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Medicine: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries

Program Overview

Prepared for the independent practice of medicine, this rigorous academic pathway equips learners with the comprehensive knowledge and clinical expertise required to prevent, diagnose, and treat a broad spectrum of human health conditions. Grounded in scientific inquiry and patient-centered care, the program fosters the development of skilled, ethically grounded physicians capable of delivering high-quality medical services across diverse clinical settings.

  • Basic Medical Sciences: Foundational study of human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and pathology to understand the biological basis of health and disease.
  • Clinical Medicine: Application of medical knowledge in real-world patient care, emphasizing evidence-based decision-making and diagnostic reasoning.
  • Physical Examination and Diagnostic Techniques: Mastery of clinical skills for systematic patient assessment, including history-taking, physical exams, and interpretation of diagnostic tests.
  • Patient Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Development of effective, empathetic communication strategies to build trust, convey complex information, and support patient autonomy.
  • Medical Ethics and Law: Exploration of ethical dilemmas, patient rights, confidentiality, informed consent, and legal responsibilities within healthcare practice.
  • Professional Standards and Practice: Training in accountability, lifelong learning, quality improvement, and adherence to national and institutional medical guidelines.
  • Clinical Rotations in Core Specialties: Hands-on experience across key disciplines including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, neurology, ophthalmology, radiology, clinical pathology, anesthesiology, family medicine, and psychiatry.

Medicine Graduate Trends (2010-2024)

20,703
Total Graduates (2023-2024)
151
Universities & Colleges
17
Career Pathways

Medicine Career Pathways & Salary Outlook

The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Medicine degrees, including Cardiologists, Surgeons, All Other and Pediatric Surgeons. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 778,470 professionals.


National Average Salaries

Occupation Median Salary Salary Range Total Employment Hourly Rate
Cardiologists 29-1212 $239,200 $119,970 - $239,200 18,020 $115.00
Surgeons, All Other 29-1249 $239,200 $77,290 - $239,200 24,080 $115.00
Pediatric Surgeons 29-1243 $239,200 $189,720 - $239,200 1,050 $115.00
Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric 29-1242 $239,200 $83,390 - $239,200 14,160 $115.00
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric 29-1241 $239,200 $104,240 - $239,200 12,110 $115.00
Physicians, All Other 29-1229 $239,200 $66,860 - $239,200 315,360 $115.00
Radiologists 29-1224 $239,200 $82,810 - $239,200 26,290 $115.00
Psychiatrists 29-1223 $239,200 $77,360 - $239,200 24,800 $115.00
Physicians, Pathologists 29-1222 $239,200 $83,930 - $239,200 11,800 $115.00
Obstetricians and Gynecologists 29-1218 $239,200 $94,750 - $239,200 19,900 $115.00
Neurologists 29-1217 $239,200 $83,500 - $239,200 7,700 $115.00
Emergency Medicine Physicians 29-1214 $239,200 $114,680 - $239,200 33,680 $115.00
Dermatologists 29-1213 $239,200 $118,540 - $239,200 10,080 $115.00
Anesthesiologists 29-1211 $239,200 $124,450 - $239,200 41,890 $115.00
Family Medicine Physicians 29-1215 $238,380 $81,330 - $239,200 107,950 $114.61
General Internal Medicine Physicians 29-1216 $236,350 $70,100 - $239,200 66,640 $113.63
Pediatricians, General 29-1221 $210,130 $96,240 - $239,200 42,960 $101.03

Medicine Salary Map by State

Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $200,708 in Arkansas to $239,200 in Iowa—a 19% difference. The highest-paying states include Iowa, Idaho, and Montana. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 778,470 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.

Average Salary Range:

Top Universities for Medicine by Graduate Enrollment

Below are the top 100 institutions offering Medicine programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Medicine is found at Indiana University (IU Indianapolis), Indianapolis (349 graduates), Rutgers University, New Brunswick (317 graduates), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) (266 graduates), Wayne State University (WSU) (258 graduates), and Thomas Jefferson University (257 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 16,854 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.

College Name Award Levels Graduates Location Control Website
Indiana University (IU Indianapolis)
Doctorate (Professional)
349 Indianapolis, Indiana Public indianapolis.iu.edu
Rutgers University
Doctorate (Professional)
317 New Brunswick, New Jersey Public newbrunswick.rutgers.edu
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
Doctorate (Professional)
266 Chicago, Illinois Public uic.edu
Wayne State University (WSU)
Doctorate (Professional)
258 Detroit, Michigan Public wayne.edu
Thomas Jefferson University
Doctorate (Professional)
257 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Private jefferson.edu
Drexel University
Doctorate (Professional)
254 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Private drexel.edu
University of Washington (UW)
Doctorate (Professional)
254 Seattle, Washington Public washington.edu
Augusta University (AU)
Doctorate (Professional)
244 Augusta, Georgia Public augusta.edu
Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW)
Doctorate (Professional)
236 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Private mcw.edu
University of Minnesota (UMN)
Doctorate (Professional)
235 Minneapolis, Minnesota Public twin-cities.umn.edu
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Doctorate (Professional)
228 Dallas, Texas Public utsouthwestern.edu
The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth)
Doctorate (Professional)
226 Houston, Texas Public uth.edu
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)
Doctorate (Professional)
219 Galveston, Texas Public utmb.edu
Temple University
Doctorate (Professional)
214 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public temple.edu
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
Doctorate (Professional)
210 Cleveland, Ohio Private case.edu
The University of Texas Health Science Center
Doctorate (Professional)
208 San Antonio, Texas Public uthscsa.edu
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Doctorate (Professional)
206 Brooklyn, New York Public downstate.edu
University of Arizona
Doctorate (Professional)
202 Tucson, Arizona Public arizona.edu
University of Miami (UM)
Doctorate (Professional)
201 Coral Gables, Florida Private miami.edu
University of Kansas (KU)
Doctorate (Professional)
200 Lawrence, Kansas Public ku.edu
University of Kentucky (UK)
Doctorate (Professional)
196 Lexington, Kentucky Public uky.edu
New York Medical College (NYMC)
Doctorate (Professional)
193 Valhalla, New York Private nymc.edu
Tufts University
Doctorate (Professional)
187 Medford, Massachusetts Private tufts.edu
Ohio State University
Doctorate (Professional)
187 Columbus, Ohio Public osu.edu
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Doctorate (Professional)
187 Bronx, New York Private einsteinmed.edu
University of South Carolina (USC)
Doctorate (Professional)
185 Columbia, South Carolina Public sc.edu
Harvard University
Doctorate (Professional)
182 Cambridge, Massachusetts Private harvard.edu
University of Michigan (U‑M)
Doctorate (Professional)
181 Ann Arbor, Michigan Public umich.edu
Michigan State University (MSU)
Doctorate (Professional)
181 East Lansing, Michigan Public msu.edu
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC-NO)
Doctorate (Professional)
180 New Orleans, Louisiana Public lsuhsc.edu
Tulane University of Louisiana
Doctorate (Professional)
178 New Orleans, Louisiana Private tulane.edu
Texas A & M University
Doctorate (Professional)
178 College Station, Texas Public tamu.edu
University of South Florida (USF)
Doctorate (Professional)
177 Tampa, Florida Public usf.edu
University of Alabama (UAB)
Doctorate (Professional)
176 Birmingham, Alabama Public uab.edu
Georgetown University (GU)
Doctorate (Professional)
176 Washington, District of Columbia Private georgetown.edu
Saint Louis University (SLU)
Doctorate (Professional)
176 Saint Louis, Missouri Private slu.edu
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Doctorate (Professional)
176 Chapel Hill, North Carolina Public unc.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Doctorate (Professional)
175 Richmond, Virginia Public vcu.edu
University of California (UCSF)
Doctorate (Professional)
173 San Francisco, California Public ucsf.edu
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Doctorate (Professional)
173 Madison, Wisconsin Public wisc.edu
Loma Linda University (LLU)
Doctorate (Professional)
172 Loma Linda, California Private llu.edu
University of Southern California (USC)
Doctorate (Professional)
172 Los Angeles, California Private usc.edu
George Washington University (GW)
Doctorate (Professional)
172 Washington, District of Columbia Private gwu.edu
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
Doctorate (Professional)
170 Little Rock, Arkansas Public uams.edu
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)
Doctorate (Professional)
170 Houston, Texas Private bcm.edu
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
Doctorate (Professional)
170 Memphis, Tennessee Public uthsc.edu
University at Buffalo (UB)
Doctorate (Professional)
169 Buffalo, New York Public buffalo.edu
University of California (UCLA)
Doctorate (Professional)
168 Los Angeles, California Public ucla.edu
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU)
Doctorate (Professional)
166 North Chicago, Illinois Private rosalindfranklin.edu
University of Cincinnati (UC)
Doctorate (Professional)
166 Cincinnati, Ohio Public uc.edu
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Doctorate (Professional)
165 Worcester, Massachusetts Public umassmed.edu
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC)
Doctorate (Professional)
165 Lubbock, Texas Public ttuhsc.edu
Creighton University
Doctorate (Professional)
164 Omaha, Nebraska Private creighton.edu
University of Toledo (UToledo)
Doctorate (Professional)
164 Toledo, Ohio Public utoledo.edu
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
Doctorate (Professional)
155 University, Mississippi Public olemiss.edu
Boston University (BU)
Doctorate (Professional)
154 Boston, Massachusetts Private bu.edu
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Doctorate (Professional)
152 Denver, Colorado Public ucdenver.edu
Loyola University Chicago (LUC)
