Radiologic Science Major: Diagnostic Medical Sonography with General/Vascular Emphasis - BS

(College of Science and Health)

Admission

Admission to the program is on a competitive basis. The number of students admitted to the major is dependent on the number of clinical internship sites and their student capacity. The clinical internship sites are affiliated professional and accredited schools of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Applications are available on each clinical internship/school of diagnostic medical sonography website (linked below) or on UWL's Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program website.

  1. Students are advised to apply for admission to the professional program early in the late fall prior to desired admission, after having taken or registered for all general education and pre-professional requirements.
  2. Applicants are required to have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a grade of "C" or higher in all general education and pre-professional courses. Applicants are required to have a minimum pre-professional grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  3. Students must have a recent set of immunizations prior to admission to comply with clinical internship policy.
  4. Applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, or parental status.
  5. Students for whom English is a second language must earn a minimum score of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), or 100 (internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam within two years prior to application to the program.
  6. Students will need to have their current CNA with 100 hours of documented patient care experience.
  7. Students must have current CPR certification in adult, child and infant through the AHA with the Basic Life Support CPR.
  8. Students must have completed eight hours of job shadowing in ultrasound. See program website for specific requirements of job shadowing.
  9. Applications must be submitted in full by mid-December deadline to the school of diagnostic medical sonography.
Selection process

The university sponsors the number of students which are accepted to affiliated, professional schools of diagnostic medical sonography which serve as the clinical internship sites. The size of the program is limited by these internships. Students must make formal application to the various diagnostic medical sonography programs during the fall semester of their second year. Refer to the sample degree plan tab.

The clinical internship/schools of diagnostic medical sonography maintains a selection committee. The committee evaluates each application on the basis of the applicant’s past academic performance (a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for admission into the professional program), their references, their past work experience, and the results of a formal interview. Based on these factors, the applicants are ranked and accepted for entry into the professional program.

Acceptance is effective at the beginning of the third year and conditional upon successful completion of courses in progress at the time of notification of acceptance. Selection is also conditional upon students' compliance with state laws for caregivers including submission to a criminal background check.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program affiliated clinical internship sites:
1

General vascular students who are admitted to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences (MCSHS) to complete the required two year-long program at the MCSHS enroll at MCSHS rather than at UW-La Crosse. The courses taken during the two year-long program at MCSHS meet UW-La Crosse DMS-General/Vascular Program requirements. The student must request an official transcript be be sent to UW-La Crosse from MCSHS. Upon successful completion of the program and all other graduation requirements, the students are awarded the Bachelor of Science degree from UW-La Crosse. The Mayo School of Health Sciences (MCSHS) grants a certificate of completion in diagnostic medical sonography.

Curriculum

102 total credits, including internship

Retention of good standing in the program requires students maintain a grade of "C" or higher in all required courses, as well as a semester and cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Pre-professional requirements
BIO 105General Biology 24
BIO 312Human Anatomy and Physiology I4
BIO 313Human Anatomy and Physiology II4
CHM 103General Chemistry I5
HP 250Medical Terminology for Health Professions1
HP 310Pathophysiology4
MTH 150College Algebra 2,34
or MTH 151 Precalculus
or MTH 175 Applied Calculus
or MTH 207 Calculus I
PSY 100General Psychology 23
PHY 134Physics for Nuclear and Radiological Sciences4
Total Credits33
 
Clinical internship requirements 4
Year 3 Fall
DMS 301Introduction to Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound3
DMS 302Vascular Sonography I3
DMS 310General/Vascular Clinical Education I3
DMS 326Abdominal Sonography I3
DMS 330OB/GYN Sonography I3
Year 3 Spring
DMS 303Vascular Sonography II3
DMS 304Sonographic Principles and Instrumentation3
DMS 311General/Vascular Clinical Education II3
DMS 327Abdominal Sonography II3
DMS 331OB/GYN Sonography II3
Year 3 Summer
DMS 312General/Vascular Clinical Education III3
DMS 332OB/GYN Sonography III3
DMS 428Abdominal Sonography III3
Year 4 Fall
DMS 401Vascular Sonography III3
DMS 410General/Vascular Clinical Education IV3
DMS 420Specialized Sonography3
DMS 421Seminar in OB/GYN: Introduction to Fetal Echocardiography3
DMS 422Introduction to Neurosonography3
Year 4 Spring
DMS 402Seminar in Professional Development3
DMS 403Seminar in Management, Research, and Education3
DMS 404Seminar in Advanced Medical Imaging: Vascular3
DMS 411General/Vascular Clinical Education V3
DMS 423Introduction to Musculoskeletal Sonography3
Total Credits69
2

This course will also fulfill general education requirements.

3

Students whose math placement exam places them in MTH 151 or higher are not required to take MTH 150, but are required to meet minimum requirements of the General Education: Mathematical/Logical Systems and Modern Languages Category. STAT 145 is encouraged.

