The top five salaried medical degrees offer candidates the opportunities to not only earn good salaries but also work in a field that can be extremely rewarding. Few things can be as rewarding as knowing you’re able to help others feel better. Here are the top five salaried degrees.
5 Highest Salaried Medical Degrees
Related:
- 20 Highest Paying Graduate Degrees in Health Care
- 10 Highest Paying Careers For Nurses
- 20 Highest Earning Medical Bachelor’s Degrees
Neurosurgeon
Average Annual Salary: $773,201
Required Education & Training:
- Bachelor’s Degree (4 years) – Pre-med, Biology, or related field
- Medical School (MD or DO) (4 years)
- Residency in Neurosurgery (6-7 years)
- Optional Fellowship (1-2 years for specialization)
- Total Time to Become a Neurosurgeon: 14-16 years
Pros:
✅ High earning potential
✅ Opportunities to work on complex and life-saving cases
✅ Prestige and respect in the medical community
Cons:
❌ Extremely long and difficult training period
❌ High-stress environment with long hours and on-call duties
❌ Significant risk of malpractice lawsuits
Dermatologist
Average Annual Salary: $541,000
Required Education & Training:
- Bachelor’s Degree (4 years) – Pre-med, Biology, or related field
- Medical School (MD or DO) (4 years)
- Residency in Dermatology (4 years)
- Optional Fellowship (1-2 years for subspecialties like Mohs surgery)
- Total Time to Become a Dermatologist: 12-14 years
Pros:
✅ Regular work schedule with minimal emergencies
✅ High patient satisfaction from cosmetic and medical treatments
✅ Lucrative opportunities in cosmetic dermatology
Cons:
❌ Highly competitive residency programs
❌ Routine cases (like acne and rashes) may become monotonous
❌ Limited immediate life-saving impact compared to other medical fields
Anesthesiologist
Average Annual Salary: $339,470
Required Education & Training:
- Bachelor’s Degree (4 years) – Pre-med, Chemistry, or related field
- Medical School (MD or DO) (4 years)
- Residency in Anesthesiology (4 years)
- Optional Fellowship (1-2 years for subspecialties like pain medicine or cardiac anesthesia)
- Total Time to Become an Anesthesiologist: 12-14 years
Pros:
✅ High salary with strong job demand
✅ Work in various settings: hospitals, surgical centers, pain clinics
✅ Does not require long-term patient management
Cons:
❌ High-stress job with responsibility for patient sedation and pain management
❌ Irregular work hours, including nights and weekends
❌ Risk of complications or emergencies during surgery
Pediatric Surgeon
Average Annual Salary: $449,320
Required Education & Training:
- Bachelor’s Degree (4 years) – Pre-med, Biology, or related field
- Medical School (MD or DO) (4 years)
- General Surgery Residency (5 years)
- Pediatric Surgery Fellowship (2 years)
- Total Time to Become a Pediatric Surgeon: 15-16 years
Pros:
✅ Ability to positively impact children’s lives
✅ High salary and strong job market demand
✅ Opportunities to specialize in neonatal or trauma surgery
Cons:
❌ Emotionally challenging, working with critically ill children
❌ Extremely long training process and rigorous workload
❌ High-pressure job requiring precision and decision-making skills
Cardiologist
- Average Annual Salary: $353,970
- Required Education & Training:
- Bachelor’s Degree (4 years) – Pre-med, Biology, or related field
- Medical School (MD or DO) (4 years)
- Internal Medicine Residency (3 years)
- Cardiology Fellowship (3 years)
- Optional Subspecialty Fellowship (1-2 years for interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, etc.)
- Total Time to Become a Cardiologist: 14-15 years
- Pros:
✅ High salary and strong job stability
✅ Diverse career paths (general cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, etc.)
✅ Opportunities for research and innovation in heart disease treatment - Cons:
❌ High-stress job with life-or-death decision-making
❌ Physically demanding work, including long surgeries and patient rounds
❌ Long and competitive training process
The healthcare industry continues to be a growing field with more positions opening every year. Just as many healthcare positions are available to students who earn associate and bachelor’s degrees as those with master’s degrees. An individual interested in pursuing a career in healthcare has many options from which to choose even if they’re not the top five salaried medical degrees.