Cancer Registry Management (AAS.MCR)

Revised 09/05/23

*General education courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better.

*Curriculum is subject to change. The department will make every effort to keep students aware of changes as they occur.

Rowan College at Burlington County reserves the right to change course schedule information, including instructor names, at any time as may be warranted by economic considerations, insufficient enrollments, and/or circumstances requiring such administrative action.

If you have a CTR credential and want to earn an associate degree:

• Complete all required general education courses
• Complete all required (non-MCR) program courses
• Challenge exams for all MCR program courses
  • Complete Institutional Credit by Exam Request
  • $25 per credit for EACH exam ($75 for most)
  • Take challenge examination for each course you want to challenge
  • Pass with a 77% or higher (course will be accepted and applied to your transcript as a transfer)

Clinical Requirement

• MCR 220 Cancer Registry Clinical I
• MCR 221 Cancer Registry Clinical II

Accepted students in the MCR Program who hold a CTR credential may petition to the Academic Program Director to accept the credential in lieu of completing the courses.

• Students must submit a letter to the Director requesting the credential be accepted in lieu of the course
• Submit a copy of the CTR certificate
• Submit a copy of the most recent credential validation certificate
  • If accepted, course will be listed on your transcript as a transfer

If accepted, the Criminal History Background Check requirement will be waived.

Should I complete general education courses before I apply to any of the Health Information Management programs?
HIM programs have a rolling admission therefore; you can apply anytime throughout the year. Full-time students should apply prior to or soon after starting general education courses.

When is the best time of year to apply to any of the Health Information Management Programs?
All HIM programs have a rolling admission therefore; you can apply anytime throughout the year.

What career opportunities are available for health information professionals?
The AHIMA Career Map features in-depth information about the many career options for HIM professionals, and includes updated salary study results, and job data. Click here for more information.

Is a credential required to work in the healthcare industry?
Most employers are looking for individuals who hold a national credential. However, some employers will hire recent graduates and give them a timeframe (typically 1-year) to earn a national credential.

Is it true that some employers give a coding test ?
Yes, many employers require that you pass their coding test prior to meeting with the hiring manager. You should be prepared with your own codebooks ( ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, and CPT) and a medical dictionary.

What do the abbreviations RHIT, RHIA, CCA, CCS, CTR mean?
AHIMA credentials
Click here for additional information.

• RHIT - Registered Health Information Technician (* 2-year degree)
• RHIA - Registered Health Information Administrator (* 4-year degree)
• CCA - Certified Coding Associate
• CCS - Certified Coding Specialist
• CCS-P - Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based

* Degree Program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

National Cancer Registrars Association
Click here for additional information 
CTR – Certified  Tumor Registrar

Is the Associate Degree in Health Information Technology (AAS.HIT) at RCBC accredited?
Yes, the AAS.HIT program at RCBC is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

Is the Coding Certificate Program (SPC.ACO) accredited?
 No, the Coding Program is not accredited. However, graduates of the Coding Certificate Program are eligible to take the CCA, CCS or CCS-P credential exam offered through AHIMA. In addition, most of the credits earned in the Coding Certificate Program will transfer to the accredited Associates Degree in Health Information Technology (AAS.HIT).

How much does it cost to attend RCBC?
Tuition & fees are based on many factors including in-county, out-of-county, out-of-state and program type.  For details, click here 

Note:  any course that has a prefix of HIT or MCR, refer to the Health Science Tuition and Fees.

Are challenge exams available?
Yes, challenge exams are available for some HIM and MCR courses. The cost to challenge a course for credit is $25 per credit. Arrangements must be coordinated through the HIM Department. Rates are subject to change without notice.

If I completed courses at another school where do I send my transcript(s)?
“Official” transcripts should be mailed or dropped off to:

Office of the Registrar
Rowan College at Burlington County
900 College Circle
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

Important note: To be considered official, transcripts must be sent in a sealed envelope from the college or university. A transcript is required from the school that you earned the letter grade. Therefore, if you attended multiple schools, an “official” transcript is required from every school that you earned a grade of “C+” or higher that you would like evaluated for possible credit.

How do I register for a credential exam?
If you plan to take an AHIMA credential exam (RHIT, CCA, CCS, or CCS-P) visit the AHIMA website at for details.  The website includes information about exam registration, eligibility, specifications, allowable books, review guide recommendations and more.

If you plan to take the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) exam, click here for additional details.

What books are required to take a credential exam?
See - How do I register for a credential exam?

Can I earn Continuing Education (CE) credit for taking relevant HIM courses?
Download AHIMA’s Recertification Guide here, refer to the section titled Qualifying Continue Education Activities and Calculation of CEU’s.

Will you accept a recent background check from another employer?
At this time, background checks required for the HIT Associates Degree and the Cancer Registry Management Degree MUST be completed through the college approved company.

Most programs in the Health Information Management (HIM) department apply selective admission standards. Therefore, admission to the college does not guarantee admission to a program.

Applicants must be admitted to RCBC and must also qualify for admission to their selected HIM program based on the following standards:

• Graduation from high school, or attainment of a GED, with successful completion (C grade or better) of high school level algebra and biology, or equivalent college course work.
• Successful completion of all required developmental courses as determined by the results of the College Assessment of reading, writing, and math skills.
• Successful completion (C+ grade or better) of all courses that include the prefix HIT, HIM or MCR, as required within the HIM degree/certificate curriculum.
• Complete an RCBC Admission Application online.
• Achievement of an RCBC cumulative grade point average of 2.77 or greater at the time of admission.
• Submit all previous college transcripts to the RCBC Admissions Department for evaluation. Any HIM courses on transcripts will be referred to the HIM program director for evaluation. The HIM program will not evaluate transcripts for students who have not applied to the college/ program.

Program Specific Requirements

• Applicants must take ENG101 English Composition, MTH107 Introduction to Statistics and BIO110/111 Anatomy & Physiology I with lab prior to submitting an application.

• Students GPA should be 2.77 or higher prior to submitting an application.

• Submission of a completed Health Information Management program application.
• A clear criminal history background check is required prior to clinical (details will follow with the acceptance letter).
• Acceptance will be processed twice a year. Application deadline for fall is June 1 with a July 1 notification date; Application deadline for spring is October 1 with a November 1 notification date. The program begins in the fall semester; however, some courses can be taken in the spring or summer term.

• Students who plan to attend the Cancer Registry Management program full-time should not complete general education courses prior to applying to the program. Course offerings require students to take general education and MCR program courses simultaneously to meet a full-time schedule.

• The Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) Exam pass rates for the RCBC Cancer Registry Management programs for 2016 was 100%; 2017 was 100.%; for 2018 was 33.3%; for 2019 was 67% (First time test takers only).
• Exam pass rates from program inception (2015) to present is 68.75%. 
• There have been 20 graduates of the program. 16 students have taken the CTR exam.