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Online Students of Imaging Sciences Balance Work, Family and School

Full-time parent and full-time employee, Dave LaGuardia of Portland, Oregon, couldn’t have been more excited to be graduating with his Bachelor of Science in Imaging Sciences (BSIS). The online Imaging Sciences degree is designed for credentialed imaging practitioners, like LaGuardia, who wish to advance their career potential by completing a bachelor’s degree. “This accomplishment is not just mine,” he said. “I am sharing this accomplishment with my entire family.”

“This accomplishment is not just mine; I am sharing this accomplishment with my entire family.”

Dave and his wife
Dave LaGuardia celebrates with his wife at graduation.

The Boise State Bachelor of Science in Imaging Sciences Online is achievable

LaGuardia discovered Boise State Online through a co-worker who was in the process of completing their own BSIS degree at the time.

“He was like ‘this is the way to go,’” David said, “I looked at other online programs, but they didn’t quite offer the same things that the Boise State program had. With my schedule, it was just the best option.”

“With my schedule, it was just the best option.”

With the degree offered fully online and without clinical requirements, Boise State’s Imaging Sciences bachelor can be completed from almost anywhere.

Current students and program alumni can be found across the nation. For local students, including rural Idaho counties, students have opportunities to network with experts from larger hospitals or learn of innovative health delivery solutions practiced in smaller health systems.

These connections are made through group assignments and other community-building features that are built into the program. Students learn from professors and peers, building their knowledge-base, discussing best-practices and discovering  new perspectives on industry topics.

Responsive, personalized, flexible

Working full-time as a radiologic technologist and taking the full-time track, LaGuardia called his degree “an experiment to see what I can do, and I am glad I did it.” The BSIS is designed to help students, like LaGuardia, maximize their prior learning and build on professional experience.

“This whole thing was an experiment to see what I can do, and I am glad I did it.”

Dave LaGuardia
Dave LaGuardia at Boise State’s Online Imaging Sciences graduation, December 2019. Photo by Arlie Sommer

Students who’ve completed all pre-requisite coursework can complete in as few as 12 months with full-time enrollment. The full-time track spans three semesters with two sessions of seven-week classes in each. Semesters range from 10 to 12 credits in the full-time track and three to seven credits per semester for part-time, providing flexibility for every lifestyle.

Not only did LaGuardia’s associate degree allow him to get a head-start on prerequisites, the other credits he had earned also count toward his final degree requirements to graduate. Students apply 25 credits toward their degree requirements for having passed the required ARRT credentialing exam, which minimizes the time to complete their degree.

Boise State’s BSIS helps professional imagers advance their career with industry specific courses and expert faculty. The advising team builds custom degree plans for each student at the start of their program, so there is a clear road map to graduation.

Personalized advising assesses past work, future goals and each student’s individual circumstances for a tailor made experience. This high-touch advising keeps students on track, even when plans change.

Take the leap and give it a shot

LaGuardia has dreams of becoming a teacher, a goal that was just out of reach without a bachelor’s degree. He’s looking forward to opening doors for others. “Taking the knowledge I have gained and sharing it with others is a pretty great honor,” he said.

With small children at home, he hopes his experience will inspire others to take the next step. He’s made a resolution to keep growing and continue to take chances, “I know a little bit more of what I am capable of. Going forward, I can take that confidence and apply it to other things.”

“I know a little bit more of what I am capable of. Going forward, I can take that confidence and apply it to other things.”

That confidence gives LaGuardia the fuel he needed to pursue more than he thought possible and that realization makes him yet another cheerleader of the program. He doesn’t think twice about passing on the advice that was given to him a few years back, “If you are on the fence, take the leap and give it a shot. You might learn something about yourself in the process,” he said, “I know that’s been my whole experience, and coming out the other side, I am changed.”

More about Boise State Online

Along with the Bachelor of Science in Imaging Sciences, Boise State University offers more than 55 online degree and certificate programs to help you make your educational dreams a reality–whether you need a bachelor’s degree, a graduate degree or a single online class. For more information, visit the Boise State Online website.

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