Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital Plano sonography program costs $18,100. Here is how its graduates do.
A certificate, adult echocardiography program in Plano, 12 months (52 weeks), 1,496 contact hours.
We are still collecting data for this program. This page will be listed in search once it has published outcomes and a cost or program details.
The short version
- Its published cost is above the median for Texas sonography programs that publish one ($8,743).
- At 10% of the local median wage for diagnostic medical sonographers, the program cost is paid back in about 1.8 years.
These lines are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does.
How graduates do
JRC-DMS requires every accredited program to publish the same outcome measures, so they can be compared program to program. 3
Graduates who passed the ARDMS or CCI credentialing exams for their concentration, as the program reports it to JRC-DMS. Job placement: graduates employed in sonography, as the program reports it to JRC-DMS.
Where the money goes
Nine of every ten dollars goes to tuition (includes admin and lab fees, textbooks, loaner laptop, scrubs, cci rcs exam fee). Program page lists the same $18,000 tuition and $100 fee and says the CCI or ARDMS exam fee is reimbursed after passing. Tuition paid in two halves, Aug 15 and Mar 1.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition (includes admin and lab fees, textbooks, loaner laptop, scrubs, CCI RCS exam fee) | $18,000 |
| Application fee (non-refundable) | $100 |
| Total 1 | $18,100 |
* How we calculated this: Total is tuition plus the application fee, added together by us.
Not included: prerequisite courses and living costs. Student handbook Vol. 3.6, effective May 8, 2026.
What diagnostic medical sonographers earn around Dallas
The median yearly wage for diagnostic medical sonographers in the Dallas metro area is $98,810. 2 Payback time sets aside 10% of that each year toward the program cost.
Other sonography programs in the Dallas area
Compare all 6 sonography programs in the Dallas area
| Program | credential exam rate | Job placement | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas College, El Centro AAS, cardiac sonography, Dallas | 100% | 100% | $5,940 |
| Dallas College, El Centro AAS, general sonography, Dallas | 96.7% | 90.0% | $5,940 |
| Collin College, McKinney AAS, general sonography, McKinney | 94.7% | 95.0% | Not published |
| Parker University AAS, general sonography, Dallas | 79.0% | 93.0% | Not published |
| Collin College, McKinney AAS, cardiac sonography, McKinney | Not reported | Not reported | Not published |
| Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital Plano (this page) Certificate, adult echocardiography, Plano | Not reported | Not reported | $18,100 |
After you graduate: getting to work in Texas
Texas does not license sonographers. Employers typically require a national credential: ARDMS (the SPI exam plus a specialty exam, for RDMS, RDCS or RVT) or CCI (such as RCS).
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Pass the ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam.4 | $275 |
| Pass a specialty exam within five years of the SPI, for example Abdomen for the RDMS (AB).5 | $300 |
| Alternative for cardiac graduates: take the CCI Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS) exam as a graduate of an accredited cardiac ultrasound program.6 | $365not counted |
Typical fees to start working: $575. Counts the ARDMS route to the RDMS in abdomen: SPI ($275) plus the abdomen exam ($300). The CCI cardiac route ($365) is an alternative. There is no state fee. ARDMS credentials renew annually ($105 for RDMS, RDCS, RVT) with CME over a three-year cycle; CCI credentials renew for $165 with 36 CEUs per three-year cycle after the first renewal. Full guide: how to become a sonographer in Texas
With Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital Plano's published cost, the total to finish school and get credentialed is about $18,675, before prerequisites and living costs.
Program facts
- Credential
- Certificate, adult echocardiography
- Length
- 12 months (52 weeks), 1,496 contact hours
- Schedule
- Full time in person, weekdays 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with externships at Baylor Scott & White facilities
- Starts
- Fall (class started Sept 8, 2026); applications Feb 1 to Mar 31
- Before you apply
- An associate degree (bachelor's preferred) and 8 hours of human anatomy and physiology with a C or better within 8 years.
- Accreditation
- CAAHEP, on the recommendation of JRC-CVT, Accredited by CAAHEP on recommendation of JRC-CVT
- Leads to
- ARDMS or CCI credentialing exams
Sources and dates
- Cardiovascular Institute student handbook, Student handbook Vol. 3.6, effective May 8, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (29-2032), May 2025 estimates.
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (programs accredited by CAAHEP) (JRC-DMS), checked Nov. 2026.
- Inteleos/ARDMS SPI Exam, checked Nov 2026.
- ARDMS AB Exam, checked Nov 2026.
- CCI Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS), checked Nov 2026.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 4, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or JRC-DMS. Our independence policy