Allied Health Diagnostic Degree

195 schools compared · Average earnings $59,453/yr

Students study specialized diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, including respiratory therapy, surgical technology, emergency medical services, and diagnostic imaging. Graduates typically pursue careers as respiratory therapists, surgical technologists, EMTs/paramedics, and diagnostic sonographers in hospitals and specialty clinics. These specialized healthcare roles offer strong starting salaries and the satisfaction of directly improving patient outcomes.

What Allied Health Diagnostic Graduates Do

You’ll work on the front lines of healthcare, using advanced technology to diagnose and treat patients. As a diagnostic medical sonographer, you might use ultrasound to capture images for a cardiologist, while a respiratory therapist manages ventilators for critically ill patients in the ICU. Many graduates also pursue advanced training to become Physician Assistants (PAs), collaborating with doctors to diagnose illnesses and develop treatment plans.

With experience, you can advance to lead a team of technologists, specialize in a complex area like MRI, or move into departmental management. High-demand roles like PA and respiratory therapist are growing exceptionally fast, while other technical positions offer steady, stable demand. A key advantage of this field is its resilience to automation. While AI will become a tool to help analyze data, it can’t replicate the hands-on skill needed to position an anxious patient, the critical judgment to manage life support, or the empathy required in direct patient care. This makes your career fundamentally human-centered and secure.

Schools Offering
195
Avg Grad Earnings
$59,453/yr
Avg DegreeOutlook Score
57/100
AI Automation Risk
Moderate
33% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Allied Health Diagnostic graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 121,200 combined openings per year.

Career Path Salary Range Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Physician assistants
$133,260
$114K$160K
12,000 +20.4% 17%
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
$105,620
$74K$176K
27,400 +17.3% 48%
Nuclear medicine technologists
$97,020
$83K$108K
900 +3.0% 29%
Diagnostic medical sonographers
$89,340
$78K$104K
5,800 +13.0% 30%
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
$88,180
$78K$102K
2,600 +7.1% 32%
Respiratory therapists
$80,450
$68K$96K
8,800 +12.1% 20%
Radiologic technologists and technicians
$77,660
$63K$94K
12,900 +4.3% 38%
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
$67,260
$46K$91K
3,800 +3.0% 36%
Surgical technologists
$62,830
$52K$77K
7,000 +4.5% 7%
Surgical assistants
$60,290
$49K$81K
1,600 +5.1% 4%
Athletic trainers
$60,250
$52K$71K
2,400 +11.1% 28%
Occupational health and safety technicians
$58,440
$50K$75K
3,400 +8.5% 40%
Paramedics
$58,410
$48K$68K
4,900 +5.0% 15%
Health technologists and technicians, all other
$48,790
$41K$62K
13,600 +5.2% 52%
Emergency medical technicians
$41,340
$37K–$48K
14,100 +5.1% 21%
Physician assistants
$133,260
$114K $160K
12,000 openings/yr +20.4% growth 17% AI risk
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
$105,620
$74K $176K
27,400 openings/yr +17.3% growth 48% AI risk
Nuclear medicine technologists
$97,020
$83K $108K
900 openings/yr +3.0% growth 29% AI risk
Diagnostic medical sonographers
$89,340
$78K $104K
5,800 openings/yr +13.0% growth 30% AI risk
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists
$88,180
$78K $102K
2,600 openings/yr +7.1% growth 32% AI risk
Respiratory therapists
$80,450
$68K $96K
8,800 openings/yr +12.1% growth 20% AI risk
Radiologic technologists and technicians
$77,660
$63K $94K
12,900 openings/yr +4.3% growth 38% AI risk
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
$67,260
$46K $91K
3,800 openings/yr +3.0% growth 36% AI risk
Surgical technologists
$62,830
$52K $77K
7,000 openings/yr +4.5% growth 7% AI risk
Surgical assistants
$60,290
$49K $81K
1,600 openings/yr +5.1% growth 4% AI risk
Athletic trainers
$60,250
$52K $71K
2,400 openings/yr +11.1% growth 28% AI risk
Occupational health and safety technicians
$58,440
$50K $75K
3,400 openings/yr +8.5% growth 40% AI risk
Paramedics
$58,410
$48K $68K
4,900 openings/yr +5.0% growth 15% AI risk
Health technologists and technicians, all other
$48,790
$41K $62K
13,600 openings/yr +5.2% growth 52% AI risk
Emergency medical technicians
$41,340
$37K–$48K
14,100 openings/yr +5.1% growth 21% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Allied Health Diagnostic

Top 20 of 195 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA
83
81–83
$135,384/yr 29.4x
2 California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA
83
81–83
$100,724/yr 36.4x
3 Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
81
79–81
$92,165/yr 22.2x
4 National University
San Diego, CA
80
79–80
$92,748/yr 19.3x
5 Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA
78
77–77
$78,175/yr 23.5x
6 Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR
77
75–76
$83,906/yr 16.2x
7 University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College
Blue Ash, OH
77
76–77
$75,317/yr 26.9x
8 Valencia College
Orlando, FL
77
76–77
$68,564/yr 81.3x
9 Boise State University
Boise, ID
76
75–76
$76,843/yr 20.7x
10 Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD
75
74–75
$80,088/yr 16.9x
11 Indiana University-Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
75
74–74
$71,505/yr 18.1x
12 University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC
75
75–75
$67,997/yr 25.4x
13 Weber State University
Ogden, UT
75
74–75
$67,333/yr 27.1x
14 University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Albuquerque, NM
74
74–74
$57,714/yr 24.5x
15 Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX
73
72–73
$67,953/yr 17.2x
16 Wagner College
Staten Island, NY
72
71–72
$129,269/yr 6.3x
17 D'Youville University
Buffalo, NY
72
70–72
$101,885/yr 7.3x
18 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH
72
71–72
$75,317/yr 13.4x
19 Indiana University-Northwest
Gary, IN
72
72–72
$68,086/yr 19.4x
20 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Norman, OK
72
72–72
$67,979/yr 17.4x

Highest Earning Allied Health Diagnostic Programs

Schools where Allied Health Diagnostic graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

Best ROI for Allied Health Diagnostic

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Allied Health Diagnostic.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
Valencia College 81.3x $68,564/yr 77
California State University-Northridge 36.4x $100,724/yr 83
Columbia Southern University 35.1x $83,927/yr 69
CUNY New York City College of Technology 30.6x $92,818/yr 70
Western Carolina University 30.5x $53,398/yr 68
University of Washington-Seattle Campus 29.4x $135,384/yr 83
Weber State University 27.1x $67,333/yr 75
University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College 26.9x $75,317/yr 77
Georgia Southern University 26.6x $58,026/yr 72
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 25.4x $67,997/yr 75
Want to compare two Allied Health Diagnostic programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Allied Health Diagnostic offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Allied Health Diagnostic graduates earn?
Across 195 schools, Allied Health Diagnostic graduates earn an average of $59,453 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $8,300 to $144,190 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Allied Health Diagnostic?
Allied Health Diagnostic is rated "Moderate" for AI automation risk, with an average of 33% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Allied Health Diagnostic program?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranks #1 for Allied Health Diagnostic with a score of 83/100 and graduate earnings of $135,384/yr.
What's the outlook for a Allied Health Diagnostic degree?
On average, Allied Health Diagnostic graduates earn 11.4x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →