COMPLETION DATES DIFFER BETWEEN CERTIFICATE AND DEGREE-GRANTING PROGRAMS

If a program is accredited as a certificate program, the completion date is the date the student completes the educational program requirements, which must include the ARRT didactic and clinical requirements. In an accredited degree-granting program, however, program requirements can be met, yet the student’s completion date—and their ability to take the ARRT exam for certification and registration—doesn’t occur until the degree requirements are met and the degree is conferred.

This is important for Program Directors to know so their students aren’t penalized. If a student says they completed the program, and they take the exam, but the student’s degree wasn’t conferred until later, the student’s score will be canceled—counting as their first attempt—and the exam must be retaken.