MRI Technologist Training

MRI Tech Programs in Michigan

Every MRI technologist program a Michigan resident can attend, compared side by side, plus which Michigan 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
$85K Avg. Salary
48 Affiliated Sites
12-18 mo Program Length
Starting at $11,500 Tuition
The path

How to become an MRI tech in Michigan

Five steps, the same in Michigan 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 Michigan 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

    Michigan 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 Michigan 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
Lansing Community College (EPiC consortium) Lansing, MI About 5 seats a year; February 1 deadline; a separate fast-track certificate exists for registered technologists
MRI direct
AAS in MRI TechnologyARRT (MR)
16 consecutive months starting in May, after prerequisites
No
Hybrid: lectures online, a few in-person labs, clinicals about 24 hours a week
Not published as a total; MRI courses billed at the consortium rate
Grand Rapids Community College (EPiC consortium) Grand Rapids, MI Placements arranged by the consortium's educational coordinator
MRI direct
AAAS in MRI, or MRI CertificateARRT (MR)
About 16 months of MRI coursework after prerequisites
No
Hybrid: MRI coursework online, clinicals at affiliated hospitals and clinics
Not published as a total; $130 per contact hour resident, plus online fee (2026-27)
Mid Michigan College (EPiC host school) Harrison, MI February 1 deadline
MRI direct
AAS in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (63 credits)ARRT (MR)
About 2 years including prerequisites
No
Hybrid: MRI courses online, in-person clinicals
$13,440 in-district tuition plus about $8,343 fees, $1,980 program costs, and $3,140 books (school estimate, 2024)
West Shore Community College (EPiC consortium) Scottville, MI The one consortium college that publishes a full program total
MRI direct
AAAS in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (87 credits)ARRT (MR)
2 years: prerequisites, then five consecutive MRI terms
No
Hybrid: prerequisites on campus, MRI courses online, in-person clinicals
$22,535 in-district total (tuition and fees, excluding books), 2026-27
Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI Requires a current ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry; about 12 students each fall
MRI after X-ray
MRI Post-Associate Advanced Certificate (22 credits)ARRT (MR) post-primary
1 year, fall and winter
Yes
In-person didactic and clinical; commute up to an hour
Not published as a total; $99 per credit in-district (2026-27)
Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital, MRI Program Southfield, MI Open to registered radiographers only
MRI after X-ray
Hospital-based MRI training programNot stated
7 months
Yes
In-person, hospital-based
Not published
Henry Ford College Dearborn, MI JRCERT accredited; admission wait can run 1 to 2 years; no MRI track
X-ray first
AAS in Radiography (X-ray)ARRT (R)
2 years after a pre-radiography associate program
No
In-person didactic, lab, and clinical
Not published
Washtenaw Community College, Radiography Ann Arbor, MI JRCERT accredited; graduates get priority for the college's MRI certificate
X-ray first
AAS in Radiography (X-ray)ARRT (R)
24 months
No
In-person with clinicals at local hospitals
Not published as a total; $99 per credit in-district (2026-27)

Verified against each program's own website between Sep 2, 2026 and Sep 14, 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 Michigan, and which ones are in our clinical network

Tesla MR has 48 affiliated clinical sites in Michigan. An affiliated site is a facility in our clinical network where students can be placed. The others are places MRI techs work in Michigan that we have not affiliated with yet.

Affiliated site Employer, not yet affiliated

Henry Ford Health

Affiliated site
  • Center for Athletic Medicine Detroit
  • Chesterfield Chesterfield
  • Columbus Novi
  • Fairlane Dearborn
  • Genesys Hospital Grand Blanc
  • Henry Ford Hospital Detroit
  • +16 more locations

Corewell Health

Affiliated site
  • Corewell Health Grand Rapids
  • Farmington Hills Farmington Hills
  • Royal Oak Royal Oak
  • Southfield Southfield
  • Taylor Taylor
  • Troy Troy
  • +16 more locations

RadX

Affiliated site
  • Berkley Berkley
  • M1 Berkley
  • Warren Warren
  • Waterford Waterford Township

Ultra X Imaging

Affiliated site
  • Detroit Detroit
  • Plymouth Plymouth
  • Ultra X Imaging Plymouth

Akumin

Affiliated site
  • Livonia Livonia
  • Michigan MI

Detroit Medical Center

Affiliated site
  • Detroit Medical Center Detroit
  • Harper University Hospital Detroit

Beaumont Imaging

Affiliated site
  • Beaumont Imaging Dearborn

HCS Group

Affiliated site
  • HCS Group Plymouth

Plus 9 more imaging groups in the area.

Pulled from Tesla MR's site database on September 14, 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 · Michigan

Michigan is one of our larger markets, with 48 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 salary in Michigan

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $84,620 for MRI technologists in Michigan, with about 1,270 employed statewide (BLS OEWS, state estimates). The national median is $95,480. For comparison, Michigan radiologic technologists, which includes X-ray and CT, have a median of $76,420, and Michigan registered nurses $94,300.

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.

MRI licensing in Michigan

Michigan 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 are accepted by Michigan’s major health systems. 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.

