LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College’s Radiographic Science online degree program has been ranked the fourth best program in the country among all college and universities by EduMed.org in its annual rankings, which were released this week.
EduMed.org praised LC State for its ability to help X-ray technologists who already have their radiology technology credentials and students currently in its associate degree program earn their bachelor’s degree in less than a year online.
LC State was one of seven schools to earn a ranking for radiography online degree programs and the only one located west of Texas. University of Louisiana-Monroe, Northwestern State University (La.) and East Tennessee State University were the only schools ranked ahead of LC State.
“The LC State radiography program is well known for exceptional learning opportunities with classes taught by highly qualified faculty dedicated to student success,” said Krista Harwick, chair of the LC State Nursing & Health Sciences Division. “Students engage in hands-on experiential learning with modern equipment such as digital portable X-ray machines that they will utilize in the health care setting. Our graduates are in high demand and each year, the majority accept radiography jobs prior to graduation.”
LC State offers an associate degree in radiographic science on its campus and bachelor’s degrees in Radiographic Science and Radiographic Science: Computed Tomography, both online. To earn an associate degree, the competitive program consists of one year of preprofessional courses and two years of professional clinical theory and courses. The program takes 98 credits to complete for an associate degree and then another 22 credits for either bachelor’s degrees.
The program prepares students for the national radiography certification examination offered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
LC State’s program prepares graduates to work in clinics, hospitals and medical centers. Careers include radiographic technologists, radiography education faculty, physician/radiologist assistant, radiology supervisor, or clinical instructor.
For the rankings, EduMed.org researched more than 7,700 accredited schools using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and from the schools themselves. EduMed.org’s data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools for each health care discipline. Schools with the best combinations of online learning opportunity, affordability, and student support earned top honors. To be eligible, a school must hold active regional accreditation and have at least one partially online program in the ranking subject. Just eight percent of postsecondary institutions across the country earned a ranking position.
EduMed.org connects students with expert-driven information about education, training, and financial aid opportunities in health care and medical support. EduMded.org began its rankings in 2018 to help students find the best and most affordable online degree programs in more than 30 medical and health fields.
Last year, EduMed.org ranked LC State’s RN to BSN online program as the ninth overall most affordable and the 11th best online program. LC State was one of just two schools in the entire West region to earn such distinction.