Health Sciences (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound) (BHSc)
Build hands-on skills with cutting-edge ultrasound technology and graduate ready to work as a sonographer, using sound waves to help doctors see inside the body and diagnose patients.
Why choose this program?
A Health Sciences degree specializing in Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound will lead to a career as a sonographer. Sonographers are highly skilled health care professionals who use ultrasound to look inside a patient's body, evaluate the condition of various organs and record digital pictures.
Sonographers evaluate organs and structures such as the liver, kidneys, heart, thyroid, blood vessels, muscles, ovaries, and developing babies. Sonographers provide a summary of what they've discovered and discuss their findings with specialized doctors, who use this information to make a diagnosis.
Our program is , making students and graduates eligible for membership with . We also offer a 2-year post-diploma option designed to meet the needs of practicing sonographers that want to enhance their knowledge and expand career opportunities.
Careers
Sonographers usually work in hospitals or clinics, performing ultrasound exams that help doctors diagnose conditons; however, some sonographers work in related careers including managers, educators, or medical information technology (IT) specialists. You can also choose to focus your career on a specialized area such as cardiac or vascular sonography.
Future studies could include specialization in another area of sonography or programs at the graduate level in science or health.
Nova Scotia Health’s 2026–2027 new-graduate posting lists hourly pay of $38.74 to $47.50 for sonographers and $43.56 to $52.45 for cardiac sonographers.
What you will learn
As a Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound student, you will take core professional development courses with a concentration on ultrasound specific knowledge and skills like physics, anatomy and patient care, and apply it in specialized exams of the abdomen, heart, blood vessels and pregnancy. The program curriculum will prepare you to write the professional examinations.
At 17³Ô¹ÏÍøÔÚÏß, interprofessional collaboration starts in the classroom. Throughout your degree, you will work with students in other health programs to learn from each other, enable effective collaboration and improve patient outcomes.
Sample courses
Fundamentals of Sonography
Principles and Instrumentation of Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
Cross Sectional Anatomy for Multimodality ImagingÌý
Sonography of the Abdomen/Superficial Structures
Sonography in Obstetrics I
Sonography of the Reproductive System
Pathophysiology for Health SciencesÌý
Abdominal Imaging
Gynecological Imaging
Application of Ultrasound Instrumentation
Vascular UltrasoundÌý
Foundations in Clinical & Professional Education
Critical Research Appraisal and PracticesÌý
Health Law for Non-Lawyers
Interprofessional EducationÌý
Clinical practicumsÌý
After Years 1, 2 and 3, you complete a full-time clinical practicum in the summer, lasting 6 to 8 weeks, and Year 3 adds clinical education courses. Most placements are in Atlantic Canada, with some elsewhere in Canada, so plan to travel. Placement sites can change each year.
Customize your degree
Make the degree your own with optional Year 4 certificates in cardiac ultrasound, vascular ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging. If you are already a certified sonographer, you can earn your degree through our post-diploma option, full-time or part-time.
- Certificate in Cardiac UltrasoundÌý(15 credit hours)
- Certificate in Vascular UltrasoundÌý(15 credit hours)
- Certificate in Magnetic Resonance ImagingÌý(27 credit hours)
Admission requirements
Minimum admission requirements
To be considered for admission to this program, you must meet minimum academic criteria:
- Completion of secondary school (Grade 12)
- Achievement of the minimum average for your program of choice.
- Completion of Grade 12 English (or equivalent course).
Admission to many 17³Ô¹ÏÍøÔÚÏß programs is competitive. This means that meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
Program-specific admission requirements
Minimum overall average: 75%
Academic English 12: Minimum 70%
Academic Math 12: Minimum 70%
Academic Physics 12: Minimum 70%
Academic Biology 12:ÌýMinimum 70%
One additional academic subject
This program may employ a competitive average for admission purposes; meeting minimum posted requirements does not guarantee admission.Ìý
Ìý
One seat in the Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound Technology program is reserved for residents from each of PEI and New Brunswick. PriorityÌýfor all other seats will be given to qualified Nova Scotia residents.Ìý If seats remain, residents of other maritime provinces followed by residents across Canada will be considered. Due to residency restrictions and limited capacity, international students are not eligible for admission to this program.
Supplemental information
In addition to completing the 17³Ô¹ÏÍøÔÚÏß application process, you will need to submit the following supplementary documents to be considered for admission to this program. Assessment of your non-academic performance will account for 20% of your overall total application score.
All supplementary information should be attached to theÌý.
For more information about non-academic requirements and the letter of intent, please visit our Health SciencesÌýnon-academic requirements page.
Before applying to this program, it’s important to understand the intellectual, physical and mental demands of a career in diagnostic medical ultrasound. These include:
- Ability to lift and manipulate heavy equipment through a wide range of movements (~ 20-30 kg).Ìý
- Ability to lift and position patients of various abilities and sizes.Ìý
- Wearing heavy radiation protective apparel, occasionally for extended periods (~ 2.5-8.5 kg).Ìý
- Fine motor skills to adjust dials/knobs on imaging/medical equipment.
- Visual acuity to view information displayed on film and computer monitors and distinguish fine differences of contrast/brightness and resolution on images.Ìý
- Ability to assess image nuances on colour monitors.
- Manual dexterity and visual acuity to produce, dispense and inject radiopharmaceuticals.
- Sitting for significant amounts of time during the day to analyze data on a computer monitor.
- Standing for long periods of time while imaging patients.
- Ability to hear and respond to low voices as well as alarms and buzzers in an equipment noise environment.Ìý
- Stamina to remain physically active and mentally alert for extended periods of time.Ìý
- Encountering sensitive and hazardous materials in working environment including latex gloves, cleaning solutions, and biological/chemically hazardous materials.
- Capacity to work in high pressure and emergency situations.
For more information please visit our Health Sciences non-academic requirements page.
If you have any questions or concerns about these requirements, please contact the School of Health Sciences at health.sciences@dal.ca.
