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Pain management physician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a pain management physician. Pain management physicians usually study nursing, business, or health care administration. 38% of pain management physicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,244 real pain management physician resumes to see exactly what pain management physician education sections show.

The most common colleges for pain management physicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online pain management physician courses to help get the education required to be a pain management physician.

There are certain pain management physician certifications that you should consider. These pain management physician certifications include Physician Assistant - Certified (PA-C) and Certification in Pain Management.

What education do you need to become a pain management physician?

What degree do you need to be a pain management physician?

The most common degree for pain management physicians is bachelor's degree, with 38% of pain management physicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 21% and associate degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 38%
  • Associate, 21%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Doctorate, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 20%

What should I major in to become a pain management physician?

You should major in nursing to become a pain management physician. 33% of pain management physicians major in nursing. Other common majors for a pain management physician include business and health care administration.

Most common colleges for pain management physicians

Pain management physicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of South Florida, and Howard University. Here are the most common colleges for pain management physicians in the US based on their resumes.
Pain management physician common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.59%
University of South Florida7.06%
Howard University5.88%
The University of Alabama5.88%
University of Illinois at Chicago5.88%

Best majors for pain management physicians

Best colleges for pain management physicians

The best colleges for pain management physicians are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Duke University.

A pain management 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 pain management 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 pain management physicians.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

20 best online courses for pain management physicians

Advertising disclosure

1. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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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...

2. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

coursera

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...

3. Fully Accredited Holistic Pain Management Diploma Course

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4.3
(341)

Fully Accredited Diploma Course With Easy & Effective Techniques Alleviating Pain Naturally & Effectively...

4. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing

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4.4
(767)

Preparation for Medical Coding Certification Exam...

5. COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers

coursera

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...

6. 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...

7. Medical Coding: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Training

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4.5
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Learn medical coding and prepare yourself for today's healthcare workplace...

8. Yoga for Back Pain Relief & Prevention-Certification Course

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4.5
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The SAFE WAY to do Yoga for Back Pain!Alleviate your Pain & Strengthen your Spine with Yoga! INCLUDES 2 CERTIFICATES...

9. 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...

10. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

coursera

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...

11. Treat Your Own Neck Pain/Pinched Nerves (No Massage Needed)

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Treat Your Own Neck Pain, Disc bulges and Pinched Nerves without massage therapy, chiropractic or any other therapy!...

12. Lower Back Pain: Relaxation and Therapeutic Exercise

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4.6
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A Research Based approach to lower back pain relief...

13. 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...

14. 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...

15. Treat Your Own Back Pain And Sciatica (No Massage Needed)

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4
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Learn how to treat your own back pain and sciatica without massage therapy, chiropractic or any other therapy!...

16. Introduction to Longevity Medicine

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4.4
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A Medical Guide to Longevity Medicine for Physicians...

17. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

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4.2
(631)

Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

18. AMCI Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course

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4.6
(444)

Introduction to Medical Coding (I2MC) Course...

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

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4.3
(578)

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

20. Medical Terminology 101

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4.4
(752)

For those in healthcare, billing, and more. Boost earning ability and marketable skills by learning to speak medicine...

Top 10 most affordable universities for pain management physicians

The most affordable schools for pain management physicians are University of Florida, florida international university, and university of south florida.

If the best universities for pain management 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 pain management physicians.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

3. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. Louisiana State University at Alexandria

Alexandria, LA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,668

Cost of attendance

14,488

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 pain management physicians

The hardest universities for pain management physicians to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for pain management 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 pain management 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

9. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pain management physicians

The easiest schools for pain management physicians to get into are AdventHealth University, d'youville college, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pain management 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 pain management physicians.

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. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

7. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

8. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average pain management physician salary by education level

According to our data, pain management physicians with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $314,574 annually. Pain management physicians with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $297,986.
Pain management physician education levelPain management physician salary
Master's Degree$314,574
Doctorate Degree$297,986

Pain management 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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