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Surgical oncologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a surgical oncologist. Surgical oncologists usually study medical technician, nursing, or veterinary science. 50% of surgical oncologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 21 real surgical oncologist resumes to see exactly what surgical oncologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for surgical oncologists are the Allegheny College and the Allegheny College.

There are also many online surgical oncologist courses to help get the education required to be a surgical oncologist.

What education do you need to become a surgical oncologist?

What degree do you need to be a surgical oncologist?

The most common degree for surgical oncologists is bachelor's degree, with 50% of surgical oncologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 50%
  • Master's, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Doctorate, 10%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a surgical oncologist?

You should major in medical technician to become a surgical oncologist. 27% of surgical oncologists major in medical technician. Other common majors for a surgical oncologist include nursing and veterinary science.

Most common colleges for surgical oncologists

Surgical oncologists often get their degrees at Allegheny College, The University of Texas Medical Branch, and University of Washington. Here are the most common colleges for surgical oncologists in the US based on their resumes.
Surgical oncologist common collegePercentages
Allegheny College11.11%
The University of Texas Medical Branch11.11%
University of Washington11.11%
University of Maryland - College Park11.11%
University of Hartford11.11%

Best majors for surgical oncologists

Best colleges for surgical oncologists

The best colleges for surgical oncologists are Duke University, Stanford University, and Yale University.

A surgical oncologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for surgical oncologists. 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 surgical oncologists.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

20 best online courses for surgical oncologists

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1. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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2. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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5. Understanding Prostate Cancer

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6. 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...

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

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

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10. 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...

11. Kids with Cancer Still Need School: The Providers Role

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This course will help you understand and address the challenges parents and families face regarding schooling after a cancer diagnosis. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families can be overwhelmed learning about and managing this new and frightening reality. As they adjust to the new normal of ongoing treatment, school may be the farthest thing from their mind. However, as their oncology health care provider, you have a critical role in starting conversations about schooling. Even for...

12. 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...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for surgical oncologists

The most affordable schools for surgical oncologists are University of Florida, florida state university, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for surgical oncologists 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 surgical oncologists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for surgical oncologists

The hardest universities for surgical oncologists to get into are Duke University, Stanford University, and Yale University.

Some great schools for surgical oncologists 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 surgical oncologists 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. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for surgical oncologists

The easiest schools for surgical oncologists to get into are Barry 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 surgical oncologist 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 surgical oncologists.

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. 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. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average surgical oncologist salary by education level

Surgical oncologist education levelSurgical oncologist salary
Doctorate Degree$295,500

Surgical oncologist 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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