Dallas College

Surgical Technologist


1 Associate Degree
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Are you a detail-oriented person looking for a rewarding health career? If you think you would thrive in the fast-paced world of a hospital operating room, consider a career as a surgical technologist.  Our Surgical Technologist program will prepare you to go straight to work where you'll be a key member of the medical team in the operating room.

Surgical Technologist at a Glance

Dallas College offers many different ways to reach your career goals. Whether you want to jump into the workforce quickly or spend more time building advanced skills, we have the programs that fit your needs and timeline.

Associate Degrees

Estimated total tuition cost2:

Estimated time to complete1:

Which Degrees and Certificates are Right for Me?

Associate Degrees

Dallas College's associate degrees provide a strong academic foundation for career entry or transfer to a four-year institution.

Can I Transfer?

Our Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates may not fully transfer to a four-year college or university.

  • If your goal is to transfer, you may want to explore our Core Curriculum and Transfer Pathways.
  • You may also want to explore a transfer degree, like an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science.
  • The classes you take will count towards a bachelor's degree and are designed to be accepted by any public college or university in Texas.

If you're not sure if this is the right choice for you, you can talk to a Pathway Specialist for guidance.

Pathway Specialist

Questions About Degrees and Certificates?

We know applying to college can be confusing. If you are not yet a Dallas College student, you have a whole team of recruitment coaches to help guide you through programs and the enrollment process.

Current students, contact your success coach (advisor) who can answer any questions you have about Surgical Technologist programs and your degree and certificate options.

Contact a Recruitment Coach

What Can I Earn? Will There Be Plenty of Jobs?

Job openings are growing for surgical technologists, who manage equipment and help ensure excellent patient care in the operating room. Check out a few of the incredible career opportunities you’ll be ready for. Your future starts here!

A woman wearing a hairnet inspects high-tech medical equipment in a clean room

Medical Equipment Preparers

$24/hr

Median Salary

167

Job Openings

+20%

Projected Outlook

Top Skills:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Monitoring
  • Active Listening
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Troubleshooting
  • Active Learning
  • Coordination
Three female doctors performing surgery in an operating room

Surgical Assistants

$40/hr

Median Salary

65

Job Openings

+15%

Projected Outlook

Top Skills:

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Coordination
  • Service Orientation
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Social Perceptiveness
three doctors performing surgery in an operating room

Surgical Technologists

$37/hr

Median Salary

234

Job Openings

+13%

Projected Outlook

Top Skills:

  • Monitoring
  • Active Listening
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Time Management
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Learning Strategies
  • Service Orientation

All jobs data gathered for Dallas/Fort Worth. Source: Dallas College Labor Market Intelligence and Lightcast4.

“I earned the certificate with good grades and was well prepared for the certified surgical technologist examination, which I passed in September 2008.”
Mathew Joseph
Certified Surgical Technologist Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas

The Surgical Technologist program is located in the Downtown Health Sciences Center (formerly El Centro’s Center for Allied Health and Nursing)​ at 301 N. Market St., a block north of the El Centro downtown campus. Opened in 2008 to house El Centro’s allied health programs, the center comprises 55 classrooms and labs that contain some of the most advanced equipment available to educate health care students.

The center’s high-tech equipment includes:

  • Teaching labs that simulate surgical and hospital settings for specific program applications.
  • Microphones and cameras in each classroom to capture audio and video instruction.
  • Three classrooms with videoconferencing for two-way viewing.
  • Two simulation labs with computerized patient mannequins.

Graduates of our Surgical Technologist program are eligible for the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting Certified Surgical Technologist Exam. Certification is a requirement of employment as a surgical technologist in Texas.

The Surgical Technologist program has its own admissions process, timeline and requirements. View the additional application and admissions information.

Please email the Health Occupations Admissions Office or call 972-669-6400, press 1 for Admissions, followed by 2 for Nursing and Allied Health Admissions, to receive an information packet and information session details.

This program also requires a criminal background check and drug testing. 

The Surgical Technologist program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. The professional organization for surgical technologists is the Association of Surgical Technologists, and the national certification exam is administered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting.

Outcomes Assessment Examination (OAE) Pass Rate:

Year Number of Graduates Number of Graduates who took CST Exam Number of Graduates who Passed CST Exam Percentage of Graduates that Passed CST Exam
2023 - 2024 15 15 14 93%
2022 - 2023 15 15 9 60%
2021 - 2022 15 15 14 93%
2020 - 2021 8 8 7 88%
2019 - 2020 7 7 6 86%​

 

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School of Health Sciences

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1Length of time is based on catalog degree plans. Prerequisites may be required, which are not included in this estimate. For most programs, full-time student status is assumed, a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.

2Cost for credit courses is based on tuition rates for program hours for Dallas County residents. The price of most required learning materials (books, software, supplies, etc.) is included with the price of tuition. Certain programs may have additional costs above the standard tuition. Continuing Education and Ed2Go courses may vary by program. Please review the Area of Study Overview and/or the Health Information Packets for additional costs and details. Visit our Paying for College site to learn more about cost, financial aid, scholarships and more.

3Each location offers a unique combination of certificate and degree options. Not all degree and certificate offerings are available for admission/start at all campuses every semester.

4A portion of Lightcast’s data comes from O*NET Online by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Lightcast has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Updated June 25, 2026