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Occupational health physician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an occupational health physician. Occupational health physicians usually study medicine, biology, or nursing. 35% of occupational health physicians hold a doctoral degree, and 33% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 59 real occupational health physician resumes to see exactly what occupational health physician education sections show.

The most common colleges for occupational health physicians are the Capella University and the Capella University.

There are also many online occupational health physician courses to help get the education required to be an occupational health physician.

What education do you need to become an occupational health physician?

What degree do you need to be an occupational health physician?

The most common degree for occupational health physicians is doctoral degree, with 35% of occupational health physicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 33% and bachelor's degree degree at 15%.
  • Doctorate, 35%
  • Bachelor's, 33%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 13%

What should I major in to become an occupational health physician?

You should major in medicine to become an occupational health physician. 37% of occupational health physicians major in medicine. Other common majors for an occupational health physician include biology and nursing.

Most common colleges for occupational health physicians

Occupational health physicians often get their degrees at Capella University, Midwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania. Here are the most common colleges for occupational health physicians in the US based on their resumes.
Occupational health physician common collegePercentages
Capella University5.00%
Midwestern University5.00%
University of Pennsylvania5.00%
University of Houston5.00%
University of Georgia5.00%

Best majors for occupational health physicians

RankMajorPercentages
1Medicine36.8%
2Biology10.5%
3Nursing5.3%
4Law5.3%
5Medical Clinical Sciences2.6%

Best colleges for occupational health physicians

The best colleges for occupational health physicians are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

An occupational health 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 occupational health 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 occupational health physicians.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for occupational health physicians

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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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2. 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...

3. Occupational Health & Safety Training

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Workplace Health and Safety Course For Employees & Managers...

4. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system

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Upgrate your health and safety career by understanding the requriements for an OH & S management system from ISO 45001...

5. Population Health: Syndemics

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Do you wish to contribute to breaking cycles of ill-health in disadvantaged populations? And explore co-occurrence of diseases, such as substance abuse, infectious and chronic disease, and the relation with social factors (disparities)? Are you disappointed in the poor effectiveness of interventions for combined social and medical problems? Then this syndemics course might provide you with some answers. In medicine, diseases are generally approached as distinct entities, in isolation from other...

6. Health Systems Development: Introduction to Health Systems

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9. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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10. Comparative Health Systems

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This course uses comparative analysis of health care systems to gain a better understanding of health care systems in several high-income, middle-income and low-income countries. One focus of analysis in this course will therefore be to develop a better knowledge of these health care systems. A second focus will be to use to this analysis to gain a better understanding of the health care system in the United States. This analysis is relevant for those who are directly interested in the United...

11. ISO 45001 - Occupational Health & Safety management system

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From zero to internal auditor: a complete course on the ISO 45001:2018 standard, with examples, quizzes and exercises...

12. The 5 Element Theory: How to Enhance Health and Healing

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13. Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

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This course focuses on data, evaluation methods and the economic evaluation of digital health interventions. This module focuses on key data considerations for digital health including data management, data visualisation and methods for evaluating digital health interventions. The key focus is on experimental and quasi-experimental design approaches that can be applied to evaluating digital health interventions and key considerations for the economic evaluation of digital health interventions...

14. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations

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17. Data and Health Indicators in Public Health Practice

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18. Complete Health and Safety Auditor Course. OHSAS 18001.

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20. Health Data 101

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Top 10 most affordable universities for occupational health physicians

The most affordable schools for occupational health physicians are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and florida state university.

If the best universities for occupational health 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 occupational health 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 State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for occupational health physicians

The hardest universities for occupational health physicians to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for occupational health 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 occupational health 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for occupational health physicians

The easiest schools for occupational health physicians to get into are Barry University, d'youville college, and curry college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an occupational health 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 occupational health physicians.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average occupational health physician salary by education level

Occupational health physician education levelOccupational health physician salary
Doctorate Degree$232,697

Occupational health physician 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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