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Healthcare

Physicians, Pathologists

Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.

Median salary (BLS)

$312,400

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$93k – $450k

Job outlook

+4% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $93,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Physicians, Pathologists

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Education

Typical entry: Doctorate / professional (MD, JD, PhD)

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$90,200–$411,000

Time to qualify

8.2 yr

Renewal

$75/yr

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Doctoral / professional degree (PhD, MD, JD…)

    Degree

    Three to seven years beyond the bachelor's. PhDs are often funded with a stipend; MD and JD programs are among the most expensive.

    $50,000–$260,000 · 4 years source

  3. 3

    National & state licensure

    License

    A national board/registry exam plus a state license application (the NCLEX pattern). Exact exam and fees depend on the role and state.

    $200–$1,000 · 2 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Physicians, Pathologists" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Physicians, Pathologists

    Entry / Junior

    $92,540

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Physicians, Pathologists

    Established

    $312,400

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Physicians, Pathologists

    Senior

    $381,185

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
  • •Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
  • •Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
  • •Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
  • •Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Healthcare

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.