From doctors to therapists: Top AI-safe jobs and foreign degrees for 2026

An IDP Education analysis of 250,000 global courses shows that healthcare, nursing, medicine and social work remain the most future-proof international degrees for students

Worried about spending lakhs on a foreign degree or working hard in a foreign land only to be replaced by artificial intelligence? A recent report by IDP Education suggests that international students planning to study abroad in 2026 may need to rethink their degree choices.

 

The analysis, drawn from IDP’s database of over 250,000 courses and AI-risk modelling from WillRobotsTakeMyJob.com, found that the safest, best-paid and most stable degrees abroad were overwhelmingly linked to healthcare, nursing, specialised medicine, social work and therapy-based professions.

 

The report arrives at a time when students and families are re-evaluating the return on investment for foreign degrees, especially as automation accelerates across the US, UK, Australia and Canada.

 

Top AI-safe jobs and their usual salaries

 

Urologists – $296,160

Neurologists – $267,660

Rehabilitation physicians – $260,820

Psychiatrists – $247,530

General internal medicine physicians – $225,530

Physicians (all other) – $229,300

Nurse practitioners – $126,260

Physician assistants – $130,750

Physical therapists – $97,720

Occupational therapists – $92,800

 

Top study-abroad degrees that remain safe from AI

 

According to the report, these degrees offer the strongest long-term security:

 

Nursing

Specialised Medicine (Neurology, Urology, Rehabilitation)

Midwifery

Emergency Medical Services

Mental-health counselling

Social Work

Occupational Therapy

Physical Therapy

Surgery and General Medicine

Counselling and community-health services

 

These programmes combine low automation risk with strong job growth and competitive wages internationally.

 

Why healthcare and medicine dominate the safest global career list

 

The report shows that healthcare and medicine consistently top the list of AI-safe jobs because the work involves human decision-making, physical interaction and patient management. Nursing, midwifery, emergency care, rehabilitation medicine and mental-health counselling all require on-ground intervention that AI cannot deliver at scale.

 

Roles such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, rehabilitation physicians and urologists also attract some of the highest median wages globally while showing the lowest automation vulnerability. Many of these occupations report 0% replacement risk, making them among the safest long-term bets for students.

 

Postgraduate degrees offer stronger job security and higher salaries

 

Another clear trend is the advantage held by postgraduate programmes, especially in advanced nursing and specialised medicine. Degrees leading to roles such as neurologists, psychiatrists, rehabilitation physicians and nurse practitioners deliver some of the highest median salaries globally, often exceeding $200,000 in the United States, along with strong projected growth through 2031.

 

While these qualifications require longer training and higher tuition, the report notes they produce unmatched long-term job safety and earning power, especially as ageing populations drive demand for healthcare services.

 

Undergraduate-only degrees still offer AI-safe and high-pay outcomes

 

For students unwilling to pursue lengthy postgraduate routes, the report identifies several AI-safe careers requiring only an undergraduate degree. These include physician assistants, nurse midwives, dentists, occupational therapists and physical therapists.

 

Physician assistants, for example, report a median salary of $130,750 in the United States with significant job growth expected over the decade.

 

Which degrees offer the strongest international opportunities?

 

Across countries, the safest study-abroad degrees fall into five broad streams:

 

Nursing

Specialised Medicine

Social Work and counselling

Physical and Occupational Therapy

Emergency and Rehabilitation Medicine

 

IDP’s tuition comparison showed wide differences across destinations. A full undergraduate Nursing degree costs $118,744 in Australia and $132,009 in the United States, placing them at the higher end of the market.

 

In comparison, students pay significantly less in the United Kingdom, where the same qualification averages $75,218, or in Canada, where it is the most affordable at $53,316.

 

Which careers face the highest automation threat?

 

While the report focuses on safe occupations, it also flags degrees at significant risk of AI disruption. These include bookkeeping, payroll and brokerage clerks, administrative assistants and financial clerks — fields that score above 93% automation risk due to their repetitive, predictable and data-driven nature.

 

Students considering these roles may need to rethink long-term plans or build hybrid skills that combine human judgement with technological literacy.

 

What does the salary look like for AI-safe careers?

 

Even within AI-proof fields, the earnings picture varies widely. Specialist physicians, internal medicine doctors, psychiatrists and nurse practitioners are among the highest-paid roles, with median wages ranging from $97,000 to $296,000.

 

Therapy roles, such as physical and occupational therapists, also offer competitive salaries with steady global demand, especially as healthcare systems in developed countries expand rehabilitation and chronic-care services.

 

Which AI-safe careers grow more slowly but remain reliable?

 

Some careers show slower growth yet remain protected from automation. These include school counsellors, education administrators, arts teachers, medical scientists and prosthetists. Despite modest expansion, these roles stay in demand because they require specialised training and human-to-human engagement.