Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, has received approval from the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents to seek a Doctor of Philosophy in Radiologic Sciences, a degree that would be the first discipline-specific doctorate in the field in the U.S.
The regents authorized the university to submit the proposal to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, according to a Nov. 11 news release. The proposed program would be delivered in a hybrid format designed for completion in three years, with a four-year option.
The university said the absence of a discipline-specific doctorate makes it harder for imaging professionals to advance because many earn doctorates in related fields and some leave the profession altogether. It cited a 2024 survey by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists on these barriers. The program is intended to prepare educators, researchers, clinical leaders and innovators as hospitals face workforce shortages and rapid changes in artificial intelligence, informatics, simulation and imaging technologies, according to the university.
The university has a history in the field: It established a radiologic sciences associate degree program in 1972, launched the nation’s first discipline-specific master’s degree in radiologic sciences in 1995 and added a radiologist assistant master’s program in 2006. In 2019, it partnered with Shimadzu Medical Systems USA to name The Shimadzu School of Radiologic Sciences.
The proposal comes as imaging departments struggle to fill technologist jobs. The vacancy rate for radiologic technologists reached 18.1% in ASRT’s 2023 survey, up from 6.2% three years earlier, and a radiology education group offered 5,000 scholarships this spring to address the shortage.