4

Students in this major are exempt from the General Education Program's writing emphasis requirements and will instead be expected to meet the writing requirements from the accredited off-campus curriculum.

All students must complete the general education, college core (waived for radiologic science majors), major/minor, and university degree requirements in order to qualify for a degree. The easiest way to track all of these requirements is to refer to the Advisement Report (AR) found in the Student Information System (WINGS) Student Center. All enrolled students have access to the AR.  
 

Baccalaureate degree requirements

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degrees must accomplish the following:

  1. Fulfill the general education requirements.
  2. Complete at least one ethnic studies (diversity) course.
  3. Complete the courses prescribed by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for the degree desired in the respective school or college.
  4. Earn a minimum of 120 semester credits with at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA.1, 2
  5. At least 40 credits must be earned in 300/400 level courses. Transfer courses earned or transferred at the 300/400 level apply to this requirement.
  6. Complete major and minor requirements with at least a 2.00 GPA1, 2 in each major and minor (and concentration or emphasis, if selected).
  7. A minimum of 30 semester credits in residence at UWL is required for graduation. (See undergraduate resident requirement.)
  8. Submit an application for graduation via the "Apply for Graduation" link in the WINGS Student Center as soon as the student has registered for his or her final semester or summer term in residence. December and winter intersession graduates should apply by May 1. May and summer graduates should apply by December 1.
1

Grade point average requirements for some programs will be considerably higher than 2.00. Re-entering students may be required to earn credits in excess of the 120 needed for graduation in any curriculum in order to replace credits earned in courses in which the content has changed substantially in recent years. Each case will be judged on its own merit.

2

The grade point average recorded at the time the degree is awarded will not be affected by future enrollment.

No degree will be awarded unless all requirements are fulfilled and recorded within 30 days after the official ending date of each term.

Below is a sample degree plan that can be used as a guide to identify courses required to fulfill the major and other requirements needed for degree completion. A student's actual degree plan may differ depending on the course of study selected (second major, minor, etc.). Also, this sample plan assumes readiness for each course and/or major plan, and some courses may not be offered every term. Review the course descriptions or the class timetable for course offering information.

The sample degree plans represented in this catalog are intended for first-year students entering UWL in the fall term. Students should use the Advisement Report (AR) in WINGS and work closely with their faculty advisor(s) and college dean’s office to ensure declaration and completion of all requirements in a timely manner.

General Education Program
The general education curriculum (Gen Ed) is the common educational experience for all undergraduates at UWL. Sample degree plans include Gen Ed placeholders to ensure completion of the general education requirements. Courses may be rearranged to fit the needs or recommendations of the student’s program of study. Gen Ed courses may be taken during winter term (January between the semesters) and summer to reduce the course load during regular terms (fall and spring). Students should consult with their advisor and/or the college academic services director in their college/school for assistance with course and schedule planning. Refer to the general education requirements for more specific details.

At least 40 credits of the 120 credits required must be earned at the 300/400-level. 

Note: New students and transfer students with less than 12 credits earned are required to take FYS 100 First-Year Seminar (3 cr.) during one of their first two semesters at UWL.

This sample degree plan does not establish a contractual agreement. It identifies the minimum requirements a student must successfully complete, to qualify for a degree, in a format intended to assist the student in planning their academic career. Actual degree plans may differ.

This major is exempt from the CSH College Core requirement.

Year 1
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
FYS 100 (Gen Ed First-Year Seminar)3CHM 103 (Gen Ed Natural Lab Science)15 
BIO 105 (Gen Ed Natural Lab Science)14CST 110 (Gen Ed Literacy-Oral)3 
MTH 150 (Gen Ed Math/Logical Systems)1,24Gen Ed World History3 
ENG 110 or 1123Gen Ed Math/Lang/Logical Systems4 
 14 15  
Year 2
FallCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
BIO 3124BIO 3134HP 31034
PSY 100 (Gen Ed Self and Society)13HP 2501 
Gen Ed Health & Well-Being3PHY 1344 
Gen Ed Global Studies3Gen Ed Humanistic Studies3 
Gen Ed Arts2-3Gen Ed Minority Studies3 
Apply to UW Health DMS program by mid-December deadline Gen Ed Arts2-3 
 15 17 4
Year 3
FallCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
DMS 3013DMS 3033DMS 3123
DMS 3023DMS 3043DMS 3323
DMS 3103DMS 3113DMS 4283
DMS 3263DMS 3273 
DMS 3303DMS 3313 
 15 15 9
Year 4
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
DMS 4013DMS 4023 
DMS 4103DMS 4033 
DMS 4203DMS 4043 
DMS 4213DMS 4113 
DMS 4223DMS 4233 
 15 15  
Total Credits: 134
1

This course will also fulfill general education requirements.

2

Students whose math placement exam places them in MTH 151 or higher are not required to take MTH 150, but are required to take STAT 145 and meet minimum requirements of the General Education: Mathematical/Logical Systems and Modern Languages Category.

3

This course should be taken off-campus during the summer.