Cardiovascular Technology

Types of Degrees Cardiovascular Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many cardiovascular technology/technologist graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	891
Undergraduate Certificate	297
Bachelor’s Degree	165
Basic Certificate	54

What Cardiovascular Technology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to cardiovascular technology/technologist and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist Majors

Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist Majors

A major in cardiovascular technology/technologist prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist Majors

A major in cardiovascular technology/technologist will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Cardiovascular Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with cardiovascular technology/technologist:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	10.0%	$56,850

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Cardiovascular Technology?

The major attracts more women than men. About 76% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of cardiovascular technology/technologist majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	54
Black or African American	56
Hispanic or Latino	209
White	531
International Students	8
Other Races/Ethnicities	33

Geographic Diversity

Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist appeals to people across the globe. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Cardiovascular Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $58,730 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to cardiovascular technology/technologist. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Cardiovascular Technology

Some degrees associated with cardiovascular technology/technologist may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to cardiovascular technology/technologist have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	6.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	9.6%
Some College Courses	5.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	43.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	6.1%
Master’s Degree	12.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	2.6%
Doctoral Degree	8.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	6.4%

Online Cardiovascular Technology Programs

In 2019-2020, 90 schools offered a cardiovascular technology/technologist program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	16	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	7	0
Associate’s Degree	62	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Cardiovascular Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a cardiovascular technology/technologist grad is $58,730 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 47% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $376,600 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Cardiovascular Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to cardiovascular technology/technologist.

Major	Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	25,604
Physician Assistant	10,746
Radiologic Technology	9,366
Surgical Technology	7,150
Respiratory Care Therapy	7,025
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	5,400
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	5,275
Athletic Training	4,467
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,975
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	689
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	598
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	506
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	361
Polysomnography	243
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	123
Mammography Technician/Technology	74
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	47
Cardiopulmonary Technology	45
Hearing Instrument Specialist	25
Gene/Genetic Therapy	13
Orthopedic Technology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.