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Hand surgeon education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a hand surgeon. Hand surgeons usually study nursing, health care administration, or business. 35% of hand surgeons hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 111 real hand surgeon resumes to see exactly what hand surgeon education sections show.
The most common colleges for hand surgeons are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online hand surgeon courses to help get the education required to be a hand surgeon.
What education do you need to become a hand surgeon?
What degree do you need to be a hand surgeon?
- Bachelor's, 35%
- Associate, 27%
- High School Diploma, 17%
- Diploma, 10%
- Other Degrees, 11%
What should I major in to become a hand surgeon?
Most common colleges for hand surgeons
| Hand surgeon common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 9.09% |
| Texas Tech University | 9.09% |
| Grand Canyon University | 4.55% |
| Miami Dade College | 4.55% |
| University of California - Davis | 4.55% |
Best majors for hand surgeons
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 18.8% |
| 2 | Health Care Administration | 12.5% |
| 3 | Business | 10.4% |
| 4 | Biology | 8.3% |
| 5 | General Studies | 4.2% |
Best colleges for hand surgeons
The best colleges for hand surgeons are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A hand surgeon with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for hand surgeons. 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 hand surgeons.
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. Maria College of Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$15,140
Enrollment
876
4. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
5. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
20 best online courses for hand surgeons
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Top 10 most affordable universities for hand surgeons
The most affordable schools for hand surgeons are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for hand surgeons 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 hand surgeons.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
10. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for hand surgeons
The hardest universities for hand surgeons to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for hand surgeons 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 hand surgeons 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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for hand surgeons
The easiest schools for hand surgeons to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a hand surgeon 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 hand surgeons.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
8. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
Average hand surgeon salary by education level
| Hand surgeon education level | Hand surgeon salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $339,796 |
Hand surgeon 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