Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist maps to BLS occupations averaging about $114,867, with roughly 596,430 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $5,060; common paths include Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians and Computer Hardware Engineers.
Key Statistics
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist: what the data shows
Common questions about cardiopulmonary technology/technologist degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a cardiopulmonary technology/technologist degree?
A Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist program is classified under NCES CIP 51.0915 in the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions field family (51.09).
A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians and nurses, to perform both cardiovascular and pulmonary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Includes instruction in cardiopulmonary pharmacology; anatomy and physiology of the heart, peripheral vascular system, and lungs; pulmonary and cardiovascular disease and dysfunction; peripheral vascular Doppler procedures; invasive and non-invasive cardiology; pulmonary function tests; blood gas analysis; echocardiograph procedures; bronchoscopy; patient management; patient history taking and record-keeping; applications to clinical research; and emergency procedures
IPEDS counted 20 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of cardiopulmonary technology/technologist degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.09 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Athletic Training/Trainer (CIP 51.0913)
- Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.0901)
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician (CIP 51.0910)
- Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician (CIP 51.0902)
- Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.0903)
- Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) (CIP 51.0904)
- Gene/Genetic Therapy (CIP 51.0914)
- Hearing Instrument Specialist (CIP 51.0918)
- Hyperbaric Medicine Technology/Technician (CIP 51.0921)
- Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Technology/Technician (CIP 51.0922)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology/Technician (CIP 51.0920)
- Mammography Technology/Technician (CIP 51.0919)
- Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist (CIP 51.0907)
- Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.0905)
- Orthopedic Technology/Technician (CIP 51.0923)
- Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist (CIP 51.0906)
- Physician Associate/Assistant (CIP 51.0912)
- Polysomnography (CIP 51.0917)
- Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician (CIP 51.0916)
- Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer (CIP 51.0911)
- Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.0908)
- Surgical Technology/Technologist (CIP 51.0909)
How long does it take to get a cardiopulmonary technology/technologist degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0915 in our file:
- 13 Associate (39.4% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 20 Bachelor's (60.6% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 51.0915, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a cardiopulmonary technology/technologist degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a cardiopulmonary technology/technologist degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions bachelor's program family: median debt $23,791, median earnings $70,786 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.39.
About 1.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,060 and median net price is $12,844.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,060 Median In-State Public
$33,745 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors are, on average, $5,060 for in-state public colleges, and $33,745 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 5 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 3 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 4 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 5 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist is in FL (20 completions). That state represents about 100.0% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is FL (0.01% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 20 | 100.0% | 0.01% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.09 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Athletic Training/Trainer CIP 51.0913
- Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist CIP 51.0901
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician CIP 51.0910
- Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician CIP 51.0902
- Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist CIP 51.0903
- Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) CIP 51.0904
- Gene/Genetic Therapy CIP 51.0914
- Hearing Instrument Specialist CIP 51.0918
- Hyperbaric Medicine Technology/Technician CIP 51.0921
- Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Technology/Technician CIP 51.0922
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology/Technician CIP 51.0920
- Mammography Technology/Technician CIP 51.0919
- Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist CIP 51.0907
- Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist CIP 51.0905
- Orthopedic Technology/Technician CIP 51.0923
- Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist CIP 51.0906
- Physician Associate/Assistant CIP 51.0912
- Polysomnography CIP 51.0917
- Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician CIP 51.0916
- Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer CIP 51.0911
- Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.0908
- Surgical Technology/Technologist CIP 51.0909
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0915 in the survey year used in our extract (33 total across levels below).
- 13 Associate (39.4% of IPEDS total)
- 20 Bachelor's (60.6% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $114,867. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $53,312 | 43,640 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | $58,116 | 36,880 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $131,986 | 293,930 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions CIP family (46 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist graduate.
- $23,791 median federal loan debt among completers
- $70,786 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.39 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 1.3% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$119,371 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors is $119,371.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors.
Occupations by Share
596,430 2023 Workforce
The number of Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist.
Age distribution for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
20 Total Degrees Awarded
3 Male (15.00%)
17 Female (85.00%)
Gender distribution of Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
10 White (50.00%)
3 Hispanic or Latino (15.00%)
2 Asian (10.00%)
2 Black or African American (10.00%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians and nurses, to perform both cardiovascular and pulmonary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Includes instruction in cardiopulmonary pharmacology; anatomy and physiology of the heart, peripheral vascular system, and lungs; pulmonary and cardiovascular disease and dysfunction; peripheral vascular Doppler procedures; invasive and non-invasive cardiology; pulmonary function tests; blood gas analysis; echocardiograph procedures; bronchoscopy; patient management; patient history taking and record-keeping; applications to clinical research; and emergency procedures
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist.
CIP Code
51.0915 - Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $23,791 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $70,786, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.39. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist graduate.
Women earned 86.7% of 45 Cardiopulmonary Technology/Technologist completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $114,867. The largest mapped role by headcount is Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (136,390 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,060 in-state at public colleges and $33,745 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.