Is This Program for You?

If you are analytical, detail-oriented, enjoy working with data, and have an interest in the health care field, a career as a Medical Coding Specialist could be an excellent choice.

Students entering the Medical Coding Specialist program should:

• be able to work independently.
• have a strong knowledge of medical terminology.
• employ good critical thinking and communication skills.

Program Basics

• Technical Diploma.
• May take the program in modified plan.
• All courses offered online.
• Medical Coding students must achieve a grade of C or better in each course of the program curriculum to be eligible to progress.
• Financial aid available.

Related Degrees

• Health Information Technician

Note: Session 1 = 1st 8 weeks; Session 2 = 2nd 8 weeks.

Cost of Attendance (COA) 26-27

Cost of Attendance (COA) is a total of all the usual expenses of being a student. The COA sets the maximum amount of financial aid a student can receive.

Based on Wisconsin Residents.

Approximate school costs are for a full-time (12 credit) student over a semester span of 17 weeks.

Fees are legislated by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board.

These costs are estimates and are subject to change without notice.

Admission Requirements

• Submit Application

Academic Preparedness Requirements

Before you can be fully accepted into your program, you need to complete the requirements below. These are the same requirements you may see in your SWTC Student Portal.


• Submit Official High School, College, Military Transcripts, and Test Scores (Not Required)
  Have documents sent directly to:
  • Email: admissions@swtc.edu
  • Mail: Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Attn: Admissions, 1800 Bronson Blvd, Fennimore, WI 53809
• Meet with Your Advisor for an Admissions Meeting
  Schedule an admission meeting with your program advisor to complete your student success plan, including a career assessment and academic map and support plan.
  
  To schedule your meeting, go to the Appointments page. Find your advisor in the list, then select Make an Appointment under their contact information.
  
  Appointments are available on campus or virtually.

If you want to check which of these requirements you still need to complete, log in to your SWTC Student Portal, go to My Profile → Document Center, and make sure All Programs is selected.

Program Outcomes

At the completion of the program, students are expected to be able to:

• Collect health data
• Model professional behaviors and ethics
• Use electronic applications to support coding and data collection
• Apply coding and reimbursement systems

Job security is available nationwide: there is a critical shortage of qualified medical coders. This program prepares students for employment as entry-level coding specialists in health care facilities such as: hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, surgery centers, insurance companies, consulting companies, government agencies, computer software companies and other health care settings. Possible employment for program graduates may include:

• Outpatient Coder
• Inpatient Coder
• Medical Coding Specialist
• Coding Analyst
• Claims Analyst

Southwest Tech's Career Services Center offers services to assist students looking for job placement.

Credit for Prior Learning

Experience Pays! You've Been There... You've Done That... Let's See If You Can Get Credit For It!

Credit for prior learning gives you opportunities to earn credit for college-level knowledge that you have already acquired. This may be the result of work or volunteer experiences, certifications, apprenticeships, military training, extensive self-instruction, or professional development. Credit for Prior Learning affords you the opportunity to accelerate the completion of your educational goals.

For more information on Credit for Prior Learning see our Credit for Prior Learning page.

Medical Coding Specialist Courses that may have Credit for Prior Learning options:

Course #	Course Title	Challenge Exam (Demonstration)	Challenge Exam (Standard)	CLEP	Credential	Portfolio
10-501-101	Medical Terminology
	Available online
10-501-107	Digital Literacy for Healthcare
10-530-165	Intermediate Coding
10-530-182	Human Diseases for Hlth Profes
10-530-184	CPT Coding
	Current Certified Professional Coder (CPC) or Certified Coding Specialist - Physician Based (CCS-P)
10-530-197	ICD Diagnosis Coding
	Current International Classification of Diseases - 10 (ICD-10), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) or Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
10-530-199	ICD Procedure Coding
	International Classification of Diseases - 10 (ICD-10) or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)