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Family Medicine Physician Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a family medicine physician. Family medicine physicians usually study medicine, biology, or osteopathic medicine. 44% of family medicine physicians hold a doctoral degree, and 27% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 518 real family medicine physician resumes to see exactly what family medicine physician education sections show.
The most common colleges for family medicine physicians are the University of the Sciences and the University of the Sciences.
There are also many online family medicine physician courses to help get the education required to be a family medicine physician.
There are certain family medicine physician certifications that you should consider. These family medicine physician certifications include Family Medicine and Board of Certification in Family Medicine.
What education do you need to become a family medicine physician?
What degree do you need to be a family medicine physician?
- Doctorate, 44%
- Bachelor's, 27%
- Master's, 9%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 18%
What should I major in to become a family medicine physician?
Most common colleges for family medicine physicians
| Family Medicine Physician Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of the Sciences | 7.27% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 7.27% |
| University of California - Davis | 7.27% |
| Wayne State University | 7.27% |
| Barry University | 5.45% |
Best majors for family medicine physicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine | 42.6% |
| 2 | Biology | 10.4% |
| 3 | Osteopathic Medicine | 7.6% |
| 4 | Nursing | 4.4% |
| 5 | Public Health | 4.0% |
Best colleges for family medicine physicians
The best colleges for family medicine physicians are Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
A family medicine 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 family medicine 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 family medicine physicians.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
4. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
5. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-State Tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for family medicine 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. 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...
3. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
4. Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Advanced Diploma
A complete program in one course, This Diploma is an Encyclopedia in The Natural Medicine field...
5. 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...
6. 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...
7. Introduction to Longevity Medicine
A Medical Guide to Longevity Medicine for Physicians...
8. Doctor of Natural Medicine
This course is a mini encyclopedia in natural medicine field...
9. 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...
10. 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...
11. 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...
12. 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...
13. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations
Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...
14. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care
In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...
15. 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...
16. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities
A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...
17. 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...
18. 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...
19. Thinking About Care
Although all humans require care to develop and thrive, it is rarely the focus of academic studies. This course enriches learner’s understanding of this critical yet underappreciated facet of their lives by addressing such questions as: What is care? Who has traditionally provided it? How valued is care work? Does money take the care out of care work? In addition to advancing learner’s knowledge of the place of care in modern society and controversies surrounding it, Thinking About Care will...
20. Everyday Chinese Medicine
This course aims to serve as an education platform on Chinese medicine (CM) for the general public. Our primary goal is to empower healthcare choices by promoting awareness and practical application on CM diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, as well as regulation on CM services and herbal products using international examples. In the first part of this course, learners will develop skills in applying basic theory of Chinese medicine (CM) for understanding health and illnesses, and be able to...
Top 10 most affordable universities for family medicine physicians
The most affordable schools for family medicine physicians are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and florida international university.
If the best universities for family medicine 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 family medicine 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. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Cost of Attendance
19,434
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,410
Cost of Attendance
20,456
6. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$4,831
Cost of Attendance
19,559
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Cost of Attendance
18,306
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,749
Cost of Attendance
14,823
10. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,210
Cost of Attendance
14,359
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for family medicine physicians
The hardest universities for family medicine physicians to get into are Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for family medicine 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 family medicine 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions Rate
9%
SAT Average
1,516
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,513
4. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions Rate
6%
SAT Average
1,517
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions Rate
10%
SAT Average
1,514
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
6%
SAT Average
1,512
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions Rate
15%
SAT Average
1,456
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
4%
SAT Average
1,497
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
10. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,443
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for family medicine physicians
The easiest schools for family medicine physicians to get into are D'Youville College, curry college, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a family medicine 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 family medicine physicians.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
100%
SAT Average
1,072
2. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
93%
SAT Average
1,026
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
81%
SAT Average
999
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
1,006
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
88%
SAT Average
1,044
6. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,016
7. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,069
8. American International College
Springfield, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
1,010
9. Dominican College of Blauvelt
Orangeburg, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
77%
SAT Average
1,038
10. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
1,065
Average family medicine physician salary by education level
| Family Medicine Physician education level | Family Medicine Physician salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $223,729 |
Family Medicine 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