Those who wish to pursue health care careers in radiology should be aware of the long-term importance of obtaining at least an associate degree in the field. In 2009, the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) announced their intent to require all candidates for primary certification in Radiography, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Therapy, Sonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging through the ARRT to have an associate degree, according to the organization’s website. The requirement will go into effect beginning January 1, 2015.

Why does this matter? Because while certification through AART is voluntary, many states do use exams administered through ARRT to fulfill their state licensure requirements. Not to mention a good many employers prefer or require job candidates to be certified through AART, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Those graduating from programs on or before December 31, 2014, will be exempted from the degree requirement, ARRT announced. Currently the only certification through ARRT that requires a degree is for the Registered Radiologist Assistant certification — a requirement that has been in place since 2005. While the associate degree is the bare minimum education requirement for the above-mentioned certifications, bachelor’s degrees and graduate degrees will of course also meet the requirement.

This degree does not necessarily need to be in the radiologic sciences, and may actually be earned before entering a professional education program pertaining to radiology, according to the ARRT. Whether the degree is earned before your radiology education, after that education, or as a result of that program, you must have earned a degree to sit for the ARRT certification examination.

Keep in mind that if you are about to earn a certificate from a formal education program in the radiologic sciences, the degree requirement will not pertain to you; it won’t take effect until 2015. Post-primary credentials — such as certifications in mammography or CT — will not require a degree if you’ve earned your primary certification before the 2015 cutoff.

This change doesn’t mean hospital-based education programs that do not result in an associate degree will go the way of the buffalo. It merely means that you must have an associate degree one way or another to become certified through ARRT.

ARRT decided to make this move because its board of directors believes radiologic technologists must have the cognitive skills and knowledge attained through an associate degree program to provide the best quality of patient care. Especially valuable to a radiologic technologist are courses that teach “communication skills, sociological understanding, and psychological insights,” according to the ARRT.