ARDMS, ARRT, and CCI credentials described in Chapter 4 are national registries and do not depend on the state, so a credential earned after a Virginia program is the same credential in Maryland, North Carolina, or anywhere else. Organization page: SDMS.
Sonographer wages and employment in Virginia
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program reports state figures for diagnostic medical sonographers (SOC 29-2032). The May 2025 release gives Virginia the following.
| Virginia, May 2025 | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $95,660 |
| Mean annual wage | $95,220 |
| 10th percentile | $77,540 |
| 90th percentile | $122,930 |
| Employment | 2,160 |
Source: BLS OEWS state estimates for SOC 29-2032, May 2025.
Virginia’s median ranks 27th of the 52 states and territories in that table. It sits $930 below the national median of $96,590 that the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports for May 2025. The neighbors split around it. The District of Columbia’s median was $112,020 (5th) and Maryland’s $99,210 (23rd). Kentucky’s was $91,230 (31st), North Carolina’s $86,010 (34th), Tennessee’s $80,640 (48th), and West Virginia’s $76,820 (49th). Virginia’s 10th-percentile figure, $77,540, is above West Virginia’s median. 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 over the decade. That projection is national; no Virginia-specific projection is given on this page. State-by-state comparison: 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
- Virginia school directory: the six school pages above, 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; ARDMS vs. CCI
- Abdominal and OB/GYN specialty pages, matching the two concentrations named in Virginia; 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, Pennsylvania, and Texas
- CAAHEP’s accredited-program search (the primary source for current programmatic accreditation), ARDMS, and BLS OEWS tables
Last verified: September 2026. School facts come from the UltrasoundDegree directory entry for each school; Piedmont Virginia Community College’s entry was checked against the college’s own program page in September 2026. Most directory entries link the school’s official site, where current admission rules and accreditation status are published.