Cardiovascular Technology

Types of Degrees Cardiovascular Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many cardiovascular technology/technologist graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate’s Degree	883
Undergraduate Certificate	270
Bachelor’s Degree	205
Basic Certificate	71

What Cardiovascular Technology Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to cardiovascular technology/technologist were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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

cardiovascular technology/technologist majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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

As you progress with your cardiovascular technology/technologist degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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?

This major is dominated by women with about 73% of recent graduates being 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	48
Black or African American	81
Hispanic or Latino	237
White	466
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	44

Geographic Diversity

Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist appeals to people across the globe. About 0.8% 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 careers associated with cardiovascular technology/technologist require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

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 the 2018-2019 academic year, 90 schools offered some type of cardiovascular technology/technologist program. 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)	10	1
Certificate (1-2 years)	15	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	8	0
Associate’s Degree	59	2
Bachelor’s Degree	3	1
Post-Baccalaureate	10	1
Master’s Degree	2	1
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)	28,841
Radiologic Technology	9,673
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,958
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist	7,034
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	5,530
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	5,297
Athletic Training	4,064
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	1,908
Physician Assistant	811
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	773
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	645
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology/Technician	580
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	337
Polysomnography	322
Mammography Technician/Technology	73
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician	53
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist	43
Hearing Instrument Specialist	39
Gene/Genetic Therapy	17
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	10

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.