Occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs
Key facts
- #1 Lawyers, Doctoral or professional degree: 3,758 jobs
- #2 Medical scientists, except epidemiologists, Doctoral or professional degree: 558 jobs
- #3 Physical therapists, Doctoral or professional degree: 247 jobs
- 10 occupations ranked across all occupations
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Lawyers Doctoral or professional degree3,758 jobs
- 2Medical scientists, except epidemiologists Doctoral or professional degree558 jobs
- 3Physical therapists Doctoral or professional degree247 jobs
- 4Physicians, all other Doctoral or professional degree169 jobs
- 5Biochemists and biophysicists Doctoral or professional degree69 jobs
- 6Astronomers Doctoral or professional degree49 jobs
- 7Judicial law clerks Doctoral or professional degree49 jobs
- 8Family medicine physicians Doctoral or professional degree45 jobs
- 9Emergency medicine physicians Doctoral or professional degree39 jobs
- 10Clinical and counseling psychologists Doctoral or professional degree35 jobs
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Lawyers (3,758 jobs) is well clear of Clinical and counseling psychologists at #10 (35 jobs).
- Lawyers is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,758 open jobs behind its figure.
- Occupations with fewer than 30 open jobs are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Behind every education level is a list of specific jobs. Ranking occupations by open jobs shows which ones the employers we track are hiring for most at a given level of schooling.
How to use it
If you are planning a move into a new occupation, start with the ones near the top: more openings means more employers to approach. Check the pay and growth beside each before you commit.
The top 25
- 1
Lawyers Doctoral or professional degree
3,758 jobs
- Open jobs
- 3,758
- Median posted pay
- $175k
- Projected growth to 2035
- +4.7%
- Workers in the occupation
- 863,700
Based on 3,758 openings.
- 2
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists Doctoral or professional degree
558 jobs
- Open jobs
- 558
- Median posted pay
- $198k
- Projected growth to 2035
- +12.6%
- Workers in the occupation
- 181,000
Based on 558 openings.
- 3
Physical therapists Doctoral or professional degree
247 jobs
- Open jobs
- 247
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- Projected growth to 2035
- +11.9%
- Workers in the occupation
- 283,700
Based on 247 openings.
- 4
Physicians, all other Doctoral or professional degree
169 jobs
- Open jobs
- 169
- Median posted pay
- $315k
- Projected growth to 2035
- +3.4%
- Workers in the occupation
- 367,400
Based on 169 openings.
- 5
Biochemists and biophysicists Doctoral or professional degree
69 jobs
- Open jobs
- 69
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- Projected growth to 2035
- +12.3%
- Workers in the occupation
- 35,200
Based on 69 openings.
- 6
Astronomers Doctoral or professional degree
49 jobs
- Open jobs
- 49
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- Projected growth to 2035
- +7.8%
- Workers in the occupation
- 2,400
Based on 49 openings.
- 7
Judicial law clerks Doctoral or professional degree
49 jobs
- Open jobs
- 49
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- Projected growth to 2035
- +2.8%
- Workers in the occupation
- 14,000
Based on 49 openings.
- 8
Family medicine physicians Doctoral or professional degree
45 jobs
- Open jobs
- 45
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- Projected growth to 2035
- +3.3%
- Workers in the occupation
- 114,300
Based on 45 openings.
- 9
Emergency medicine physicians Doctoral or professional degree
39 jobs
- Open jobs
- 39
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- Projected growth to 2035
- +3.2%
- Workers in the occupation
- 34,900
Based on 39 openings.
- 10
Clinical and counseling psychologists Doctoral or professional degree
35 jobs
- Open jobs
- 35
- Median posted pay
- $124k
- Projected growth to 2035
- +11.7%
- Workers in the occupation
- 81,300
Based on 35 openings.
Full ranking
All 10 occupations that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Occupation | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawyers Doctoral or professional degree | 3,758 jobs | 3,758 |
| 2 | Medical scientists, except epidemiologists Doctoral or professional degree | 558 jobs | 558 |
| 3 | Physical therapists Doctoral or professional degree | 247 jobs | 247 |
| 4 | Physicians, all other Doctoral or professional degree | 169 jobs | 169 |
| 5 | Biochemists and biophysicists Doctoral or professional degree | 69 jobs | 69 |
| 6 | Astronomers Doctoral or professional degree | 49 jobs | 49 |
| 7 | Judicial law clerks Doctoral or professional degree | 49 jobs | 49 |
| 8 | Family medicine physicians Doctoral or professional degree | 45 jobs | 45 |
| 9 | Emergency medicine physicians Doctoral or professional degree | 39 jobs | 39 |
| 10 | Clinical and counseling psychologists Doctoral or professional degree | 35 jobs | 35 |
How this ranking works
An occupation is a standard occupation (SOC) code, and the group is the typical entry-level education the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists for it: here, a doctoral or professional degree. An occupation's score is the number of its open professional roles.
A posting does not state a degree. Each is matched to its standard occupation, and the education shown is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as typical for entering that occupation. Some employers ask for more or less, and about one posting in a hundred has an occupation we could not match, which is left out. Only occupations with at least 30 open jobs are ranked.
Sample bar: occupations with fewer than 30 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles, matched to standard occupation (SOC) codes; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-35: typical entry-level education and projected employment change by occupation. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which occupation ranks first: occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs?
- Lawyers has the most open jobs of the occupations that typically need a doctoral or professional degree: 3,758 jobs in our data.
- How many occupations are ranked?
- 10 occupations have at least 30 open jobs, so the list has 10 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- An occupation is a standard occupation (SOC) code, and the group is the typical entry-level education the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists for it: here, a doctoral or professional degree. An occupation's score is the number of its open professional roles. A posting does not state a degree. Each is matched to its standard occupation, and the education shown is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as typical for entering that occupation. Some employers ask for more or less, and about one posting in a hundred has an occupation we could not match, which is left out. Only occupations with at least 30 open jobs are ranked.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/occupations-needing-a-doctoral-or-professional-degree-with-the-most-open-jobs
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/occupations-needing-a-doctoral-or-professional-degree-with-the-most-open-jobs">Occupations needing a doctoral or professional degree with the most open jobs (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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