Radiology Technician Classes Near Me in San Diego
San Diego sits in the highest-paying state in the country for radiologic technologists: the California median runs $121,260 a year, about $41,150 above the national median. Earning it takes more than a national credential, though. California requires its own Certified Radiologic Technologist license, plus a separate fluoroscopy permit, in addition to the national ARRT. The usual route is an accredited associate degree of about two years, and the San Diego area has two genuine programs to compare. Here is how the programs, the California credentials, and the pay fit together.
Key Points
- California is the highest-paying state for radiologic technologists, with a statewide median of $121,260 a year, about $41,150 above the national median.
- To work in California you need a state CRT license from the Department of Public Health, plus a separate fluoroscopy permit, in addition to your national ARRT certification.
- The standard route is a two-year accredited associate degree, then the ARRT exam, then your California credentials.
- San Diego Mesa College and Pima Medical Institute in Chula Vista are the two accredited radiography programs in the metro; Grossmont, Southwestern, and San Diego City College do not offer one.
- Most San Diego imaging jobs run through large systems like Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health, and UC San Diego Health.
Radiology Tech Programs in the San Diego Area
San Diego has two accredited radiography programs, and they take different routes to the same credential. San Diego Mesa College runs a public, JRCERT-accredited associate degree that is the most affordable option, though admission is competitive. Pima Medical Institute's Chula Vista campus offers a private associate degree in radiography that admits on its own schedule and starts more often.
One thing worth clearing up, since it drives a lot of searches: Grossmont College, Southwestern College, and San Diego City College do not offer radiologic technology programs, despite how often their names come up. Mesa College and Pima Chula Vista are the two local programs to compare, and the universities do not train rad techs either.
Because tuition and start dates shift, the fastest way to compare current options is on Dreambound. For the lowest-cost and quickest routes, see the cheapest and fastest radiology technician programs, and to line up choices across the county, browse radiology technician classes near you.
California Requires a CRT License and a Fluoroscopy Permit
In California, the national ARRT credential is only half of what you need. To take diagnostic X-rays anywhere in the state, you also need a Certified Radiologic Technologist, or CRT, credential from the California Department of Public Health. California uses the ARRT exam as the qualifying test, so the sequence is one accredited program, the ARRT, and then your state CRT.
There is a second California credential layered on top. To operate fluoroscopy equipment, the live X-ray imaging used during many procedures, you need a separate state Fluoroscopy Permit. If you graduate from a JRCERT-accredited program and pass the ARRT, California waives the fluoroscopy exam and issues the permit directly; if you take another route in, you sit a state fluoroscopy test instead. Mapping out both credentials from the start is what keeps your first job from stalling on paperwork.
Taking Radiology Tech Classes Online Near San Diego
A fully online radiology tech program does not exist, in San Diego or anywhere else, because the imaging hours cannot be done remotely. What you can handle online is the academic side, the physics, anatomy, and radiation-safety coursework, which some programs deliver in a hybrid format. The clinical rotations, where you position patients and capture real images, still happen on site at a hospital or imaging center, and they are required before you can sit the ARRT.
For programs that keep the lecture work remote while arranging local clinical placement, Dreambound's online radiology technician classes show which options fit that pattern.
Radiologic Technologist Salary in San Diego and California
California pays radiologic technologists more than any other state, and it is not close. The statewide median is $121,260 a year, or $58.30 an hour, about $10,105 a month, as of May 2025, roughly $41,150 above the national median. That is a statewide figure lifted by the Bay Area, so San Diego pay generally lands below the very top of the state, though the region still sits far above the national norm.
San Diego's imaging work runs through its large health systems. Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health, UC San Diego Health, Kaiser Permanente, Rady Children's Hospital, and Palomar Health all operate hospitals and imaging centers across the county, alongside outpatient clinics and diagnostic labs. Job growth for the field runs about 4 percent through 2034 nationally, and technologists who add CT or MRI to their skill set earn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a radiology tech in California?
About two years for the training, plus a few weeks for licensing. You spend most of that time in an accredited associate degree in radiography, then pass the ARRT and apply for your California CRT. Fluoroscopy work needs the added state permit, which graduates of a JRCERT-accredited program can often get without a separate exam.
How much do radiology techs make in San Diego?
California's median for radiologic technologists is $121,260 a year, the highest of any state and about $41,150 above the national median. That statewide figure is pulled up by the Bay Area, so San Diego pay generally runs below it, though the region still pays well above the national norm, and CT or MRI specialties push it higher.
Who gets paid more, an MRI tech or a radiology tech?
MRI technologists, in most markets. The national median for MRI techs runs near $88,000, above the roughly $80,000 median for general radiologic technologists. MRI is a specialty you move into after earning your primary credential, so in a high-paying state like California it tends to become a raise you grow into rather than a starting wage.
Does SDSU or UCSD have a radiology program?
Not for entry-level radiography. San Diego State offers graduate work in medical physics, not a rad tech program, and UC San Diego runs a radiology medical department and a sonography program but no entry-level radiographer training. To become a radiologic technologist in San Diego, you go through San Diego Mesa College or Pima Medical Institute in Chula Vista, not the universities.
Is a 2-year radiology degree enough, and what does it pay?
Yes. A two-year accredited associate degree is the standard credential for a radiologic technologist, and it is all you need to sit the ARRT and earn your California CRT. In California that associate-level credential leads to the highest technologist pay in the country, and you can raise it further by adding modality certifications like CT, MRI, or mammography.
Getting Started in Radiology in San Diego
San Diego offers the best technologist pay in the country, but the California credentials are the part to plan around. Line up an accredited program first, then map out the ARRT, your CRT, and the fluoroscopy permit in that order, so none of them surprises you at the finish line. Keep in mind that Mesa College and Pima Chula Vista are the two real local programs, whatever the school-name searches suggest.
Once you know which program fits your schedule and budget, compare San Diego radiology options on Dreambound, and confirm any program is JRCERT-accredited before you commit, since that accreditation is what carries you to the ARRT and your California license.
