OKcollegestart - Career Profile

Health Science

Medical Scientist

AVG. SALARY

$92,430

EDUCATION

Doctoral degree

JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Health Science cluster Biotechnology Research and Development pathway.

Beyond High School

Here's a list of programs that you should consider if you're interested in this career:

Biomedical Sciences, General
Biochemistry
Biophysics
Molecular Biology
Molecular Biochemistry
Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
Anatomy
Developmental Biology and Embryology
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
Cell Biology and Anatomy
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
Virology
Parasitology
Immunology
Microbiology and Immunology
Infectious Disease and Global Health
Human/Medical Genetics
Physiology, General
Molecular Physiology
Cell Physiology
Endocrinology
Reproductive Biology
Cardiovascular Science
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
Vision Science/Physiological Optics
Pathology/Experimental Pathology
Oncology and Cancer Biology
Aerospace Physiology and Medicine
Biomechanics
Physiology, Pathology, and Related Sciences, Other
Pharmacology
Molecular Pharmacology
Neuropharmacology
Toxicology
Molecular Toxicology
Environmental Toxicology
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Pharmacology and Toxicology, Other
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Molecular Medicine
Neuroanatomy
Neurobiology and Anatomy
Neurobiology and Behavior
Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other
Biopsychology
Gerontology
Psychopharmacology
Forensic Anthropology
Medical Science/Scientist
Clinical and Translational Science
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies, Other
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Environmental Health

Education Level

Education training and experience are required at different levels for success in different occupations.

Doctoral degree

Medical scientists typically need a Ph.D., usually in biology or a related life science. Some medical scientists get a medical degree instead of, or in addition to, a Ph.D.

Insider Info

Extra Requirements

Medical scientists primarily conduct research and typically do not need licenses or certifications. However, those who practice medicine, such as by treating patients in clinical trials or in private practice, must be licensed as physicians or other healthcare practitioners.

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What They Do
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Skills Needed
What To Learn
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Where do the numbers come from?

Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts national surveys of wage data by occupation in every state and in all industry divisions. These surveys are conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program.

The statistics collected for one year are published the next fall. For example, 2013 wage information was published in the fall of 2014.

There are over 800 occupations in the surveys, and these occupations cover the entire U.S. labor market. The surveys ask for reports in a scale of ranges for both hourly wages and annual wages.

In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics for a broad category, be aware that the salary data for a specific career may differ.

For more details about how wage information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm.

Region Map

Where do the numbers come from?

Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts a national survey of over 400,000 employers in every state and in all industry divisions. This survey is conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. Every other year the department publishes outlook information based on these surveys.

Each outlook period covers 10 years. For example, in 2003 the outlook information was published for 2004-2014. Employers are asked to report the number of employees in about 770 different occupations that cover the entire U.S. labor market.

From this information, staffing patterns for different industries are established. Industry growth is projected into the future based on past trends and current economic conditions. Industry staffing patterns are then applied to the industry projections to obtain occupational projections.

For more details about how employment information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.