How to become a doctor: the route into each kind of doctor.
“Doctor” is a family of jobs, and each has its own route in. Here is the education, experience and training BLS lists for every one, what employers report about licenses, and the order to tackle them.
Doctoral or professional degree
Across the 17 BLS occupations on this page. Typical, not a legal requirement.
For every one of the 17 BLS doctor occupations on this page, BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education (Employment Projections, 2025–35). “Physicians, all other”, the largest of them (342,720 employed in May 2025), typically need a doctoral or professional degree and an internship or residency. Many of these jobs also need a state license or certification; rules vary by state.
Becoming a doctor at a glance
BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for all 17 doctor occupations on this page: “physicians, all other”, family medicine physicians, general internal medicine physicians, “pediatricians, general” and anesthesiologists and 12 more.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists an internship or residency as the typical on-the-job training for “physicians, all other”, family medicine physicians, general internal medicine physicians and “pediatricians, general” and 13 more.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Education BLS lists for each kind of doctor
Data One row per BLS occupation, ordered by typical entry-level education. Links open that occupation's own page.
Physicians
| Occupation (BLS title) | Typical entry-level education | Related work experience | Typical on-the-job training | O*NET Job Zone | License or certification required (employers, ORS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | n/a | not published |
| Family Medicine Physicians | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Pediatricians, General | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Anesthesiologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Psychiatrists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Radiologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Cardiologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Dermatologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Physicians, Pathologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Neurologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
Surgeons
| Occupation (BLS title) | Typical entry-level education | Related work experience | Typical on-the-job training | O*NET Job Zone | License or certification required (employers, ORS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surgeons, All Other | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | n/a | not published |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Pediatric Surgeons | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
What each education level means
Data BLS Employment Projections education categories, 2025–35.
- Doctoral or professional degreePhysicians, All Other; Family Medicine Physicians; General Internal Medicine Physicians; Pediatricians, General; Anesthesiologists; Emergency Medicine Physicians; Psychiatrists; Radiologists; Surgeons, All Other; Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Cardiologists; Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric; Dermatologists; Physicians, Pathologists; Neurologists; Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric; Pediatric Surgeons
A doctoral or professional degree (for example an M.D., D.O., Ph.D. or Psy.D.), which takes several years of study after a bachelor's degree.
Five steps to becoming a doctor
Advice Steps 1, 2 and 4 apply the BLS data above; steps 3 and 5 are advice.
- Step 1Choose the occupation
“Doctor” covers 17 BLS occupations with different entry routes. Use the table above to pick the one you mean, then read its own page.
- Step 2Match the education
Plan for a doctoral or professional degree, the typical entry-level education BLS lists for all of them.
- Step 3Check licensing where you will work
Many of these jobs need a state license or certification, and rules vary by state; confirm the current requirements with your state's licensing board before you enrol.
- Step 4Plan the training after hiring
BLS lists the typical on-the-job training in the table; an internship or residency, where listed, comes after the degree.
- Step 5Apply with proof
When you apply, show the credential, clinical or field hours and results that the posting asks for; a resume check helps you see what an applicant tracking system reads.
Data Once qualified, median annual pay in May 2025 ranged from $210,040 (“pediatricians, general”) to $559,030 (pediatric surgeons) across these occupations (BLS OEWS). Full pay table: Doctors salary and education.
Becoming a doctor: common questions
What degree do you need to be a doctor?
Do doctors need a residency?
Do you need a license to be a doctor?
How this page is built
Education, related work experience and on-the-job training are the BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 typical-entry categories for each BLS detailed occupation listed, which describe what is typical, not legal requirements. Job Zones are O*NET 31.0. The license or certification share is BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2025 (preliminary), as reported by employers; state licensing rules are separate. Which occupations count is the same editorial list as the Doctors page.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Admission requirements of a specific school or program.
- Which of these careers suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary; public domain): share of workers whose employer requires a license or certification.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license (Job Zones and related occupations). TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).