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Major · Health Professions

Imaging the heart and vessels for diagnosis and intervention

Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.0901) trains you to perform invasive, noninvasive, and peripheral examinations of the heart and vascular system at physician request. About 1,133 students complete it across 90 institutions; bachelor’s grads earn $70,853, associate’s grads $65,448 — strong wages for a credential the labor market gates at the associate’s level.

Schools offering
90
Annual completions
1,133
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$67k

About this major

Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.0901) trains you for two distinct tracks within cardiac imaging and intervention: invasive (cardiac catheterization laboratory work assisting physicians during heart catheterization, angioplasty, stent placement, and electrophysiology procedures) and noninvasive (echocardiography, vascular ultrasound, EKG, stress testing). The CIP definition covers reviewing and recording patient histories and clinical data, investigative and examination procedures, equipment operation and monitoring, data analysis and documentation, physician consultation, and professional standards. CAAHEP-accredited programs (through the JRC-CVT) build toward Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) certifications — RCIS for invasive cath-lab work, RCS for cardiac sonography, RVS for vascular sonography.

The major fits students drawn to clinical imaging and procedural work, who want a fast credentialing pathway into a real clinical role rather than a long pre-med arc. It rewards spatial visualization (echocardiography in particular requires reading 2D and 3D ultrasound images of a beating heart), comfort with sterile-field protocols and procedure-room pressure, and steady documentation. Day-to-day at the staff-tech level mixes hands-on patient imaging, procedure-room assistance during interventional cardiology cases, equipment maintenance and calibration, and tight clinical handoffs to physicians.

One grounded observation about scale and program landscape: 1,133 students complete this CIP across 90 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $70,853 and associate’s grads $65,448 — strong wages for a credential the labor market gates at the associate’s level. The named SOC, Cardiovascular technologists and technicians, pays $67,260 with 3% projected growth. Producer concentration is unusual: Smith Chason College (156), Eastwick College Ramsey (121), and Eastwick College Nutley (87) anchor a heavily for-profit, vocational-college producer base targeting working-adult career changers, while community colleges (Grossmont, Harrisburg Area, Kirtland) and university programs (Pontifical Catholic of Puerto Rico, Columbia Central) round out the distribution. Program quality varies considerably across the for-profit landscape — verify CAAHEP/JRC-CVT accreditation and graduation-rate data before enrolling.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary $106k +17.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians $67k +3.0% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$67k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$65k

Bachelor's

$71k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you want a fast clinical credentialing pathway into a real procedural role rather than a long pre-med arc; you have strong spatial visualization and can handle reading 2D and 3D ultrasound images of moving anatomy; you’re comfortable with sterile-field protocols and the pressure of cath-lab procedure rooms; you’re drawn specifically to cardiology rather than general imaging; and you’re willing to invest in clinical-rotation competition to land a strong supervised-hours placement during the program.

Reasons to pause: the producer landscape is heavily for-profit and vocational-college driven, with Smith Chason, Eastwick (two campuses), and Concorde anchoring the top — program quality varies considerably across these schools, so verify CAAHEP/JRC-CVT accreditation and graduation-rate data before enrolling. The named SOC projects only 3% growth, and clinical-hour bottlenecks during the program can delay credentialing more than hiring scarcity does. If you want broader imaging flexibility across body systems, Diagnostic Medical Sonography (CIP 51.0910, 5,766 completions) covers more territory; if you want the highest-paying cardiac procedural role, cardiovascular perfusion is a separate master’s-level credential paying $130,000+ that the bachelor’s here can ramp toward.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Smith Chason College Los Angeles, CA 144 12 156
Eastwick College-Ramsey Ramsey, NJ 118 3 121
Eastwick College-Nutley Nutley, NJ 87 0 87
Grossmont College El Cajon, CA 34 0 34
Southeast Technical College Sioux Falls, SD 26 0 26
Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA 24 0 24
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce Ponce, PR 0 23 23
Columbia Central University-Caguas Caguas, PR 22 0 22
Kirtland Community College Grayling, MI 22 0 22
Concorde Career College-San Antonio San Antonio, TX 22 0 22
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer

9,572 completions/yr

Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist

6,344 completions/yr

Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician

5,766 completions/yr

Surgical Technology/Technologist

5,490 completions/yr

Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)

3,988 completions/yr

Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist

3,612 completions/yr

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other

869 completions/yr

Athletic Training/Trainer

812 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does a cardiovascular technologist actually do?
Two main tracks: invasive (cardiac catheterization labs, where you assist physicians during heart catheterization, angioplasty, stent placement, and electrophysiology procedures) and noninvasive (echocardiography, vascular ultrasound, EKG, and stress testing). The CIP coursework covers patient histories and clinical data, investigative and examination procedures, equipment operation, data analysis, physician consultation, and professional standards. Programs accredited by CAAHEP (through the JRC-CVT) build toward Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) certifications — RCIS for invasive, RCS or RVS for noninvasive.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is the associate’s enough?
The named SOC, Cardiovascular technologists and technicians (29-2031), shows associate’s as typical entry. The associate’s pays $65,448 nationally and the bachelor’s $70,853 — a real but modest gap. Most working CV techs are associate’s-credentialed. The bachelor’s makes sense if you want to ladder into echocardiography lab management, electrophysiology subspecialization, or a master’s in cardiovascular perfusion or healthcare administration later.
How does this compare to diagnostic medical sonography (CIP 51.0910)?
Diagnostic Medical Sonography (51.0910, 5,766 completions) is the broader and larger imaging credential — covering abdominal, OB/GYN, vascular, and cardiac ultrasound. Cardiovascular Technology (51.0901, 1,133 completions) is narrower and more cardiac-focused, with the invasive cath-lab option that sonography tracks don’t typically cover. If you want imaging flexibility across body systems, sonography signals broader; if you want the cath lab specifically or echocardiography exclusively, cardiovascular technology fits better.
Is the field hiring? How competitive is entry?
The named SOC projects 3% growth — modest but stable, driven by an aging population needing cardiac diagnosis and intervention. The bottleneck for new graduates is usually the clinical-hour rotation: programs require extensive supervised hours in cath labs and echo departments, and clinical-site competition can delay graduation. Once credentialed, hiring is generally available, particularly in metro areas with multiple cardiology practices and hospital systems with cath-lab capacity.
Why do for-profit colleges dominate this CIP’s producer list?
Smith Chason College (156 completions), Eastwick College Ramsey (121), Eastwick College Nutley (87), and Concorde Career College all anchor the producer list — a heavily for-profit, vocational-college pattern. These schools target the working-adult and career-change market with intensive clinical-hour programs aimed at fast credentialing. Public community-college programs (Grossmont, Harrisburg Area, Kirtland) and traditional university programs (Pontifical Catholic of Puerto Rico) round out the list. Verify program accreditation (CAAHEP/JRC-CVT) and graduation-rate data before enrolling — the for-profit landscape varies considerably in quality.
What’s the typical career trajectory?
Most students complete the associate’s, sit for CCI’s RCIS, RCS, or RVS exam, and start as a staff CV technologist at $55,000-$70,000 in metro markets. From there, common moves include lead technologist or supervisor roles after 3-5 years, electrophysiology subspecialization (typically requires additional vendor training and clinical hours), cath-lab management with a bachelor’s plus management experience, or laddering into cardiovascular perfusionist programs (a separate master’s-level credential paying $130,000+).