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Physical medicine physician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a physical medicine physician. Physical medicine physicians usually study medicine, nursing, or biology. 40% of physical medicine physicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 35% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 66 real physical medicine physician resumes to see exactly what physical medicine physician education sections show.
The most common colleges for physical medicine physicians are the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Berkeley.
There are also many online physical medicine physician courses to help get the education required to be a physical medicine physician.
What education do you need to become a physical medicine physician?
What degree do you need to be a physical medicine physician?
- Bachelor's, 40%
- Doctorate, 35%
- Master's, 9%
- Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a physical medicine physician?
Most common colleges for physical medicine physicians
| Physical medicine physician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Berkeley | 9.52% |
| Indiana University Bloomington | 4.76% |
| University of Oklahoma | 4.76% |
| University of South Alabama | 4.76% |
| Mercer University | 4.76% |
Best majors for physical medicine physicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine | 30.2% |
| 2 | Nursing | 11.6% |
| 3 | Biology | 4.7% |
| 4 | Health And Wellness | 4.7% |
| 5 | Business | 4.7% |
Best colleges for physical medicine physicians
The best colleges for physical medicine physicians are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
A physical 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 physical 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 physical medicine physicians.
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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for physical 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. 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...
3. Introduction to Longevity Medicine
A Medical Guide to Longevity Medicine for Physicians...
4. Physics - Kinematics for High School and AP Physics 1
This is a comprehensive Algebra based Mechanics course in physics specifically covering topics of Kinematics...
5. 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...
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. Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Advanced Diploma
A complete program in one course, This Diploma is an Encyclopedia in The Natural Medicine field...
8. The Complete AP and College Physics Course
Master the College/AP physics from classical to modern physics, then test your knowledge with 300+ practice exercises!...
9. 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...
10. 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...
11. Doctor of Natural Medicine
This course is a mini encyclopedia in natural medicine field...
12. Quantum Physics: an overview of a weird world (Basics)
A primer on the conceptual foundations of Quantum Physics...
13. Wilderness First Aid - Introduction
In this course, students will learn the basics of wilderness medicine, including how it is a unique clinical environment, and concepts of scene safety. They will learn how to perform a basic assessment of a patient, including a physical exam, gather history data using the SAMPLE approach, and how to evaluate a patient for a potential spinal cord injury...
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. Game Physics - Introducing Gravitation & Rotation in Unity
Step-by-step tutorial on how to create a basic rigid body motion physics from scratch. Taught in C# using Unity 3D free...
16. Intro to Unity 3D Physics: Helicopters
Learn how to create Helicopter physics for Games with Unity 3D and C#!...
17. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
18. Intro to Airplane Physics in Unity 3D - 2017 & 2018
Learn how to build your very own Custom Airplane Physics with Unity & C#...
19. QC151 Quantum Physics for QC - Content moved to QC101
This course has become part of QC101. Buy this course if you want only the physics lessons without the rest of QC101...
20. Classical Physics: Journey Through the Laws of the Universe
Peer beneath the surface of reality, understand how the universe works, and develop physics apps that make a difference!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for physical medicine physicians
The most affordable schools for physical medicine physicians are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for physical 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 physical medicine physicians.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
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 physical medicine physicians
The hardest universities for physical medicine physicians to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for physical 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 physical 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. 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for physical medicine physicians
The easiest schools for physical medicine physicians to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a physical 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 physical medicine physicians.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average physical medicine physician salary by education level
| Physical medicine physician education level | Physical medicine physician salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $205,260 |
Physical 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