MRI Technologist Training

MRI Tech Programs in Georgia

Every MRI technologist program a Georgia resident can attend, compared side by side, plus which Georgia health systems are in Tesla MR's clinical network and exactly how placement works.

Comparing programs nationally? See MRI tech school formats, costs, and certification paths. Checking accreditation? See every accredited MRI tech certification program.

View Program Details Compare every program near you
MRI technologist student training at a clinical site
$92K Avg. Salary
50 Affiliated Sites
12-18 mo Program Length
Starting at $11,500 Tuition
The path

How to become an MRI tech in Georgia

Five steps, the same in Georgia as anywhere else. Where you do step four is what changes by city.

  1. Confirm you are eligible

    A high school diploma or GED is the floor. You do not need a prior X-ray, radiography, or healthcare credential for the ARMRIT route. Some in-person programs below do require one, so check the table.

  2. Pick the credential you are aiming for

    Employers in Georgia hire both ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT technologists. ARRT usually means a two-year degree or a prior radiography license. ARMRIT is the certificate route for career changers.

  3. Choose a program format that fits your life

    Full-time campus programs are faster if you can stop working. Hybrid programs put the coursework online and the clinical hours at a facility near you, which is how most working adults finish.

  4. Complete supervised clinical hours

    Every path ends at a scanner. Clinical training is the part that depends on local capacity, so ask any program how placement works before you enroll. Ours is explained below.

  5. Pass the registry exam and get hired

    Georgia does not license MRI technologists; employers require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification. Once certified, you can apply to the hospital systems and imaging groups listed further down this page.

Your options

MRI programs available to Georgia residents

8 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option. None of them train you in MRI directly without a prior X-ray credential; the local route is X-ray first, then MRI. Facts come from each school's published pages. Confirm with the school before you apply.

Published cost is what each school states on its own site. Some schools publish tuition only; others include fees, books, or uniforms; public colleges often distinguish in-district from out-of-district rates. Each row says which. For the national list with accreditor and entry requirement for every program, see accredited MRI tech certification programs.

Program Path Credential Length Prior X-ray? Format Published cost
Tesla MR Online coursework, clinicals near you
MRI direct
Certificate (ARMRIT exam eligibility)ARMRIT
12 to 18 months
No
Hybrid: online lectures, in-person clinicals
$11,500 to $13,400 by payment plan
Grady Health System, School of MRI Atlanta, GA Requires an ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry
MRI after X-ray
Hospital certificate in MRIARRT (MR) post-primary
2 semesters, full-time
Yes
In-person; classroom plus 24 clinical hours a week at Grady
$3,950 tuition plus about $140 to $320 in fees
South College, Atlanta Atlanta, GA Requires an ARRT, NMTCB, or ARDMS registry; the shortest MRI program in Georgia
MRI after X-ray
Certificate in Magnetic Resonance ImagingNot stated
6 months, full-time; four start dates a year
Yes
Hybrid: some courses online, clinical and hands-on work on campus
$5,775 per quarter at 10 to 20 credits; program total not stated
Atlanta Technical College Atlanta, GA Requires ARRT certification in radiography, nuclear medicine, or radiation therapy
MRI after X-ray
MRI Specialist Technical Certificate (24 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
2 terms minimum; spring and fall starts
Yes
In-person classroom and lab plus two clinical courses
About $4,284 estimated program cost (2024-25 catalog); not eligible for federal aid
Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA Requires an active ARRT, NMTCB, or ARDMS registry; 12 seats
MRI after X-ray
MRI Specialist Technical CertificateARRT (MR) post-primary
2 semesters; fall start; advisement form due June 1
Yes
Online didactic; clinical 20 to 24 hours a week
$107 per credit hour plus fees; program total not published
Augusta Technical College Augusta, GA Requires ARRT radiography registration specifically
MRI after X-ray
MRI Specialist Technical Certificate (24 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
2 terms, one academic year; day and evening options
Yes
Hybrid: online didactic, in-person clinicals
$107 per credit hour; about $1,820 tuition and fees per 12-credit term (2024-25)
Georgia Southern University, Advanced Imaging Certificate (MRI) Savannah, GA (online coursework) Requires a degree plus an ARRT, NMTCB, or ARDMS credential; limited placements outside Savannah
MRI after X-ray
Post-baccalaureate certificate (18 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
Not stated; fall admission
Yes
Fully online didactic plus clinical rotations around Georgia
$284 per credit hour, about $5,112 for 18 credits, fees not stated
Emory University School of Medicine, Radiologic Technology Program Decatur, GA JRCERT accredited; an associate degree is required to enter
X-ray first
Certificate in Radiography (X-ray)ARRT (R); no MRI track
24 months, full-time, 40 hours a week
No
In-person at Emory Decatur Hospital
$1,833 per semester for 6 semesters plus fees and health insurance
Grady Health System, School of Radiologic Technology Atlanta, GA JRCERT accredited; the usual feeder into Grady's MRI school
X-ray first
Hospital certificate in Radiography (X-ray)ARRT (R); MRI is a separate post-primary school at Grady
23 months, full-time
No
In-person at Grady and 17 affiliate sites
$10,800 tuition plus books, fees, and exam

