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General internal medicine doctor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a general internal medicine doctor. General internal medicine doctors usually study medicine, medical clinical sciences, or nursing. 76% of general internal medicine doctors hold a doctoral degree, and 6% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 30 real general internal medicine doctor resumes to see exactly what general internal medicine doctor education sections show.

The most common colleges for general internal medicine doctors are the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

There are also many online general internal medicine doctor courses to help get the education required to be a general internal medicine doctor.

What education do you need to become a general internal medicine doctor?

What degree do you need to be a general internal medicine doctor?

The most common degree for general internal medicine doctors is doctoral degree, with 76% of general internal medicine doctors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 6% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Doctorate, 76%
  • Master's, 6%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Bachelor's, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a general internal medicine doctor?

You should major in medicine to become a general internal medicine doctor. 57% of general internal medicine doctors major in medicine. Other common majors for a general internal medicine doctor include medical clinical sciences and nursing.

Most common colleges for general internal medicine doctors

General internal medicine doctors often get their degrees at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Miami Dade College, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for general internal medicine doctors in the US based on their resumes.
General internal medicine doctor common collegePercentages
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences25.00%
Miami Dade College25.00%
New York University25.00%
University of the Sciences25.00%

Best majors for general internal medicine doctors

Best colleges for general internal medicine doctors

The best colleges for general internal medicine doctors are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A general internal medicine doctor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for general internal medicine doctors. 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 general internal medicine doctors.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for general internal medicine doctors

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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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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. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

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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...

3. Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Advanced Diploma

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A complete program in one course, This Diploma is an Encyclopedia in The Natural Medicine field...

4. Doctor of Natural Medicine

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This course is a mini encyclopedia in natural medicine field...

5. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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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. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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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...

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A Medical Guide to Longevity Medicine for Physicians...

8. Internal audit on Medical Device QMS - ISO 13485:2016

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Successfully conduct an internal audit based on requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

9. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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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...

10. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

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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...

11. Herbalism:: Introduction & Medicine Making Certificate

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Take charge of your health with herbal medicine. Using herbs and natural holistic medicine is easy, effective and safe...

12. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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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. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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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...

14. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

15. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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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...

16. Case Studies in Personalized Medicine

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17. Everyday Chinese Medicine

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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...

18. Population Health: Syndemics

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19. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

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20. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers

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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...

Top 10 most affordable universities for general internal medicine doctors

The most affordable schools for general internal medicine doctors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for general internal medicine doctors 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 general internal medicine doctors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for general internal medicine doctors

The hardest universities for general internal medicine doctors to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for general internal medicine doctors 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 general internal medicine doctors 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for general internal medicine doctors

The easiest schools for general internal medicine doctors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a general internal medicine doctor 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 general internal medicine doctors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Weatherford, OK • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,085

10. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

Average general internal medicine doctor salary by education level

General internal medicine doctor education levelGeneral internal medicine doctor salary
Doctorate Degree$150,562

General internal medicine doctor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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