Radiography

At a Glance

The art and science of using X-rays to produce diagnostic images of the human body.

Thank you for visiting the webpage for the LLCC Associate Degree Radiography program! Virtually everything you may wish to know about the program is contained here. Please take just a few minutes to visit each topic and you'll find nearly all of your questions answered.

Learn more about general program information, admission, recommended course sequences and course requirements.

Applications for the class starting in June 2025 are being accepted until Friday, Feb. 14 at 5 p.m.

Degrees & Certs

LLCC offers the following degree in radiography. Select the degree to read about required courses.

Job Outlook

Cost

Radiography Program Expenses

Tuition Refund Information

Please note: All costs are subject to change with each semester. Please refer to the LLCC Bookstore or the LLCC Registration office for changes each semester.

Paying for college

Learn more about cost of attendance.

There are ways to get help paying for college. Learn more about paying for college.

Free training opportunity

The Pipeline for the Advancement of the Healthcare Workforce (PATH) program provides free training and supports for occupations within the health care field. Learn more about PATH, including support services, programs and eligibility.

Start/Info Session

Classes in the Associate Degree Radiography program begin with the summer session each year. 

If this is a career in which you are interested, be sure to do two things:

  1. Attend the next scheduled information session and fulfill this requirement for admission. All sessions begin at 5:00 p.m. and will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. You must register in advance by emailing the program director. Please provide your name, email address and a contact number in case of cancellation. You will be emailed the link for the meeting along with a handout.
    • Wednesday, June 12, 2024
    • Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024
    • Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024
    • Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025
  2. Make an appointment with the health professions student success coach by calling 217-786-2224. LLCC Student Success is located in Menard Hall on the main campus.

To help ensure that students are successful, our program uses a selective admission process. Please note that applicants must complete this selective admission process in addition to the LLCC general enrollment steps. To prepare for applying to the program, please follow the RAD application steps.

We hope to see you soon!

To complete the radiography program at LLCC, each student must:

    1. Satisfy all admission requirements.
    2. Successfully complete 64 semester hours according to the paradigm.
    3. Discharge all financial obligations to the college.
    4. Complete the degree requirements of the college.
    5. Apply for the degree by completing a graduation application.

Students should check regularly with the LLCC Student Success office to be sure that their program of courses is fulfilling the requirements.

LLCC's Associate Degree Radiography program is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT). This is the only organization recognized by the United States Department of Education for accreditation of radiography programs.

The program was last site visited by the JRCERT in April 2018. That site visit resulted in a full, eight-year accreditation, which is the maximum length that is awarded. The next accreditation site visit is tentatively scheduled for the second quarter of 2026.

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2850
Chicago, Illinois 60606-3182
312-704-5300
mail@jrcert.org

To review the JRCERT Standards and other pertinent accreditation information please visit the JRCERT website.

The mission of the Associate Degree Radiography program complements, and is interwoven with, the mission of LLCC by serving patients and employers in the district's health care institutions by graduating competent, entry-level radiographers. Students will integrate the cognitive, psychomotor and affective components of medical radiography and achieve the primary goal of clinical excellence built on academic achievement.

Program goals and learning outcomes

  1. Students will demonstrate a firm foundation for the profession and the imaging process taking into account patient safety and interactions.
    • Students will summarize the importance of patient safety.
    • Students will develop a firm foundation for basic principles unique to the profession.
  1. Students will demonstrate competency in the clinical environment.
    • Students will demonstrate appropriate patient care skills applicable in the clinical environment.
    • Students will demonstrate accuracy in radiographic procedures, focusing on positioning, technique, and image evaluation.
  1. Students will develop critical thinking skills.
    • Students will apply patient care knowledge and skills appropriately.
    • Students will identify anatomy and apply appropriate changes to radiographic imaging to ensure optimal images.
    • Students will apply knowledge of the effects of radiation exposure.
  1. Students will demonstrate communication skills.
    • Students will demonstrate written communication skills.
    • Students will demonstrate oral communication skills.
  1. Students will exemplify professionalism.
    • Students will demonstrate employment preparedness and on-the-job responsibility.
    • Students will apply practical knowledge of standards set by professional organizations.

The Associate Degree Radiography Program classroom and lab are located in room L-1116 in Logan Hall, on the Springfield Campus.

Clinical sites

Note: Clinical rotations are generally 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Early morning portable rotations may necessitate arrival as early as 6 a.m. for 2-4 weeks depending on the clinical site. Students also do one rotation on an evening shift for four weeks, second year. Clinical rotations may require the student to travel up to 50 miles one way, to an assigned clinical site for up to a year.