Verified against each program's own website between Sep 2, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026. Tuition, length, and admission rules change; the school's page is the authority. Tesla MR is not a degree-granting institution and does not participate in federal financial aid. See accreditation. The schools named here are not affiliated with Tesla MR and do not endorse it; their names belong to their owners. Spot an error? Email info@teslamr.com and we will review it within 10 business days.

Where you would train and work

MRI employers in Georgia, and which ones are in our clinical network

Tesla MR has 50 affiliated clinical sites in Georgia. An affiliated site is a facility in our clinical network where students can be placed. The others are places MRI techs work in Georgia that we have not affiliated with yet.

Affiliated site Employer, not yet affiliated

AICA Orthopedics

Affiliated site
  • AICA Orthopedics Marietta
  • Buckhead Atlanta
  • Chamblee Tucker Atlanta
  • College Park College Park
  • Conyers Conyers
  • Decatur Decatur
  • +15 more locations

Outpatient Imaging (OPI) (Capitol Imaging)

Affiliated site
  • Atlanta Atlanta
  • Canton Canton
  • Decatur Decatur
  • Fayetteville Fayetteville
  • Kennestone Marietta
  • Marietta Marietta
  • +3 more locations

Atrium Health

Affiliated site
  • Floyd Medical Center Rome
  • Floyd Polk Medical Center Cedartown
  • Navicent Children's Hospital Macon
  • Navicent Imaging Macon
  • Navicent The Medical Center Macon

Regenerative Orthopaedics and Spine Institute

Affiliated site
  • Atlanta Atlanta
  • Greensboro Greensboro
  • Griffin Griffin
  • Regenerative Orthopaedics and Spine Institute Stockbridge
  • Stockbridge Stockbridge

Resurgens Orthopaedics

Affiliated site
  • Austell Austell
  • Canton Canton
  • Johns Creek Suwanee
  • Lawrenceville Lawrenceville
  • Resurgens Orthopaedics Atlanta

Clear Imaging LLC

Affiliated site
  • Atlanta Sandy Springs

HCA Healthcare

Affiliated site
  • Memorial Satilla Health Waycross

OrthoCarolina

Affiliated site
  • MedQuest Alpharetta

Plus 25 more imaging groups in the area.

Pulled from Tesla MR's site database on September 21, 2026. Affiliations are added and change over time; the assessment you receive during admissions is the one that applies to you.

Clinical placement

How clinical placement works

Our Clinical Sites team leads placement. You are not expected to find or negotiate your own clinical site. We look for a facility within a reasonable commute of your home and widen the search only if we need to.

Timing depends on facilities having capacity when you reach clinicals. If your area is thin, we tell you during admissions, not after you enroll, and we talk through the options with you.

Deep network · Georgia

Georgia is one of our larger markets, with 50 affiliated sites across several health systems. Students here are typically placed within the existing network.

  1. We look at your area during admissions

    If you already have a facility in mind, maybe where you work, we reach out and see whether you can train there. If not, our site team maps the hospitals and imaging centers near your home and starts the conversation.

  2. You get a straight answer before you enroll

    Clinicals are still months away at this point, so a site's answer is usually "we expect so, check back closer to the date." We tell you what we heard and what it means for your timeline.

  3. You start the coursework while the site work continues

    Most students begin Phase I and Phase II before a specific facility is named. That is normal, and the site team keeps working your area in the background.

