The Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program is a nationally accredited one-year, full-time, allied health certificate program that will train students to become knowledgeable cardiovascular professionals who assist in performing diagnostic ultrasound procedures in the Adult Cardiac Diagnostic Unit.  

Specialty areas of procedural competence in the program include transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and stress echocardiography (SE). Proficiency in imaging techniques will be acquired in two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography, strain rate imaging, Doppler echocardiography, color Doppler, three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography, and all aspects of structural heart disease.

The first 5 weeks of the program have daily instruction on campus. Students begin by learning the key fundamentals of cardiac function and physiology. A combination of both didactic and hands-on laboratory instruction prepares the student for their clinical rotations. The remaining 45 weeks include 1 day per week of classroom instruction on campus with 4 days per week of clinical practicum at Duke University Health System Hospital sites and other Duke-affiliated care centers.

Online applications for Fall 2025 Classes will be available in December. The deadline to apply is April 1. Application fees must be mailed separately.

Program Prerequisites

Students will be required to have a bachelor’s degree. If the candidate has a bachelor’s degree that is not a healthcare-related major, they are required to have completed 8 credits of Anatomy and Physiology with lab and a medical terminology course.

Tuition and Fees

$25,000 - Includes tuition and national registry fee. 

Anita M. Kelsey, MD, MBA
Medical Director Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program

Richard Palma BS, RDCS, RCS, ACS, FACVP, FSDMS, FASE
Director of the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Certificate Program