Admissions – Prerequisites and Application Process

To apply, applicants must complete the following admission requirements by the application deadline.

• • Attend an information session.
  • Submit online DMSP application and $50 application fee (paid online).
  • Submit one-page resume.
  • Submit Patient Care Experience Verification Form.
  • Submit Two Applicant Appraisal Forms.
    • To be obtained from someone, other than a family member, who can evaluate your work/study habits, conduct/behavior, reliability/competence.
    • These forms must be submitted directly from the appraiser, not the applicant, to sonography@umbc.edu.
  • Submit proof of in progress prerequisite courses, if applicable.
  • Official transcripts from previous colleges/universities, demonstrating 60 credits and all prerequisite classes must be sent online via Parchment or National Clearinghouse to sonography@umbc.edu.
    • Acceptance into the program will be conditional, contingent upon receipt of final official transcripts demonstrating final grades with a C or better.

The most qualified and competitive applicants are invited to interview.

• UMBC DMSP cannot provide an I-20 form for a student visa. International students must already have a visa allowing them to study in the United States.
• International students must send their original transcripts from secondary school and college/university to World Education Services (WES) for a course-by-course evaluation to recalculate credits and grades to U.S. equivalents.
  •  An official report must be sent directly from WES to the UMBC Sonography Program via sonography@umbc.edu.
  • WES charges a processing fee for credential evaluation.
  • No other transcript evaluation company is accepted.
• International students must take the TOEFL exam, a minimum TOEFL iBT® score of 20 in each category is required.
  • Students who completed their education in an English-speaking country or institution or completed one college may be exempt from the TOEFL requirement.

Academic prerequisites must be completed before sonography courses begin.

We offer two pathways for academic prerequisites, options A and B.

For all applicants, the following is applicable:

• • Applicants must earn a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher.
  • A grade of C or better must be achieved in all prerequisite courses.
  • All prerequisite courses must be 100-level or higher.
  • Prerequisites may be taken at any accredited community college or university.
    • If applicants are considering taking prerequisites online, applicants must ensure that the institution is accredited. 
  • There is no time limit on the prerequisite courses.

Prerequisites in Progress

• Applicants may be in progress with prerequisite courses during the fall, winter, or spring term.
• Proof of registration and/or progress report of prerequisite courses that end by May 15, must be submitted along with the application.
• For the July 2026 Cohort: Applicants may be in progress with no more than two prerequisite courses during the spring term ending May 15.
  • Acceptance into the program will be conditional, contingent upon receipt of the final official transcripts demonstrating grades with a C or better.
  • The official transcript deadline for courses completed after November 30 is May 31.

Prerequisite Review

Prospective applicants may submit college transcripts and/or course descriptions for review of eligibility to Valerie Bardhi, Recruitment, Enrollment, and Student Success Manager via sonography@umbc.edu.

• 60 college level credits required (Associates Degree or higher preferred).

• A bachelor’s degree in any major.

• UMBC DMSP cannot provide an I-20 form for a student visa. International applicants must already have a visa allowing them to study in the United States.
• International students must send their original transcripts from secondary school and college/university to World Education Services (WES) for a course-by-course evaluation to recalculate credits and grades to U.S. equivalents.
  •  An official report must be sent directly from WES to the UMBC Sonography Program via sonography@umbc.edu.
  • WES charges a processing fee for credential evaluation.
  • No other transcript evaluation company is accepted.
• International students must take the TOEFL exam, a minimum TOEFL iBT® score of 20 in each category is required.
  • Students who completed their education in an English-speaking country or institution or completed one college may be exempt from this requirement

Gaining direct patient care experience is an essential part of our application process. We require a minimum of 40 hours of verifiable experience, which can be completed through either volunteer work or paid employment. This experience should demonstrate hands-on interaction with patients in a clinical setting.

 What Counts as Patient Care?

• Direct patient care refers to any role where you are actively involved in the physical or psychological well-being of patients. This includes roles like a CNA, clinical medical assistant, EMT, or a volunteer in a hospital or assisted living facility.
• Volunteer roles include patient transporter, medical office or nursing home volunteer, Red Cross volunteer, medical missions trip or externship that involved patient care.
• Paid roles in patient care are also accepted. You do not need to perform additional volunteer hours if you have paid experience that meets the criteria.
• Veterinary experience not accepted.
• Office/reception work in a healthcare setting will not satisfy the patient care requirement.
• If you have questions about whether your experience qualifies, please feel free to contact us at sonography@umbc.edu.

Patient Care Verification Process

• As part of the online application process, patient care experience verification must be completed via a DocuSign form.
• Applicants will use our online form to send a request for verification to their supervisor or HR official.
  • The form will be sent to the supervisor via UMBC DocuSign for a secure digital signature.
  • Applicants are responsible for notifying supervisor that an email will be coming from UMBC Division of Professional Studies and will contain your verification request.
  • Applicants are responsible for following up with their supervisor to ensure the form is completed by the application deadline.
• The patient care hours requirement should be completed before an application is submitted.
• We will not consider hours completed after the November 30th deadline.

Following a review of all applications by the admissions office, applicants may be instructed by email to schedule an interview. Interviews will typically begin about 6-8 weeks after the application deadline. Applicants are selected based on the following criteria:

• Academic history
• Interview scores
• Applicant appraisals

Interviewees will be notified by email of accepted, alternate or declined status.

Alternates

• Applicants who are offered a seat but decline must reapply for a future seat.
• Alternates may be called up until the first week of June of the upcoming cohort.
• Alternates not selected will need to reapply for consideration.