Radiologic Science Things to Know

The Radiologic Science program at TCC is in Diagnostic Radiography only, and is accredited in Radiography by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT).

Upon successful completion of the curriculum courses, graduates may be eligible to take the national certification examination administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). The ARRT has additional criteria that must be met prior to examination. Successful completion of the registry examination results in national certification as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, RT (R) ARRT.

For more information regarding the radiologic technology profession, please visit the American Society of Radiologic Technologist’s website at www.asrt.org.

All prerequisites can be found in the TCC online Catalog, under the “Requirements” tab.

Many students come to TCC with credit from other colleges. If you are not yet a TCC student, the first step will be to apply to the college so your transcripts can be reviewed. As part of that process, you will also meet with an Academic Advisor to see what additional courses you may need to take. If you have specific questions about applying to the college and the transcript review process, please connect with Enrollment Services. Note that the Healthcare Pathway administrative team cannot evaluate transcripts for equivalency.

Most of the prerequisites for the program are listed with the “&” symbol. If you're taking classes at a Washington State community or technical college, look for the corresponding course at the other college with the & symbol. (e.g., BIOL& 241.) This tells you we have already aligned the learning outcomes of the course to ensure a smooth transfer of credits to TCC. Still not sure? Please talk to an advisor at the college you're currently attending.

To see what courses would transfer over as equivalents, you would need to complete TCCs admissions process (note that this is completely separate from the Radiologic Science program application). As part of that process, you will also speak with a Healthcare Pathways Academic Advisor to create a plan for what additional courses you may need to take.

All prerequisites must be completed, with final grades posted, prior to the application deadline.

Yes. There is no time requirement for when the prerequisite classes were completed. That said, this program moves very quickly, and we expect students to have a baseline knowledge of anatomy, physiology, math and physics. If you completed those classes more than 5 to 7 years before the start of the program, refreshing the material may help you feel more confident and keep pace with the coursework.

We typically accept 40-48 students each year, with one cohort beginning in fall quarter and one cohort beginning in spring quarter. This number is not arbitrary – it is based upon clinical site availability with our network of clinical partners.

While we do have a waitlist of qualified applicants following an application cycle, the program does not hold those waitlists into the following academic year. Students who are not offered acceptance into the program are welcome to re-apply the following year.

Tacoma Community College does not conduct background checks, so there would be no issue with you becoming a student or getting accepted into a Healthcare Pathway program. However, Washington State and national criminal background checks are required by all of our clinical affiliates to participate in required clinical rotations. Certain conviction history could exclude you from being assigned to specific clinical sites, health care employment, or the ability to sit for the ARRT exam. If you have any prior convictions, please visit the ARRT Ethics Requirements for more information.

No, we do not provide extra points or preference for an advanced degree. Please review the application rubric for more information. The only grades that are factored into the points for GPA are the six prerequisite courses.

No, we do not provide extra points or preference for an advanced degree. Please review the application rubric for more information.

Part-time and evening options for class and lab work are not available at this time. You can expect to be on-campus during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Clinical rotations differ, and may include early morning, evening or weekend shifts.

We will never tell students that they cannot work while enrolled in the program – everyone has responsibilities and expenses outside of school. However, we also want to be incredibly candid: This program is full-time and requires a lot of time and dedication in order to retain all of the information that is presented. A time breakdown is provided in the “How many hours per week can I anticipate dedicating to classes, homework and studying?” question.  

The Radiologic Science program is full-time, meaning you can expect to work close to 50-60 hours per week on classes, labs, clinicals, and outside study time.

Credit Breakdown:

• Didactic/Lecture: 1 credit = 1 hour in class
• Lab: 1 credit = 2 hours in lab
• Clinicals: 1 credit = 3 hours in clinicals

Example Time Breakdown (once clinicals start): Year One (Quarter Two): Roughly 60-70 hours per week

• Didactic courses + lab: 9 credits = approximately 10 hours per week
• Clinicals: 7 credits = 21 hours in clinicals per week
• Commute: Depends on clinical location, but could be up to 10+ hours per week.
• Study/homework time: In general, plan on spending 2-3 hours per credit hour on homework and studying.

As faculty schedules and availability differ each quarter, we do not have a concrete schedule to share at this time. You can expect classes to be scheduled during the hours of Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Clinical schedules also vary based on availability from our healthcare partners. In general, clinical schedules range from early morning (5 a.m.) to late evening (11 p.m.) Please refer to the question above regarding how many hours you can expect to dedicate to the program per week.

