Admission Requirements

The DMS Program admits one class per year with a January start date. Deadline for prerequisite completion and application submission is August 31 of each year.

The following are minimum requirements for admission to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program:

    1. Acceptance to Polk State College as a credit student with all required admission documents received by the Registrar
    2. Official transcripts from ALL of colleges/universities attended. *At the time of program application submission, transcripts must be received, evaluated by Student Services, and posted to student’s Polk State College transcript.
    3. Completion of any required college preparatory courses
    4. At the time of admission, an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher
    5. A grade of C or higher in all prerequisite courses
    6. Completion of the following prerequisite courses prior to submission of a program application:
      • ENC 1101: College Composition I
      • MAC 1105: College Algebra
      • BSC 2085C: Human Anatomy and Physiology I
        BSC 2086C: Human Anatomy and Physiology II
        HSC 1531 Medical Terminology
      • PHY 2020C: Fundamentals of Physics

Applications must be submitted by August 31 of each year for a January start date. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance (or alternate status) by email approximately 4-6 weeks after the application deadline. These notices will be sent to the email submitted in your application, so it is important that you notify us of any changes.

Additional Program Requirements
Admission requirements to be completed after admission into the program:

  1. Physical examination and essential functions
  2. Immunization and communicable disease screening
  3. Drug screening
  4. Current CPR certification
  5. Signed Affidavit of Moral Character attesting to the non-committance of specific criminal acts
  6. Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) background check

The program director will provide information regarding the completion of these additional admission requirements with the letter of acceptance.

Admission Process

The application period is August 1-31 to begin in January.  Applicants are admitted to the Sonography Program using a selective admission process.  Students seeking admission into the DMS Program should see the link to access the application for admission on the main program webpage. NOTE: the application will be available ONLY during the application period above. The Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is located at the Airside West Center in Lakeland.  Failure to complete all requirements will dismiss the applicant from the selection process for the upcoming class.

Applications must be submitted by August 31 of each year for a January start date.  Applicants will be notified of their acceptance (or alternate status) by certified mail approximately 4-6 weeks after the application deadline.

A selection committee utilizes a point system as a GUIDE in the selection of qualified students for the Sonography program.  The following areas evaluated by the committee include overall college GPA, prerequisite GPA, number of credits completed that apply to the general education requirements for the AS in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and related health care experience.

Polk State College reserves the right to make changes in the admission criteria as circumstances require. Every reasonable effort will be made to communicate changes in the program to potential students.

Program Cost
The cost of the program is approximately $11,000.00. This cost estimate includes course fees, textbooks, uniforms, medical physical, background check and healthcare provider CPR certification. This estimate does not include any prep or other courses in which the student may enroll.

Certification Examination
Following the completion of all requirements for graduation from the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, graduates are eligible to sit for a national registry exam administered by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS.org). After successful completion of this exam, the graduate will earn the credentials of Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS).