MRI Technologist Training

MRI Tech Programs in Wisconsin

Tesla MR's hybrid MRI program takes 12 to 18 months and needs no prior imaging credential: coursework is online, and our site team arranges your clinical training. Every other program a Wisconsin resident can attend is compared below.

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

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MRI technologist student training at a clinical site
$95K Avg. Salary
57 Affiliated Sites
12-18 mo Program Length
Starting at $11,500 Tuition

Program at a glance

  • 12-18 month program
  • No prerequisites: a high school diploma or GED
  • 100% online coursework
  • Our site team handles clinical placement
  • Eligible to sit the ARMRIT exam on completion

Start your MRI career in Wisconsin

No application fee. Rolling admissions year-round.

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Your options

MRI programs available to Wisconsin residents

8 in-person or regional programs plus Tesla MR's hybrid option. 3 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
UW Health MRI Technologist Apprenticeship Madison, WI Announced 2025-12-23; first cohort of five hired internally, second cohort planned for August 2026 via job postings; exam eligibility depends on the apprentice's pathway; two-year employment commitment after completion.
MRI direct
Employer apprenticeship (no academic credential stated)ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT
Not stated
No
Paid apprenticeship combining hands-on clinical training with classroom instruction at UW Health sites in Madison
Not published; UW Health states apprentices earn a salary and benefits
Bellin College (BS in Radiologic Sciences with MRI specialty option) Green Bay, WI JRCERT accredited (8-year award); general radiography plus two specialties chosen from CT, MRI, and women's imaging; page states ARRT radiography eligibility only.
X-ray first
Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences (BSRS)ARRT (R)
Three consecutive years
No
Not stated
Not published
Milwaukee Area Technical College (Radiography) Milwaukee, WI JRCERT accredited; admits via waiting list, 26 seats each fall, wait of about 1 year after meeting requirements; TEAS 70% composite required; August start.
X-ray first
Associate in Applied Science in Radiography (64 credits)ARRT (R)
2 years (four semesters plus a six-week summer session and a six-week externship)
No
In-person, full-time, Downtown Milwaukee Campus
Not published
Madison College (Radiography) Madison, WI JRCERT accredited (8-year award); 28 seats each fall; page says program is at capacity, not accepting applications, with a wait of up to 2 to 3 years.
X-ray first
Associate Degree in Radiography (66 credits)ARRT (R)
2 years full-time
No
100% in person, Truax campus
$12,513.79 estimated program cost; academic year not stated
Chippewa Valley Technical College (Radiography) Eau Claire, WI JRCERT accredited; August start; page reports a 97.8% five-year average first-attempt ARRT pass rate; no separate MRI certificate listed.
X-ray first
Associate degree in Radiography (68 credits)ARRT (R)
Two years
No
Face-to-face
$14,202 estimated program cost as listed on the program page; academic year not stated
Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Radiologic Technology Milwaukee, WI JRCERT accredited (8-year award); requires at least an associate degree or enrollment in an affiliate bachelor's program; up to 20 students; applications June 1 to Jan. 31 for a September start.
X-ray first
Certificate in Radiologic TechnologyARRT (R)
Not stated
No
Hospital-based academic and clinical education
Not published
Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences (MRI Program) Rochester, MN Neighboring state; JRCERT accredited; up to 16 students per class; apply Dec. 15 to Jan. 15; starts late May or early June; certificate track requires a completed associate or bachelor's degree plus prerequisite courses.
MRI direct
Certificate of completion in MRI (35 credits); associate and bachelor's options through affiliated schoolsARRT (MR)
1 year
No
In-person classroom, lab, and 900 hours of clinical experience
$15,400 tuition (35 credits at $440 per credit) for the 2026-2027 academic year
Gogebic Community College (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist) Ironwood, MI Neighboring state, on the Wisconsin border; general education must be complete and program acceptance is required before MRI courses; tuition rates from https://www.gogebic.edu/admissions/payingforcollege/tuition.html.
MRI direct
Associate degree, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist (65 credits)ARRT (MR)
2 years
No
MRI core courses online through the Michigan Workforce Training and Education Collaborative, with clinicals in the western Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin
2026-2027 tuition per credit hour: $155 in-district, $221 Wisconsin reciprocity area, $254 out-of-state

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

The path

How to become an MRI tech in Wisconsin

Five steps, the same in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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

    Wisconsin licenses radiographers, and its statute 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 Wisconsin, and which ones are in our clinical network

Tesla MR has 57 affiliated clinical sites in Wisconsin. An affiliated site is a facility in our clinical network where students can be placed. The others are places MRI techs work in Wisconsin that we have not affiliated with yet.

Affiliated site Employer, not yet affiliated

Ascension Wisconsin

Affiliated site
  • All Saints Hospital Mt Pleasant Mount Pleasant, WI
  • All Saints Racine Racine, WI
  • Calumet Hospital Chilton Chilton, WI
  • Columbia St. Mary's Columbia West Wauwatosa Wauwatosa, WI
  • Columbia St. Mary's Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
  • Columbia St. Mary's Ozaukee Mequon, WI
  • +13 more locations

Aurora Health Care

Affiliated site
  • BayCare Aurora Medical Center Green Bay, WI
  • Lakeland Medical Center Elkhorn, WI
  • Medical Center Bay Area Marinette, WI
  • Medical Center Burlington Burlington, WI
  • Medical Center Fond du Lac Fond du Lac, WI
  • Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI
  • +12 more locations

Rayus Radiology

Affiliated site
  • Appleton Appleton, WI
  • Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
  • Greenfield (Froedtert) Greenfield, WI
  • Menomonee Falls (Froedtert) Menomonee Falls, WI
  • Mequon (Froedtert) Mequon, WI
  • Oak Creek (Froedtert) Oak Creek, WI
  • +3 more locations

SSM Health

Affiliated site
  • SSM Health Monroe Hospital Monroe, WI
  • SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Ripon, WI
  • SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo Baraboo, WI
  • SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville Janesville, WI
  • SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital Waupun, WI
  • St. Mary's Hospital - Madison Madison, WI

Beloit Health System

Affiliated site
  • Beloit Clinic Beloit, WI
  • Beloit Memorial Hospital 1969 West Hart Road Beloit, WI

Froedtert South

Affiliated site
  • Froedtert South Pleasant Prairie, WI

UCP Clinics

Affiliated site
  • Yuniq Imaging Appleton, WI

Western Wisconsin Health

Affiliated site
  • Main Campus Baldwin, WI

Plus 3 more imaging groups in the area.

Pulled from Tesla MR's site database on October 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 · Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of our larger markets, with 57 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 Wisconsin

Wisconsin licenses radiographers under Wis. Stat. ch. 462, which defines the practice of radiography as imaging produced by applying X-rays to the human body. The chapter does not mention magnetic resonance imaging, so there is no MRI-specific state license in that statute.

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.

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Key Takeaway

Wisconsin licenses radiographers, and its statute does not mention MRI. Employers require ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification.

MRI technologist salary in Wisconsin

BLS reports a May 2025 median of $94,720 for MRI technologists in Wisconsin, with about 530 employed statewide (BLS OEWS, state estimates). The national median is $95,480. For comparison, Wisconsin radiologic technologists, which includes X-ray and CT, have a median of $79,140.

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 Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s healthcare market is defined by large integrated health systems that span the entire state, from Milwaukee through rural northern communities.

Milwaukee metro

Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin is Milwaukee’s academic medical center and the state’s only adult Level I trauma center. The MRI department operates 1.5T and 3T scanners handling complex neuro, cardiac, and oncology cases. Froedtert offers exposure to advanced imaging protocols and research sequences, making it a strong starting point for technologists who want academic medical center experience. Salaries at Froedtert run at the top of the Milwaukee range ($72K-$94K).

Advocate Aurora Health is one of the largest health systems in the Midwest, operating 15+ hospitals across Wisconsin. Aurora’s Milwaukee-area facilities handle high volumes of routine and specialty MRI. The system’s scale means internal transfer opportunities across locations and consistent scheduling.

Ascension Wisconsin operates several hospitals in the Milwaukee area, including Columbia St. Mary’s and St. Francis.

Madison metro

UW Health is the academic health system of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The imaging department supports clinical care, medical education, and research. MRI techs at UW Health work alongside residents and fellows, which creates a teaching-oriented environment. The Madison market tends to be competitive, with strong demand and salaries approaching $92K for experienced techs.

SSM Health (St. Mary’s Hospital) and UnityPoint Health - Meriter also employ MRI technologists in the Madison area.

Greater Wisconsin

Marshfield Clinic Health System covers rural and central Wisconsin with a network of hospitals and clinics. Marshfield is nationally recognized for rural healthcare delivery, and MRI techs here see a broad case mix because there are fewer specialists to handle niche referrals. It is an excellent place to build general MRI skills.

Gundersen Health System (La Crosse) serves western Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota and Iowa. ThedaCare covers the Fox Valley region. Bellin Health and HSHS St. Vincent Hospital serve the Green Bay area.

Outpatient imaging

National and regional imaging networks operate across Wisconsin’s major metros. Outpatient centers typically offer predictable daytime hours and hire technologists with ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification.

MRI programs by city in Wisconsin

Looking for MRI training in a specific Wisconsin 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

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. One Wisconsin program in the table above, UW Health MRI Technologist Apprenticeship, takes students with no imaging credential; its length is 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 Wisconsin median of $79,140 versus $94,720 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 Wisconsin 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. UW Health MRI Technologist Apprenticeship and Tesla MR's hybrid certificate both accept students with no prior imaging credential. 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 Wisconsin health systems are listed on this page.

MRI tech schools in nearby cities and states

Milwaukee, WisconsinIllinoisIowaMichiganMinnesota
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MRI Training in Wisconsin 12-18 months · No prerequisites
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