Yes – there are many resources available to help with the costs of the program. Please see links below for more information on what is available to you.

• Financial Aid (including FAFSA/WASFA funding)
• Workforce Education funding
• Scholarships

No, there is only one application cycle per year, in Spring quarter for the following academic year

There is a space within the application where you can indicate your preference on starting the program in Fall or Spring quarter. If accepted, we will do our best to accommodate your request, but cannot guarantee that you will receive your first choice.

Yes, you can apply to multiple Healthcare Pathway programs at TCC. Please ensure that you have a plan in place if you are accepted to multiple programs.

If you are accepted to multiple programs, you will need to select one program to enroll in. Students cannot hold spots in multiple selective entry Healthcare Pathway programs at the same time. Once you accept a seat in one program, your application will automatically be withdrawn from all other programs that you applied to during the same application cycle.

Healthcare Pathway staff cannot evaluate courses for equivalency – that must be completed as part of the application process to Tacoma Community College. If you would like your courses evaluated for equivalency to any of the required pre-requisite courses, we recommend you apply to the college and submit official transcripts for evaluation.

• Final grades in all required pre-requisite courses
• Unofficial transcripts from all colleges where pre-requisite courses were taken, including transcripts from TCC. These will need to be saved as a PDF file and uploaded to your application portal.

There is a list of previously accepted roles on the Application Process Page. If your role is not included in that list, or if you would like verification that the work you completed will qualify for points on an application rubric, please email a full job description to HealthPrograms@tacomacc.edu. Our team can then review the information and provide you with an answer.

To receive points on an application rubric, your letter must follow outlined requirements. The letter must be from a former supervisor or HR representative and be written on company letterhead. To maintain an equitable process for application reviews, and to verify work that was completed, we cannot make exceptions to those requirements.

If you have a letter from a former employer that includes all required information except a description of the work performed, you can also upload your official job description as a supplemental document. Note that this description of your work must be from an official organization and cannot be self-created.

Before you can upload any required documentation, you must first submit the questionnaire portion of the application. Once you confirm that all information is accurate and click, “Submit”, you will then be taken to the Status Page where you can upload documents. Note that once the questionnaire is submitted, you cannot return to it to make any changes.

If you have any questions during the application process, you can reach our team at HealthPrograms@tacomacc.edu. Additionally, we will have several Application Workshops scheduled during the months of May and June. During those times, you can come to campus and submit your application with help from our administrative team. If you do not have a TCC account, you can bring your own laptop to work from. Please keep an eye on the website for details of when those will be scheduled.

For all documentation requirements, please review the Document and Submission Requirements PDF, which can be found on the Application Process Page.

The application rubrics for Imaging Sciences and Respiratory Therapy include points for earned GPA of pre-requisite courses. In order to award points for an earned grade, proof of GPA for each pre-requisite is required. If no letter grade or GPA was assigned, or an “S” grade was transcribed for any completed courses, additional proof of earned GPA must be uploaded along with unofficial transcripts. If no proof of earned GPA can be provided, a minimum qualifying grade would be assigned. This would equate to a “C” for Radiologic Science and Respiratory Therapy applications and “C+” for DMS applications.

Accepted documentation for proof of an earned letter grade should include the institution where the course was taken, along with the student’s final letter grade for the course. An official transcript, or a signed letter from any of the following would be acceptable:

• A signed letter from the institution where the course was taken. This could be provided from the Registrar’s Office or a Dean.
• A signed letter from the instructor who taught the course, on official institution letterhead.
• A signed letter from a military officer. 

We will begin reviewing all submissions once the application window closes on July 1st. You can expect to hear feedback approximately 4-6 weeks after that time.

If you select “yes” to a question that requires documentation, you will need to upload a document to that category in order for your application to be deemed complete. Please keep in mind that once you submit your questionnaire, you will not be able to make any changes. Make sure that all answers are accurate before you click submit.

AP courses are acceptable as equivalencies for certain prerequisite courses. For a Healthcare Pathway application, you will need to upload your AP test score documentation from the College Board and your high school transcript for evaluation.

Per the Advanced Placement Policy, credit for advanced placement will be granted to high school seniors earning scores of three (3) or higher on the Educational Testing Service Advanced Placement Tests. A grade of “S” will be awarded in all courses where credit is granted, and the number of credits granted will be noted on the transcript. Refer to the “S” Grade question above for more details on how those scores are evaluated on Healthcare Pathway applications.

Please review the Advanced Placement (AP) AP Exam to TCC Equivalency Guide to determine if your AP course meets program prerequisite requirements.