Northwest Technical College expands health programs with cardiac sonography degree

Northwest Technical College has added a cardiac sonography degree, new information technology support credentials and an advanced practice esthetics certificate in Bemidji, expanding a training pipeline that college leaders say is being shaped by student demand and regional employer needs.

The biggest change for Beltrami County is the cardiac sonography program NTC and Sanford Health of Bemidji rolled out on March 11, 2026. The co-staffed degree will debut in Fall 2026 and is designed to let students train closer to home for a heart-care specialty that remains scarce in northern Minnesota. NTC said the program will be one of only five two-year cardiac sonography degrees in Minnesota and will be the northernmost in the state by nearly 100 miles.

Sanford Bemidji Medical Center is a central piece of that workforce picture. The hospital says it has served the region since 1898, handles more than 6,000 admissions and 800 births each year, and its emergency department treats nearly 30,000 patients annually. Sanford’s Bemidji Heart & Vascular Center also provides heart care with advanced cardiac diagnostic technology, giving students a local clinical environment tied directly to regional demand.

NTC said the cardiac sonography curriculum will train students in transthoracic echocardiographic imaging, exam protocols, image optimization, patient positioning and basic cardiac pathology recognition. Graduates will be prepared to sit for national certification exams through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Cardiovascular Credentialing International, depending on eligibility. The college’s model relies on dual-appointment instructors from Sanford, a setup meant to strengthen hands-on training while helping the health system build its own recruitment pipeline.

The June 23 announcement also added two information technology support options: an associate degree and a diploma. NTC said the associate of applied science is 60 credits over four semesters, while the diploma is 31 credits over two semesters. The shorter track is aimed at help desk and technical support work across business, education, government and industry, offering a faster route into local employment for students who want to enter the workforce sooner.

On the cosmetology side, NTC added an Advanced Practice Esthetics certificate to its Bemidji academy. The Cosmetology Academy opened in August 2024, and standalone esthetics and nail-care technology certificates began in Spring 2025. The new certificate extends that ladder of credentials for students who want to move into the field without starting over.

NTC said it has served students for more than 50 years, enrolls more than 1,000 students and offers 36 fields of study in six career paths. In this round of expansion, the college is betting that stackable credentials in health care, technology and cosmetology will help keep more graduates in Bemidji and across northern Minnesota.