  • Hillsboro Area Hospital, Hillsboro
  • Springfield Memorial Hospital, Springfield
  • Memorial Care on Koke Mill, Springfield
  • Memorial Care on South Sixth Street, Springfield
  • Memorial Care on North Dirksen, Springfield
  • Orthopedic Center of Illinois, Springfield
  • Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, Jacksonville
  • Springfield Clinic - Main Campus, Springfield (special modality rotations)
  • Springfield Clinic - 1st, Springfield (special modality rotations)
  • St. Francis Hospital, Litchfield
  • St. John’s Hospital, Springfield
  • Taylorville Memorial Hospital, Taylorville

As required by affiliation agreements with our clinical sites, a criminal background check and drug screening are performed on each student entering the radiography program, at the student’s expense. If the results indicate an issue, this information will be shared with the appropriate college administrators to determine the course of action.

A hit on a criminal background check will require the student to contact the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists to complete the Ethics Review Pre-Application, at the student’s expense. The results of the Ethics Review must be provided to the Program Director immediately upon receipt.

Individuals admitted to the Associate Degree Radiography Program at Lincoln Land Community College must possess the ability to complete all aspects of the classroom and clinical curriculum. Therefore, in addition to program prerequisites, all students admitted to the program must also possess the following abilities and meet the following expectations related to successful completion of clinical education and subsequent practice in the radiography profession.

Communication/interactions

Be able to clearly communicate in English both verbally and in writing and interacting with all professionals connected with the program as it relates to:

  • Obtaining and recording patient history.
  • Explaining or discussing procedures and patient consent forms.
  • Providing clear verbal instructions to patients either face-to-face or from the radiography control area, which is a distance away from the patient.
  • Interacting and working collaboratively with other healthcare professionals.
  • Providing physical and emotional support to patients during radiographic procedures, being able to respond to situations requiring first aid, and providing appropriate emergency care to the patient until the appropriate assistance arrives.
  • Responding professionally with precise, quick, and appropriate action in stressful and emergency situations.
  • Having the ability to control emotions and maintain composure under stress.
  • Being able to adjust to various personalities of patients and co-workers.
  • Accepting criticism and adopting appropriate modifications in behavior.
  • Possessing the perseverance, diligence, and consistency to complete the radiography program curriculum.
  • Learning and performing routine radiographic procedures, using intellectual capacity to select proper technical exposure factors according to the individual needs of the patient and the requirements of the procedure's standards of speed and accuracy.

Visual acuity

Be able to see fine lines and distinguish gradual changes in blacks, grays and whites as related to:

  • Reading department protocols for imaging procedures, examination request, computer monitors, and any written directions or orders.
  • Properly positioning a patient in relation to the x-ray tube and image receptor.
  • Assessing the direction of the central ray to the anatomical part of being imaged.
  • Reviewing and evaluating recorded images for the purpose of identifying proper patient positioning, accurate procedural sequencing, proper radiographic quality, and other appropriate and pertinent technical qualities, all under the conditions of dimmed lighting.

Hearing ability

Have the ability to hear sounds as related to:

  • Responding to patient questions, concerns and needs.
  • Hear faint or muffled sounds when the use of surgical masks are required.
  • Hear faint or muffled sounds from the control panel or away from the radiographic room, which are separated from the x-ray table and patient.

Motor functions ability

Good manual dexterity, motor skills and eye-hand coordination are necessary as related to:

  • Have sufficient strength, motor coordination, and manual dexterity to transport, move, life and transfer patients from a wheelchair or cart to an x-ray table or a patient bed.
  • Move, adjust, and manipulate a variety of radiographic equipment, including the physical transportation of mobile radiographic/fluoroscopic equipment, in order to arrange and align the equipment with respect to the patient and the image receptor according to established procedures and standards of speed and accuracy.
  • Don surgical gloves, fill syringes, and handle sterile trays and equipment, including the ability to perform venipuncture.
  • Stand unassisted for long periods of time.

The Radiography Practice Analysis compiled by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (arrt.org) will be used to answer questions regarding criteria not specifically addressed by this document.  In all cases, patient safety will be the primary determining factor related to the interpretation of non-academic criteria.

Academic calendar

View the college academic calendars.

Radiography program grading system

Radiography students must receive a final course grade of C or higher in order to remain in the program. The grading scale used for all courses of the Radiography program is as follows:
A = 100-93%
B = 92-85%
C = 84-80%
D = 79-69%

Student grievances and appeals

The college shall ensure that students be served equitably and appropriately at all times. Any student who feels unfairly or inappropriately treated is encouraged to pursue resolution as outlined in the LLCC Board of Trustees Policy Manual section 5.40. Every effort should be made to resolve the issues informally before pursuing formal petition and hearing mechanisms.

Articulation agreement(s) and educational partnerships

Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Marian University, a private, non-profit, comprehensive institution of higher learning, is located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In addition to the main campus, Marian University also offers classes and degrees through online delivery. Marian University offers partner organizations special benefits and a tuition discount. The 10% tuition discount applies to all Lincoln Land Community College alumni and employees for all bachelor’s and master’s programs.

Transfer student/advanced placement

The Associate Degree Radiography Program does not accept students attempting to transfer from another radiography program or seeking advanced placement. Students desiring to attend this program must meet with a student success coach and proceed through the normal application process.