Medicine: is this doctoral degree worth it?
National picture across 28 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$115,298 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$115,298Median year-4 earnings
$22,936Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$115,298Median reported earnings · year 4
$163,462Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
66thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
28Reporting programs
28With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- Not available
- Federal debt
- $26,975
- Reporting programs
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $66,899
- Federal debt
- $20,000
- Reporting programs
- 1
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $67,253
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 2
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $115,298
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 28
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $106,469
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 148
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $76,434
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 3
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$104,361National median$115,29875th percentile$128,469
28 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1William Carey University$211,1992Liberty University$176,7423Marian University$174,9934Samuel Merritt University$165,8295Midwestern University-Downers Grove$145,0606Nova Southeastern University$130,2177University of New England$129,2708University of California, Riverside$128,4699Meharry Medical College$126,78810Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science$120,036Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
AnesthesiologistsSOC 29-1211 · 2 crosswalk linksCardiologistsSOC 29-1212 · 2 crosswalk linksDermatologistsSOC 29-1213 · 2 crosswalk linksEmergency Medicine PhysiciansSOC 29-1214 · 2 crosswalk linksFamily Medicine PhysiciansSOC 29-1215 · 2 crosswalk linksGeneral Internal Medicine PhysiciansSOC 29-1216 · 2 crosswalk linksNeurologistsSOC 29-1217 · 2 crosswalk linksObstetricians and GynecologistsSOC 29-1218 · 2 crosswalk linksOphthalmologists, Except PediatricSOC 29-1241 · 2 crosswalk linksOrthopedic Surgeons, Except PediatricSOC 29-1242 · 2 crosswalk linksPediatric SurgeonsSOC 29-1243 · 2 crosswalk linksPediatricians, GeneralSOC 29-1221 · 2 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | ROI status | Cost context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Carey UniversityDoctoral Degree | Hattiesburg, MS | $211,199 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,258 |
| 2 | Liberty UniversityDoctoral Degree | Lynchburg, VA | $176,742 | Not available | Baseline needed | $29,357 |
| 3 | Marian UniversityDoctoral Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $174,993 | Not available | Baseline needed | $24,018 |
| 4 | Samuel Merritt UniversityDoctoral Degree | Oakland, CA | $165,829 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 5 | Midwestern University-Downers GroveDoctoral Degree | Downers Grove, IL | $145,060 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 6 | Nova Southeastern UniversityDoctoral Degree | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $130,217 | Not available | Baseline needed | $30,371 |
| 7 | University of New EnglandDoctoral Degree | Biddeford, ME | $129,270 | Not available | Baseline needed | $38,107 |
| 8 | University of California, RiversideDoctoral Degree | Riverside, CA | $128,469 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,304 |
| 9 | Meharry Medical CollegeDoctoral Degree | Nashville, TN | $126,788 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 10 | Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and ScienceDoctoral Degree | North Chicago, IL | $120,036 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 11 | Mercer UniversityDoctoral Degree | Macon, GA | $118,913 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,847 |
| 12 | University of California, San DiegoDoctoral Degree | La Jolla, CA | $118,330 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,470 |
| 13 | Geisinger Commonwealth School of MedicineDoctoral Degree | Scranton, PA | $116,849 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,384 |
| 14 | Rowan UniversityDoctoral Degree | Glassboro, NJ | $116,089 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,408 |
| 15 | University of South AlabamaDoctoral Degree | Mobile, AL | $114,506 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,648 |
| 16 | University of MississippiDoctoral Degree | University, MS | $110,599 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,314 |
| 17 | Quinnipiac UniversityDoctoral Degree | Hamden, CT | $108,362 | Not available | Baseline needed | $40,675 |
| 18 | Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of MedicineDoctoral Degree | Kalamazoo, MI | $107,892 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 19 | Wright State University-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | Dayton, OH | $106,384 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,415 |
| 20 | University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolDoctoral Degree | Worcester, MA | $105,854 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 21 | University of New Mexico-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | Albuquerque, NM | $105,543 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,489 |
| 22 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiDoctoral Degree | New York, NY | $104,361 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 23 | New York Medical CollegeDoctoral Degree | Valhalla, NY | $103,569 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 24 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityDoctoral Degree | Brooklyn, NY | $102,323 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 25 | Yale UniversityDoctoral Degree | New Haven, CT | $100,955 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,777 |
| 26 | Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterDoctoral Degree | Lubbock, TX | $99,117 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 27 | Duke UniversityDoctoral Degree | Durham, NC | $92,928 | Not available | Baseline needed | $29,612 |
| 28 | Saint Louis UniversityDoctoral Degree | Saint Louis, MO | $92,454 | Not available | Baseline needed | $24,398 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.