The NEET PG branches nobody talks about: 37 courses mapped, with seats and who they suit

Ask a NEET PG candidate to list branches and you will usually hear the same ten: Medicine, Radiology, Dermatology, Paediatrics, Surgery, Ortho, OBG, Anaesthesia, Psychiatry and Pathology. The NMC seat matrix is much longer.

Our Know Your Branch team has built reports on 37 courses. Some are tiny and almost unknown. A few are genuinely good fits for the right student, and a couple are not really open to civilians at all. Here is the honest map.

A note on dates: seat counts below come from the NMC 2025-26 seat matrix as reported by Medical Dialogues, unless stated. NMC's 2026-27 matrix of 68,305 seats (6 Nov 2026) has not yet been broken down for these small branches. Closing ranks are from MCC 2026 Round 1, analysed by Career Paathshala.

The full map: 37 courses in five groups

Source: Career Paathshala Know Your Branch database, Nov 2026.

MD Biophysics (NEET PG)

1

Marine Medicine diploma

2

MD Laboratory Medicine (approx.)

5

MD Public Health (Epidemiology)

7

MS Traumatology and Surgery

8

MD Aerospace Medicine

10

MD Tropical Medicine

11

MD Palliative Medicine (approx.)

21

Values in seats (NMC 2025-26 matrix)

Source: NMC 2025-26 seat matrix via Medical Dialogues; Career Paathshala branch reports. Approximate counts not verified from official college-wise PDFs.

The rare ones, with numbers

Sources: NMC 2025-26 seat matrix via Medical Dialogues; MCC 2026 Round 1 data and Career Paathshala branch reports. Round 1 ranks are All India Open, govt seats; later rounds can move. Seat counts marked "about" or "very few" are not verified from an official college-wise PDF.

Why do some of these close at surprisingly good ranks, like Geriatrics near 7,000? Because there are only a couple of All India seats. One or two interested candidates can set the cut-off. Small branches swing hard from year to year.

Course	Govt seats closed from	Last govt Open seat	Typical year-1 stipend
Geriatric Medicine	6,673	7,573	Rs 67K
Sports Medicine	7,720	18,311	Rs 56K
Palliative Medicine	13,495	17,399	Rs 88K
Transfusion Medicine (IHBT)	21,043	46,066	Rs 88K
Hospital Administration	26,151	44,341	Rs 89K
Laboratory Medicine	37,831	37,831	Rs 1.16 lakh

Source: MCC 2026 Round 1 All India Open data, analysed by Career Paathshala. Small branches swing a lot between years.

Who each one suits

MD Tropical Medicine

Fevers and infections common in hot climates: malaria, dengue, kala-azar, leprosy and TB. It suits students who love infectious disease and want academics, research or public health. Watch out: few named govt posts, and the DM feeder list is narrow. NMC formed a panel on 22 Jul 2026 to examine adding MD Tropical Medicine as a feeder for several DM courses. Nothing has been notified.

MS Traumatology and Surgery

Surgery for road accidents, falls and assaults, with "golden hour" emergency work. A strong govt centre like KGMU is the draw. If MS General Surgery is available at a similar college, it keeps more doors open, including MCh. Check state job rules for this degree name.

MD Public Health (Epidemiology)

Outbreak tracking, study design and health data. Only 7 seats and we could not verify which institute offers them. Govt programme epidemiologists earn about Rs 0.9-1.2 lakh a month on contract. MD Community Medicine gives similar work with far more seats and teaching jobs.

MD Biophysics

A research degree: protein structure, molecular science and drug design. Only for students who are sure they do not want patient care. Most seats are through INI-CET at AIIMS, not NEET PG.

MD Aerospace and Marine Medicine

Medicine of flying and of the sea. Fascinating, but these are armed-forces seats. Civilians are the last priority in AFMS counselling, and at least one data source reported no civilian Aerospace seats in 2025. Do not plan around them unless you are joining the AFMS.

MD Geriatric Medicine

Dementia, falls, frailty and too many medicines in older adults. India is ageing, so it is a long-term bet. Instagram educator @drbazeem, whose posts we reviewed, summed it up: high future demand and low seat competition, but limited training and an unclear job market today. Govt senior residents earn about Rs 1.45-1.65 lakh a month; consultant roles are mostly in metros. A Delhi High Court order in Aug 2026 asked NMC to reconsider MD Geriatrics as a DM feeder; no change has been notified.

MD Palliative Medicine

Comfort, dignity and pain control for people with serious illness, often alongside cancer care. Good balance and no saturation, but income is modest: about Rs 1.3-1.6 lakh a month as a senior resident. Choose a seat attached to a busy cancer and pain service.

MD Sports Medicine

Non-surgical care of athletes and active people. Right only if you have, or can build, a sports network and want to run a city clinic. First jobs pay about Rs 1-1.65 lakh a month, and some institutions pay much less. HealthPil Doctors Academy noted that Sports Medicine and PMR have very little scope in private hospitals at present.

MD Transfusion Medicine (IHBT)

Modern blood-centre medicine: donor care, apheresis, plasma exchange and transplant support. The most accessible of this group, with about 160 seats. Calm hours and steady corporate demand, with income that plateaus around Rs 1-2.5 lakh a month in private hospitals. HealthPil reported fresh salaries of about Rs 1.5-2.5 lakh, but noted that some hospitals still prefer pathologists.

MD Laboratory Medicine and Hospital Administration

Two management-flavoured choices. Lab Medicine trains one doctor across biochemistry, pathology, microbiology and molecular labs. Hospital Administration leads to medical superintendent and operations roles; compare it honestly with a two-year healthcare MBA if corporate operations is your goal.

37

courses in our Know Your Branch database

11

courses with very few seats or institutes

2

effectively armed-forces only

68,305

PG seats in NMC's 2026-27 matrix (6 Nov 2026)

Sources: Career Paathshala database; NMC seat matrix as reported by Medical Dialogues, 6 Nov 2026.

Honest money check

Most of these branches are offered mainly in government institutes, so fees are low and the typical first-year stipend in our 2026 data is reasonable: about Rs 56K (Sports Medicine), Rs 67K (Geriatrics), Rs 88K (Palliative and IHBT), Rs 89K (Hospital Administration) and Rs 1.16 lakh (Lab Medicine, at central institutes).

The risk is the paid seat. Deemed seats in these branches cost about Rs 10-30 lakh a year in our data (IHBT about Rs 10.5 lakh; Geriatrics and Sports Medicine about Rs 30 lakh). Over three years that is Rs 30-90 lakh for a degree whose job market is still thin. Our reports advise against loan-funded paid seats in every one of these branches.

What this means for you

• Rank under 10,000 and curious about a rare branch: be careful. Geriatrics or Traumatology at a good college can be a fine choice, but at this rank General Medicine or General Surgery usually keeps more DM and MCh doors open.
• Rank 10,000-20,000: Palliative, Sports Medicine and Geriatrics may be within reach in Round 2 or state rounds. Pick them for the work, with a clear city and job plan.
• Rank 20,000-50,000: Transfusion Medicine, Hospital Administration and Lab Medicine are realistic options for calm, institution-based careers.
• You are drawn to infection or public health: compare Tropical Medicine and Public Health (Epidemiology) with MD Community Medicine and Microbiology, which have far more seats and jobs.
• You plan to go abroad: check whether your target country recognises the exact degree name before locking it.

Two questions to ask any department in a rare branch: Where did your last three batches get jobs? And is this degree accepted for the DM, fellowship or govt post you want?

Explore all 37 courses side by side in Know Your Branch, or book a counselling call if a rare branch has caught your eye.

Change log: Published 14 Nov 2026