💡

Key Takeaway

No state license needed. Employers require ARRT or ARMRIT national certification — both are widely accepted across Michigan.

Where MRI techs work in Michigan

Michigan’s healthcare market is dominated by a handful of massive health systems, most concentrated in the Detroit metro and western Michigan.

Detroit metro

Corewell Health (formed from the 2022 merger of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health) is now Michigan’s largest health system, operating 22 hospitals statewide. In the Detroit area, the former Beaumont hospitals in Royal Oak, Troy, Dearborn, and Wayne handle enormous MRI volumes. Corewell’s scale means standardized protocols across facilities and strong internal transfer opportunities. Starting MRI tech salaries at Corewell range from $62K-$80K depending on location and experience.

Henry Ford Health operates six hospitals in metro Detroit, including the flagship Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Henry Ford is known for its innovation in imaging, having been one of the first systems in the region to adopt 3T MRI. The radiology department handles a wide case mix: neuro, MSK, cardiac, and body imaging. Salaries are competitive with the Detroit market ($65K-$85K).

Ascension Michigan operates multiple hospitals across metro Detroit, including Providence Hospital in Southfield and St. John Hospital in Detroit. Ascension facilities accept both ARRT and ARMRIT certification.

Ann Arbor

Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan Health) is a top-10 academic medical center and the premier imaging employer in the state. The MRI department operates advanced 3T and 7T research scanners in addition to clinical systems. Techs at Michigan Medicine work alongside world-class researchers and have access to cutting-edge imaging protocols. Salaries in Ann Arbor run $72K-$92K, among the highest in the state.

Grand Rapids

Corewell Health (Spectrum Health side) dominates the Grand Rapids market, operating Butterworth Hospital and Blodgett Hospital. Trinity Health (Mercy Health) also serves western Michigan. Grand Rapids has a lower cost of living than Detroit or Ann Arbor, making the $64K-$84K salary range go further.

Greater Michigan

McLaren Health Care operates 13 hospitals across Michigan, from Flint to Lansing to the Upper Peninsula. Munson Healthcare serves northern Michigan. Sparrow Health System (now part of University of Michigan Health) covers the Lansing area. These systems provide opportunities for MRI techs who prefer smaller markets or want to avoid the Detroit commute.

Outpatient imaging

National imaging chains and independent radiology groups operate across Michigan’s major metros. Detroit in particular has a dense network of outpatient MRI facilities, and the auto industry’s strong employer-sponsored health insurance benefits drive high imaging utilization rates.

MRI programs by city in Michigan

Looking for MRI training in a specific Michigan city? See our detailed guides:

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. Michigan's community college MRI programs run their MRI core over about 16 months after a year or so of prerequisites, so roughly 2 years to an associate degree. The X-ray-first route is a 2-year radiography degree plus a 1-year MRI certificate. A registered radiographer can finish a hospital MRI program in as little as 7 months. Tesla MR's hybrid certificate takes most students 12 to 18 months.

Nationally they are close. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $97,550 for registered nurses and $95,480 for MRI technologists. In Michigan the gap is wider: $94,300 for RNs and $84,620 for MRI technologists. 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 May 2025 national median of $80,110 versus $95,480 for MRI technologists. In Michigan the figures are $76,420 and $84,620. 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 Michigan the harder part is often getting a seat, since several college programs admit only 2 to 5 students a year with a February 1 deadline. Every path ends with a national registry exam, ARRT or ARMRIT.

Yes. The community college consortium's associate degree track and Tesla MR's hybrid certificate both accept students with no prior imaging credential. The post-primary certificates at Washtenaw and Henry Ford Providence require an existing ARRT, ARDMS, or NMTCB registry, so 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 Michigan health systems are listed on this page.

Explore more MRI programs

Alabama$79KAlaska$121KArizona$101KColorado$105KConnecticut$106KDelaware$104KDetroit, Michigan15+District of Columbia$129K
Take the next step

Ready to start your MRI career in Michigan?

Join hundreds of students training at clinical sites across the country. No prerequisites, no application fee, rolling admissions.

View Program Details Talk to an advisor

Related guides

For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Alabama: Birmingham, Florence, Tuscaloosa, Prattville, and Statewide Options
MRI tech programs for Alabama. Tesla MR Institute offers a 12-18 month hybrid program with 2 clinical training sites across Alabama. No prior credentials needed. Salary range: $69K-$86K.
For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Alaska: Anchorage, Palmer, and Statewide Options
MRI tech programs for Alaska. Tesla MR Institute offers a 12-18 month hybrid program with 4 clinical training sites across Alaska. No prior credentials needed. Salary range: $100K-$126K.
For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Gilbert, and Statewide Options
MRI tech programs for Arizona. Tesla MR Institute offers a 12-18 month hybrid program with 23 clinical training sites across Arizona. No prior credentials needed. Salary range: $84K-$106K.
For Students
MRI Tech Programs for Colorado: 35+ Clinical Sites, $72K-$100K Salary, No Prerequisites
Compare MRI technologist training paths in Colorado. No prior credentials or state license required. 35+ clinical sites in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Parker. Colorado MRI techs earn $96K-$113K.
MRI Training in Michigan 12-18 months · No prerequisites
Apply Now