MRI Technologist Training

MRI Tech Programs in Iowa

8 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option, compared side by side below. 4 local programs and Tesla MR admit you without a prior X-ray credential.

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
$81K Avg. Salary
5 Affiliated Sites
12-18 mo Program Length
Starting at $11,500 Tuition
Your options

MRI programs available to Iowa residents

8 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option. 4 of them train you in MRI directly without a prior X-ray credential. 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
University of Iowa, Magnetic Resonance Imaging professional program Iowa City, IA Up to five students accepted each year. Prerequisites due by June 1, 2.5 minimum cumulative college GPA. Graduates are eligible for the ARRT primary certification exam in MRI. Tuition is listed only in the university tuition and fee tables.
MRI direct
Bachelor of Science, Magnetic Resonance ImagingARRT (MR)
Two-year professional program entered in the fall of junior year, after 60 semester hours of prerequisite coursework
No
Didactic and clinical coursework, in person
Not published
University of Iowa, RT+ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Iowa City, IA Students typically apply during their first year of college. Graduates are eligible to apply for the national certification exams in both radiography and magnetic resonance imaging.
MRI direct
Not stated on program page (combined Radiologic Technology and MRI track)ARRT (MR)
Three-year program entered in the fall of sophomore year; first two years follow the Radiologic Technology curriculum
No
Classroom instruction with clinical education, in person
Not published
University of Iowa, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Certificate Iowa City, IA Post-primary pathway requires ARRT (R), (T), (N), (S), NMTCB, or ARDMS certification. A primary pathway is also listed for applicants with an associate degree plus anatomy, physiology, composition, medical terminology, and a social science or humanities course. Applicants must contact the office to verify eligibility and modality availability.
MRI direct
Certificate in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4 didactic courses, 13 semester hours, plus practicum)ARRT (MR)
Not stated; practicum is a minimum of 270 clinic hours and may need more than one semester
No
Online didactic courses with an in-person practicum at University of Iowa Health Care locations in Iowa City, Coralville, and/or North Liberty
Not published
Allen College, Bachelor of Health Sciences in Medical Imaging (MRI track) Waterloo, IA Preference given to ARRT Registered Technologist applicants; applicants with other patient-care health backgrounds may be considered. Requires 25 prior college credits. Rolling file review. Clinical site travel required for MRI externship courses. Tuition rate from https://www.allencollege.edu/future-students/tuition-financial-aid/tuition-fees
MRI direct
Bachelor of Health Sciences, Medical Imaging, MRI track (minimum 124 credit hours, 33 at Allen College); certificate option availableNot stated
Not stated; full-time and part-time options, begins once each year in the fall term
No
Curriculum delivered online with in-person clinical placements
$729 per semester credit hour, 2026-2027 undergraduate tuition
St. Luke's College, Advanced Radiology Specialties (MRI internship) Sioux City, IA Open to licensed, registered radiologic technologists. Page lists CT, MRI, Sonography and Mammography internships with no further detail; contact the college at 712-274-5700.
MRI after X-ray
Specialty certification internship program in Magnetic Resonance ImagingNot stated
Not stated
Yes
Not stated
Not published
Iowa Central Community College, Radiologic Technology Fort Dodge, IA JRCERT accredited, current award 8 years. Program application opens 11/1 and is due 3/1 each year; applicants must first be accepted to Iowa Central.
X-ray first
Radiologic Technology program (degree title not stated on page)ARRT (R)
Not stated
No
Not stated
Not published
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (Scott Community College), Radiologic Technology Bettendorf, IA JRCERT accredited, current award 8 years. Limited number of students admitted. About 30 hours per week in class or clinic.
X-ray first
Associate in Applied Science in Radiologic TechnologyARRT (R)
Two years of study
No
Full-time classroom instruction with supervised clinical experiences at local hospitals and clinics
Not published
UnityPoint Health School of Radiologic Technology, Des Moines Area Hospitals Des Moines, IA JRCERT accredited, current award 8 years. Annual application deadline January 15. Seating is limited. Optional articulation with DMACC for an Associate in General Studies.
X-ray first
Radiologic Technology (RT) CertificateARRT (R)
Two years, full-time
No
In-person, hospital-based
Tuition $1,200 per semester plus $400 annual student services fee; page states Total Tuition + Fees $8,000 (no academic year given)

Verified against each program's own website between Sep 18, 2026 and Oct 9, 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.

