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2023 Medicine Degree Guide

A Spike in Medicine Degrees

#40 Most Popular Major
28.6k Degrees Awarded
3.7% Increase in Graduates

Medicine was the 40th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 28,629 degrees in this year alone. This represents a 3.7% increase in medicine degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 27,562.

This year's Best Medicine Schools ranking compares 132 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom medicine rankings further below.

2023 Best Colleges for Medicine
2023 Overall Best Medicine Colleges >

Best Medicine Schools by Degree

Doctorate Degrees in Medicine

Medicine Degree Requirements

Medicine majors are found most commonly in careers in which using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems is important. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times and considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one are all required skills for careers related to this major.

Getting Accepted Into a Medicine Program

New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Specific medicine careers may require a certain level of degree attainment or additional certifications beyond that.

Types of Medicine Degrees

There are many different medicine degree levels. Medicine programs offered by schools range from a to a , which is the highest medicine degree you can get. Depending on the medicine degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.

Degree Credit Requirements Typical Program Length
Associate Degree 60-70 credits 2 years
Bachelor’s Degree 120 credits 4 years
Master’s Degree 50-70 credits 1-3 years
Doctorate Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation At least 4 years

A doctor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to medicine, with approximately 65.4% of workers getting one. See the the most common levels of education for medicine workers below.

Level of Education Percentage of Workers
Doctoral Degree 65.4%
Post-Doctoral Training 31.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate 3.5%

96.5% of medicine workers have at least a doctorate. See the chart below for the most common degree level workers in medicine have received.

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The education level required is different depending on the medicine career you are seeking.

Medicine Careers

Average Number of Jobs
$56.9k Average Starting Salary
12% Growth Job Outlook 2016-26

Solid Growth Projected for Medicine Careers

Want a job when you graduate with your medicine degree? Medicine careers are expected to grow 12.1% between 2016 and 2026.

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to medicine.

Occupation Name Projected Jobs Expected Growth
Physicians and Surgeons 414,700 11.4%
Family and General Practitioners 154,100 14.3%

How Much Money Do Medicine Grads Make?

Medicine graduates between 2017-2019 reported earning an average of $56,887 in the 2019-2020 timeframe. Earnings can range from as low as $8,522 to as high as $76,084. As you might expect, salaries for medicine graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

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High Paying Careers for Medicine Majors

Salaries for medicine graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers medicine grads often go into.

Occupation Name Median Average Salary
Family and General Practitioners $211,780
Physicians and Surgeons $203,880

Getting Your Medicine Degree

With over 199 different medicine degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased medicine school rankings to help you with this.

Medicine is one of 30 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Medicine Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Medicine 20,665

View All Medicine Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308

View All Medicine Related Majors >

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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