Doctorate (Professional)
150 Chicago, Illinois Private luc.edu
University of Louisville (UofL)
Doctorate (Professional)
149 Louisville, Kentucky Public louisville.edu
Rush University
Doctorate (Professional)
148 Chicago, Illinois Private rushu.rush.edu
University of Pennsylvania (Penn)
Doctorate (Professional)
148 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Private upenn.edu
University of Florida (UF)
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Professional)
147 Gainesville, Florida Public ufl.edu
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Doctorate (Professional)
147 Charleston, South Carolina Public web.musc.edu
University of Oklahoma (OUHSC)
Doctorate (Professional)
146 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Public ouhsc.edu
University of Virginia (UVA)
Doctorate (Professional)
144 Charlottesville, Virginia Public virginia.edu
University of California (UCSD)
Doctorate (Professional)
143 La Jolla, California Public ucsd.edu
University of Maryland (UMB)
Doctorate (Professional)
142 Baltimore, Maryland Public umaryland.edu
Columbia University in the City of New York
Doctorate (Professional)
142 New York, New York Private columbia.edu
Upstate Medical University
Doctorate (Professional)
142 Syracuse, New York Public upstate.edu
Northwestern University
Doctorate (Professional)
141 Evanston, Illinois Private northwestern.edu
Wake Forest University (WFC)
Doctorate (Professional)
141 Winston-Salem, North Carolina Private wfu.edu
University of Iowa
Doctorate (Professional)
140 Iowa City, Iowa Public uiowa.edu
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)
Doctorate (Professional)
140 Omaha, Nebraska Public unmc.edu
Albany Medical College (AMC)
Doctorate (Professional)
135 Albany, New York Private amc.edu
Pennsylvania State University
Doctorate (Professional)
135 University Park, Pennsylvania Public psu.edu
Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS)
Doctorate (Professional)
135 Norfolk, Virginia Public evms.edu
Emory University
Doctorate (Professional)
134 Atlanta, Georgia Private emory.edu
New York University (NYU)
Doctorate (Professional)
134 New York, New York Private nyu.edu
Brown University
Doctorate (Professional)
134 Providence, Rhode Island Private brown.edu
Icahn School of Medicine (ISMMS)
Doctorate (Professional)
133 New York, New York Private icahn.mssm.edu
Duke University
Doctorate (Professional)
133 Durham, North Carolina Private duke.edu
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC-S)
Doctorate (Professional)
133 Shreveport, Louisiana Public lsuhs.edu
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
Doctorate (Professional)
132 Portland, Oregon Public ohsu.edu
Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
Doctorate (Professional)
128 Rootstown, Ohio Public neomed.edu
University of Pittsburgh
Doctorate (Professional)
126 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Public pitt.edu
Stony Brook University (SBU)
Doctorate (Professional)
124 Stony Brook, New York Public stonybrook.edu
University of Missouri (UMKC)
Doctorate (Professional)
120 Kansas City, Missouri Public umkc.edu
University of Vermont (UVM)
Doctorate (Professional)
120 Burlington, Vermont Public uvm.edu
University of Missouri (Mizzou)
Doctorate (Professional)
119 Columbia, Missouri Public missouri.edu
Oakland University (OU)
Doctorate (Professional)
117 Rochester Hills, Michigan Public oakland.edu
Wright State University
Doctorate (Professional)
117 Dayton, Ohio Public wright.edu
University of Central Florida (UCF)
Doctorate (Professional)
116 Orlando, Florida Public ucf.edu
University of California (UCD)
Doctorate (Professional)
115 Davis, California Public ucdavis.edu
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM)
Doctorate (Professional)
115 Scranton, Pennsylvania Private geisinger.edu
Florida International University (FIU)
Doctorate (Professional)
114 Miami, Florida Public fiu.edu
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Doctorate (Professional)
114 El Paso, Texas Public elpaso.ttuhsc.edu
California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM)
Doctorate (Professional)
113 Colton, California Private cusm.org
Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
Doctorate (Professional)
112 Baltimore, Maryland Private jhu.edu
University of Utah (U of U)
Doctorate (Professional)
111 Salt Lake City, Utah Public utah.edu
Florida State University (FSU)
Doctorate (Professional)
110 Tallahassee, Florida Public fsu.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about Medicine programs

How much can I earn with a Medicine degree?

Salaries for Medicine graduates vary by role and location. Cardiologists earn a median of $239,200 annually, while Surgeons, All Other earn around $239,200. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in Iowa average $239,200 compared to $200,708 in Arkansas. Approximately 778,470 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.

Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.

Which universities have the largest Medicine programs?

Currently 151 accredited institutions offer Medicine degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Indiana University (IU Indianapolis), Indianapolis (349 graduates), Rutgers University, New Brunswick (317 graduates), and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) (266 graduates).

Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.

Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.

Is enrollment in Medicine growing or declining?

Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 16,714 in 2010 to 20,703 in 2023-24. This represents a 24% increase overall from 2010.

The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.

Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.

What career paths are available with a Medicine degree?

This degree prepares you for roles such as Cardiologists, Surgeons, All Other, and Pediatric Surgeons. Related occupations employ approximately 778,470 professionals nationwide.

Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.

Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.

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