Sonography – Echocardiography Technology Admission Requirements

To be considered for the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program, students must be accepted to M State as an undergraduate student. The application for the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program is separate.

New to M State - Follow the admissions checklist at Admissions.

Returning to M State - Submit an online application for admission at Admissions. If you have attended another college since you last attended M State, you will also need to request the official transcript be sent to the M State Processing Center.  

M State Processing Center
1414 College Way 
Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Students should allow up to six weeks for transfer work to be received, evaluated and entered onto their Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) audit. Transfer courses will not count toward admission to the program until they have been evaluated by the M State transfer specialist and successfully transferred.

Current M State student - If you currently attend M State, you will not need to update your application to the college.

The Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program is a spring semester start program and an application must be submitted for an applicant to be considered for the program. Students who miss the spring start deadline may be eligible to enroll in general education courses and complete program admission requirements prior to the next spring start.

You must be accepted to M State to access the program application.

Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program application

Sonography-Echocardiography Technology applicants must complete all developmental English and/or math courses with a grade of C or higher. Placement in these courses may be determined by ACT, SAT, Accuplacer assessment or high school GPA. Guided self-placement for students who do not have an ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or high school GPA on file cannot be used for Sonography-Echocardiography Technology applicants.

Complete the Accuplacer assessment to determine which, if any, English and/or math developmental courses you need to complete. Sign up for the Accuplacer assessment at Testing.

Math scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into MATH 1114 College Algebra or higher. Students testing into developmental math must complete the highest-level developmental course with a grade of C or higher prior to starting the program.

Reading scores on the Accuplacer/ACT or high school GPA must place the student into ENGL 1101 College Writing. Students testing into developmental English must complete the highest-level developmental course with a grade of C or higher prior to starting the program.

Applicants must earn an overall score of 60 or higher on the HSRT-AD to be considered for admission.

Points will be awarded based on the score achieved. 

90-100 = 10 points 
80-89 = 7 points    
70-79 = 4 points 
60-69 = 1 point 
59 or below = not eligible 

HSRT-AD scores expire one year after the test date. HSRT-AD scores must be valid at the time of the application deadline.

Applicants are allowed to take the HSRT-AD up to two times for the Spring 2027 application cycle. If taking the test for a second time, applicants must wait two weeks (14 calendar days) between test attempts. 

The HSRT-AD must be taken at an M State campus. For more information regarding the HSRT-AD, including special accommodations, exam dates and how to register, visit HSRT Exam. 

The following courses must be completed prior to the start of the core Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program spring semester: 

• BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lecture (3 credits)*
• BIOL 2261 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab (1 credit)*
• HLTH 1116 Medical Terminology (3 credits)
• PHYS 1105 Fundamental Concepts of Physics (3 credits)

All prerequisite courses must be completed or in-progress at the time of the application deadline (Sept. 15). If courses have been completed or are in-progress at another college, transcripts must be received at M State prior to the application deadline.

*Course must have been completed within five years prior to the program start date. For the spring 2027 program start, the course must have been taken in spring 2022 or later.

The following criteria are not required to be considered for the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program. If you have completed the optional admission criteria prior to the application deadline, you may increase your chance of acceptance. Please see the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator to determine how points are awarded.

• Completion of the following prerequisite courses:
  • BIOL 2260 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lecture* (3 credits)
  • BIOL 2261 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab* (1 credit)
  • HLTH 1116 Medical Terminology (3 credits)
  • PHYS 1105 Fundamental Concepts in Physics (3 credits)
• Completion of M State's HLTH 1000 Intro to Healthcare course (3 credits)
• Healthcare work experience - Must be in an allied health or direct patient care role at a hospital, clinic, or long-term care facility
• Specialty certification in one of the following areas: RDMS, RVT, or CNA 
• M State graduate from a health sciences program (i.e., certificate, diploma or associate degree program)
• Graduate from a health sciences program at another accredited college or a bachelor's degree from an accredited college

*Course must have been completed within five years prior to the program start date. For the spring 2027 start, the course must have been taken spring 2022 or later.

Calculate points for admission to the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program.

Program applicants will be assigned points for their HSRT-AD overall score and additional optional admission criteria. The additional optional criteria, referred to as "beneficial admission criteria," may increase your chances of being accepted to the program. To receive points, admission criteria must be completed and/or submitted by the application deadline. 

The Sonography-Echocardiography Technology Application Assessment Points Calculator will assist you in determining how points are awarded. 

All eligible applicants will be ranked by their total points earned.

In the case of one more ties, an applicant's HSRT-AD overall score will be used as a tiebreaker.

The sixteen (16) eligible applicants who score the highest will be selected for admission to the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program. The next six (6) students will be placed on the waiting list as alternates and offered a seat in the program should an opening occur. 

Accepted students who have prerequisite courses in-progress must earn a grade of C or higher in the course to be eligible to start the Sonography-Echocardiography program.

Each student who has submitted a complete admissions file by the posted application deadline will receive an email from the college indicating whether they have been accepted into the program, placed on the program waiting list as an alternate or are currently ineligible for the program.

Applicants will be notified within 30 days after the application deadline.

Accepted students will need to complete a Minnesota Department of Human Services background check. A $54.50 fee will be required for processing the background check and fingerprinting/photo.

Accepted students who choose not to complete the background study or who do not clear may not be permitted to attend clinical experiences or service learning opportunities. In such cases, the college cannot guarantee alternative learning opportunities, which ultimately will affect the students’ ability to complete the program.

M State does not require a national background check for admission to the Sonography-Echocardiography Technology program, but the national background check is necessary when required by a clinical site. The program director will assist with this process if necessary. Students required to complete a national background check are responsible for the fees. Any discrepancy may prevent the student from participating in or completing the clinical requirement.

Accepted students are required to complete a health form before they are eligible to start core sonography-echocardiography technology courses.

Students spend six hours of lab per week with an instructor. Students are expected to spend additional time on their own during open lab time. Use of open lab is critical to students' success in the program.

Students will be placed at a clinical internship for approximately the last six months of the program. For many students, this may require relocation. Clinical sites vary each year for a multitude of reasons. Placement locations will be distributed to students as soon as possible; however, that will likely be the same semester clinical starts.