LEWISTON, Idaho – For the second straight year, Lewis-Clark State College’s radiographic science online degree program has been ranked No. 4 in the nation among all colleges and universities by EduMed.org in its annual rankings.
LC State is the only higher education institution in the Western United States ranked in the top 12 and was ranked second among all public institutions.
“LC State is proud to serve as the health care education hub of north Idaho,” LC State President Cynthia Pemberton said. “Our radiographic science program is well deserving of this recognition, and it is one of many excellent health-related programs we have both on-campus and online.”
The rankings are based on giving students the most affordable and comprehensive programs with accreditation, along with commitment to student success, according to EduMed.org.
LC State offers an Associate of Science (AS) degree in radiographic science on its campus and bachelor’s degrees in radiographic science and radiographic science: computed tomography, both online. To earn a radiographic science AS degree at LC State, 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 radiographic science bachelor’s program is for students who wish to further their education and for X-ray technologists who already have their RT credential and are interested in furthering their education. Upon successful completion of the radiographic science bachelor’s degree, graduates often pursue careers as radiology managers, supervisors, clinical instructors or radiography educators; while others seek programs for physician assistant, radiologist assistant, radiation therapy or medical school.
EduMed.org researched and analyzed more than 7,700 accredited schools using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and from the schools themselves. The website’s data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools. Primary data points include academic counseling services, career placement services, student-to-faculty ratio, tuition, percent of students receiving school-based financial aid, and amount of school-based aid per student.
To be eligible for the EduMed.org rankings, a school must hold active regional accreditation and have at least one partially online program in the ranking subject. Just 6% of U.S. postsecondary institutions earned a ranking for radiographic technology. EduMed.org’s rankings come at a time when the demand for trained healthcare professionals is on the rise. According to Mercer, a global consulting leader in health care, the U.S. will see millions of vacancies in critical health care positions by 2025. Nurse practitioner, nursing assistant and home health aide roles stand to experience some of the greatest shortages over the next three years and beyond. EduMed.org believes one solution to the health care shortage is to make higher education more accessible to students through online programs to help give students flexibility with their schedules.
EduMed.org set out in 2018 to support higher education in health care by providing complimentary resource materials and expert-driven guidebooks to help students find scholarships, financial aid and top degree programs in health care administration, public health, nursing, radiography and dozens of other key medical and health disciplines.
