Radiation Protection Technician

 

Types of Degrees Radiation Protection Technician Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many radiation protection/health physics technician graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	19
Bachelor’s Degree	14
Associate Degree	13
Basic Certificate	2

What Radiation Protection Technician Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to radiation protection/health physics technician 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 Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to radiation protection/health physics technician:

• 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.
• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a radiation protection/health physics technician student include the following:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Radiation Protection Technician?

Roughly 54% of the graduates are women, and 46% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of radiation protection/health physics technician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	3
White	8
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

How Much Do Radiation Protection Technician Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $55,270 to $79,970 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 Radiation Protection Technician

Some degrees associated with radiation protection/health physics technician may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for radiation protection/health physics technician careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	18.4%
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)	11.2%
Some College Courses	7.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	24.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	30.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.2%
Master’s Degree	4.8%

Online Radiation Protection Technician Programs

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)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
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 Radiation Protection Technician Worth It?

The median salary for a radiation protection/health physics technician grad is $55,270 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 39% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $307,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Radiation Protection Technician

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to radiation protection/health physics technician.

Major	Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	27,240
Physician Assistant	12,000
Radiologic Technology	10,633
Surgical Technology	7,412
Respiratory Care Therapy	6,569
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	6,160
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy	4,080
Athletic Training	3,408
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	2,012
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,367
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology	773
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	652
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	575
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	391
Polysomnography	233
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist	147
Mammography Technician/Technology	109
Cardiopulmonary Technology	51
Hearing Instrument Specialist	18
Orthopedic Technology	17
Gene/Genetic Therapy	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.