Diagnostic Medical Sonography International Students

Welcome to the Health Sciences Campus of Montgomery College (MC). We are here to help you develop your career as a health professional. Montgomery College has a diverse student population with over 165 nations represented. The Health Sciences Campus is located in Takoma Park/Silver Spring in lower Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. For more information about Montgomery College please visit our MC Website.

International student outside the United States

To attend Montgomery College as an international student from outside the United States, you need to fill out an online Montgomery College application form http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/dms/admissions.html. The College will send the acceptance letter in the mail. Acceptance into Montgomery College does not mean you have being accepted into the DMS program or does not guarantee your acceptance into the DMS program; it simply means you have been accepted to Montgomery College and that you can apply to take courses or apply to begin taking classes for desired programs, like Diagnostic Medical Sonography.  A separate Health Science Application will need to be completed in order to apply for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program.

After receiving the acceptance letter from Montgomery College you will need an I-20 form, from the college. You will need to provide proof of being able to finance your schooling and yourself while in the United States. Remember! you don’t have to be in the Unites States in order to request a SEVIS I-20 Visa (student visa). However, you will need to have an I-20 visa before you can start taking classes for the DMS Program. In addition, you will still need to fulfill some other requirements in order to be ready to start the DMS Program.

 Steps to follow:

1.  Requesting an I-20

I-20 form is a student visa for International Students needed for entry in the United States.

2.  Transfer Credit Information

Transcripts from colleges or universities from outside the United States need to be sent to an accredited organization, for example like the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Office (ACCRO) or World Education Services (WES), international academic credentials organizations who will charge a fee to have international transcripts be evaluated. Please request that your evaluated transcripts be sent directly to the Montgomery College Admissions and Records Office.

Note: If you have finished a Degree(s) in your native country, and you would like to request an advance standing credit for it, you must have a full course-by-course evaluation of your transcript(s) completed by credentials evaluation service. 

3. Transfer credit information for international students within the US

 If you are an International Student here in the United States looking to apply for the DMS Program at Montgomery College you will need to transfer your I-20

 from the other college or institution to Montgomery College. However, it is important that you take a look at the deadlines for I-20 transferring and for applying to the DMS Program so that you don't miss either deadline. Here is a link to frequently asked questions that are found on the DMS website, http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/dms/faqs.html#2.

4.   Pre-requisites required for the DMS program

It is crucial that you make sure you have completed the prerequisite courses in order to be an eligible candidate to apply for Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at Montgomery College.

 *For more specific information about Pre-requisites and General Education Requirements visit the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Admissions.

a.   It is crucial that you make sure you have completed the prerequisites courses in order for you to apply for the DMS program at MC.

Once you have been accepted to the program you may work your way through to complete the core courses that you will have to accomplish by the end of the DMS program in order for you to earn a Degree of Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Certificate.  It is advisable to complete some of these courses before or while applying to the DMS program. 

b.   Assessment for Prior Learning

5.   Credit hours

A minimum of 12 credits per semester are required to maintain full time student status.

6.   Estimated Annual Cost (based on the 2009 estimated costs)

Tuition and fees-$ 11, 000

Books and supplies- $ 1, 500

Living expenses- $ 15, 000 

In addition to the tuition, there will be some extra expenses required for the DMS program.  The DMS Tuition link will give you an approximation of the programs costs.

7.   Completion Time for Diagnostic Medical Sonogrpahy Program  

International students, the good news is that the DMS program is a two-year program; however, the bad news is that it may take more than two years since there are Pre-requisite courses that are needed to be completed prior to applying to the program and other General Education Requirements that will need to be completed in order to earn an A.A.S in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Therefore, if you have not completed all the pre-requisite courses and need to do so at Montgomery College, the time you spend at Montgomery College will be more than two years.

Internationals students immigration status while in the United States

To maintain immigration status in the United States an international student is required to enroll as full-time students. A minimum of twelve credit hours are required to maintain student status.  International students cannot enroll for twelve credit online classes to be a full-time student. International students enrolled in the Sonography program may not have twelve credit Sonography classes every semester but there are classes that you can register for to help make up the twelve credit classes. The Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) program has independent studies that you can register for to complete the twelve credit hours required to be a full-time student. For independent studies, you will be working on different projects that will benefit you and the Sonography program.

 Contact Information for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program

 For specific questions about the Sonography program, you will need to contact the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program Coordinator, Dr. Linda Zanin. For questions about admissions please call 240-567-5000 or email response@montgomerycollege.edu. For questions about immigration status please contact the international student coordinator.  For advising and counseling please e-mail questions to TPadvice@montgomerycollege.edu.

For information about the student code of conduct, please visit the following website: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/departments/academicevp/Student_PandP.htm.

For information about disability support services please visit the following website: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/dispsvc.

 International coordinator

Follow this link to get information about the international student coordinator at Montgomery College, Takoma Park Campus. http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions/I20/Contactus.htm.

 Application Deadline

Applications for the DMS program can be submitted any date between January and February. Deadline for all applications for the DMS program is March 1st.

 Information session for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program

 Yes, all students are required to attend an information session. You do not need to be in the United States to attend an information session. Information sessions are available on-line at http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/dms/infosession.html and you can participate while in your country.

 Accommodations for international students in the DMS program