  4. Your site is confirmed as clinicals approach

    Once clinicals are weeks away rather than months, facilities can commit to dates. We work to have your placement set before Phase III begins. Which facility and which shift depends on who has capacity at that time.

MRI technologist licensing in Georgia

Georgia does not require a specific state license for MRI technologists. MRI uses magnetic fields, not ionizing radiation, so it falls outside most state radiologic technology licensing requirements. Employers require national certification through ARRT or ARMRIT.

Both ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT certifications are valid in Georgia. The MRI staffing shortage has made facilities across the state increasingly flexible about certification type, with outpatient imaging centers and community hospitals leading the way in accepting ARMRIT-certified technologists.

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Key Takeaway

Georgia does not require a state license for MRI technologists. Employers require national certification, and both ARRT (MR) and ARMRIT are valid in Georgia.

MRI technologist salary in Georgia

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $92,060 for MRI technologists in Georgia, with about 1,800 employed statewide (BLS OEWS, state estimates). The national median is $95,480. For comparison, Georgia radiologic technologists, which includes X-ray and CT, have a median of $74,550, and Georgia registered nurses $93,550.

Entry-level pay sits below the median. The Atlanta metro pays closest to the national figure; shift differentials, specialty work, and 3 to 5 years of experience push experienced technologists above it. See the MRI technologist salary guide and salary by state for the full breakdown.

Where MRI techs work in Georgia

Major healthcare employers in Georgia include Emory Healthcare, Piedmont Healthcare, Wellstar Health System, Grady Health System, HCA Healthcare Georgia, Northeast Georgia Health System. These systems operate hospitals, outpatient imaging centers, and specialty clinics across the state.

Georgia’s MRI market is heavily concentrated in the Atlanta metro area, where Emory Healthcare, Piedmont, and Wellstar collectively operate dozens of imaging sites across the sprawling suburban landscape. The CDC headquarters in Atlanta and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta add research and academic dimensions to the market. Rural Georgia faces significant healthcare workforce shortages, and hospitals in south Georgia often offer substantial sign-on bonuses and relocation packages to attract MRI technologists from urban areas.

MRI programs by city in Georgia

Looking for MRI training in a specific Georgia city? See our detailed guide:

More resources

ARMRIT Accredited Nationally recognized certification
334+ Clinical Sites Partner network in 38 states
Starting at $11,500 Payment plans available

Frequently Asked Questions

In Georgia the in-state route is two steps. First a radiography program, typically 23 to 24 months at Emory or Grady or a two-year technical college degree. Then a post-primary MRI certificate, which runs 6 months at South College and about two semesters at Grady and the technical colleges. That is roughly 3 years end to end. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate takes most students 12 to 18 months with no radiography step.

In Georgia they are nearly even. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $93,550 for registered nurses and $92,060 for MRI technologists in the state; nationally it is $97,550 versus $95,480. Nursing takes a 2- to 4-year degree and a state license; MRI can be entered through a certificate program and a national registry exam.

BLS does not break CT out separately; it reports radiologic technologists and technicians, which includes X-ray and CT, at a Georgia median of $74,550 versus $92,060 for MRI technologists (May 2025). Nationally the figures are $80,110 and $95,480. MRI is the higher-paid modality in both sets of numbers.

The coursework is real: MRI physics, cross-sectional anatomy, pulse sequences, and safety around a magnet that is always on. Most students who put in steady weekly hours pass. In Georgia the harder part is often the entry requirement, since every MRI certificate in the state asks for an existing imaging registry first. Every path ends with a national registry exam, ARRT or ARMRIT.

Not through a Georgia campus program: every MRI certificate verified in the state requires an existing ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry, so the local route is X-ray first. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate accepts students with no prior imaging credential and places clinicals at affiliated Georgia sites. Check the prior X-ray column in the table above before you apply anywhere.

Our Clinical Sites team leads placement. You are not expected to secure your own site. If you know a facility, you can propose it, but we review it, confirm capacity, sign the agreement, and approve it. The affiliated Georgia health systems are listed on this page.

MRI tech schools in nearby cities and states

Atlanta, GeorgiaAlabamaFloridaNorth CarolinaSouth CarolinaTennessee
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MRI Training in Georgia 12-18 months · No prerequisites
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