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Board certified family physician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a board certified family physician. Board certified family physicians usually study medicine, biology, or nursing. 39% of board certified family physicians hold a doctoral degree, and 29% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 44 real board certified family physician resumes to see exactly what board certified family physician education sections show.
The most common colleges for board certified family physicians are the University of Washington and the University of Washington.
There are also many online board certified family physician courses to help get the education required to be a board certified family physician.
What education do you need to become a board certified family physician?
What degree do you need to be a board certified family physician?
- Doctorate, 39%
- Bachelor's, 29%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 6%
- Other Degrees, 16%
What should I major in to become a board certified family physician?
Most common colleges for board certified family physicians
| Board certified family physician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Washington | 5.00% |
| Oklahoma Christian University | 5.00% |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler | 5.00% |
| University of Texas Health Science Center Houston | 5.00% |
| Molloy College | 5.00% |
Best majors for board certified family physicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine | 22.6% |
| 2 | Biology | 16.1% |
| 3 | Nursing | 9.7% |
| 4 | Osteopathic Medicine | 6.5% |
| 5 | Medical Assisting Services | 6.5% |
Best colleges for board certified family physicians
The best colleges for board certified family physicians are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A board certified family physician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for board certified family physicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become board certified family physicians.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
20 best online courses for board certified family physicians
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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
2. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
3. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training
Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...
4. Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course
Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!...
5. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
6. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
7. Introduction to Longevity Medicine
A Medical Guide to Longevity Medicine for Physicians...
8. Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Advanced Diploma
A complete program in one course, This Diploma is an Encyclopedia in The Natural Medicine field...
9. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...
10. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers
COVID-19 is rapidly spreading across the globe and all providers must be prepared to recognize, stabilize and treat patients with novel coronavirus infection. Following completion of this short course physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will have a unified, evidenced-based approach to saving the lives of patients with COVID-19, including those who are critically ill. Learning modules are broken into short videos presented in a richly illustrated and compelling manner. The...
11. How to Help Family Members or Friends with Mental Illness
Practical Counseling Skills to help children, family or friends with Depression, Anxiety, or Other Mental Illness...
12. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...
13. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
14. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
15. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare
This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...
16. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
17. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
Kidney transplantation is a major advance of modern medicine which provides high-quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. What used to be an experimental, risky, and very limited treatment option more than 50 years ago is now routinely performed in many countries worldwide. The number of renal transplants is expected to rise sharply in the next decade since the proportion of patients with end stage renal disease is increasing. Are you interested in clinical kidney, pancreas...
18. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
19. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
20. Case Studies in Personalized Medicine
Learn how advances in biomedicine hold the potential to revolutionize drug development, drug treatments, and disease prevention: where are we now, and what does the future hold? This course will present short primers in genetics and mechanisms underlying variability in drug responses. A series of case studies will be used to illustrate principles of how genetics are being brought to bear on refining diagnoses and on personalizing treatment in rare and common diseases. The ethical and...
Top 10 most affordable universities for board certified family physicians
The most affordable schools for board certified family physicians are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for board certified family physicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for board certified family physicians.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$8,178
Cost of attendance
20,934
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for board certified family physicians
The hardest universities for board certified family physicians to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for board certified family physicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for board certified family physicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for board certified family physicians
The easiest schools for board certified family physicians to get into are AdventHealth University, barry university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a board certified family physician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for board certified family physicians.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average board certified family physician salary by education level
| Board certified family physician education level | Board certified family physician salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $225,278 |
Board certified family physician education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025