The path

How to become an MRI tech in Iowa

Five steps, the same in Iowa 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 of the in-person programs in the table above do require one.

  2. Pick the credential you are aiming for

    Employers in Iowa 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

    Iowa issues permits for people who operate ionizing radiation equipment, and the permit program does not mention MRI. Employers require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification. Once certified, you can apply to the hospital systems and imaging groups listed further down this page.

Where you would train and work

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

Tesla MR has 5 affiliated clinical sites in Iowa. An affiliated site is a facility in our clinical network where students can be placed. The others are places MRI techs work in Iowa that we have not affiliated with yet.

Affiliated site Employer, not yet affiliated

MercyOne

Affiliated site
  • Ankeny Imaging Ankeny, IA
  • Clive Imaging Clive, IA
  • Des Moines Imaging Des Moines, IA
  • Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA
  • West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines, IA

Avera Health

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Spencer Hospital Spencer, IA

BCHealth

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Buchanan County Health Center Independence, IA

Broadlawns

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Broadlawns Medical Center Des Moines, IA

Great River Health

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center West Burlington, IA

MCMH

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Montgomery County Memorial Hospital Red Oak, IA

MGMC

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Mary Greeley Medical Center Ames, IA

Ottuma Regional Health

Employer, not yet affiliated
  • Ottuma Regional Health Center Ottumwa, IA

Plus 3 more imaging groups in the area.

Pulled from Tesla MR's site database on October 9, 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.

Growing here · Iowa

We have 5 affiliated sites in Iowa and are actively adding more. If you apply, the site team looks at your specific location first and tells you what to expect.

  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 Iowa

Iowa Health and Human Services issues permits to practice under Chapter 42, which covers people who operate X-ray or radiation therapy machines or administer radioactive materials. The permit program does not mention MRI, which uses no ionizing radiation.

Employers set the credential requirement. Most postings ask for ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT, the two national MRI certifications, and both are valid in all 50 states.

💡

Key Takeaway

Iowa issues permits for people who operate ionizing radiation equipment, and the permit program does not mention MRI. Employers require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification.

MRI technologist salary in Iowa

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $81,420 for MRI technologists in Iowa, with about 220 employed statewide (BLS OEWS, state estimates). The national median is $95,480. For comparison, Iowa radiologic technologists, which includes X-ray and CT, have a median of $65,930.

Entry-level pay sits below the median. Shift differentials, specialty work such as cardiac or breast MRI, 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 Iowa

Major healthcare employers in Iowa include UnityPoint Health, MercyOne, University of Iowa Health Care, Genesis Health System, Broadlawns Medical Center. These systems operate hospitals, outpatient imaging centers, and specialty clinics across the state.

Iowa’s healthcare market is characterized by strong community hospitals and two dominant systems, UnityPoint Health and MercyOne, that collectively cover most of the state. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City is the state’s premier academic medical center and a significant employer of advanced imaging professionals. Iowa’s aging rural population drives demand for MRI technologists in smaller communities, and many rural hospitals offer competitive wages and loan repayment programs to attract candidates willing to work outside Des Moines and Iowa City.

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

It depends on the path. The X-ray-first route is a 2-year radiography degree followed by an MRI certificate, often about another year. 4 of the Iowa programs in the table above take students with no imaging credential; their lengths are listed in the Length column. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate takes most students 12 to 18 months.

BLS does not break CT out separately; it reports radiologic technologists and technicians, which includes X-ray and CT, at a Iowa median of $65,930 versus $81,420 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 Iowa the harder part is often getting a seat, since campus MRI cohorts are small and most admit once a year. Every path ends with a national registry exam, ARRT or ARMRIT.

Yes. University of Iowa, Magnetic Resonance Imaging professional program and Tesla MR's hybrid certificate both accept students with no prior imaging credential. The post-primary certificates in the table require an existing ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry, so check the prior X-ray column 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 Iowa health systems are listed on this page.

MRI tech schools in nearby cities and states

IllinoisMinnesotaMissouriNebraskaWisconsin
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