Length of Study
The program is currently 22 months long (beginning in July).
The program for students matriculating in Summer 2026 will be 24 months long (beginning in end of May).
Program Size
The class size is approximately 10 students.
Preclinical Coursework
The preclinical year begins in the Summer and is composed of 12 months of foundational education including anatomy, physiology, pathology, and laboratory management. Some of the courses contain a laboratory component, and certain courses are taken in conjunction with students in other programs at the University of Maryland Baltimore.
The MANA 601 course [Structure and Development (Anatomy, Histology and Embryology)] is offered during the first fall semester of enrollment and is a benchmark course. Due to the importance of this foundational course, students must demonstrate a mastery of these subject areas by achieving a grade of C or better in MANA 601. Failure to do so will result in academic dismissal. Please note that this course will no longer be offered beginning the 2026 academic year.
Clinical Coursework
Beginning with the second summer semester, Pathologists' Assistant students fulfill clinical laboratory rotation requirements. Students rotate through local institutions including the University of Maryland Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Medical Examiners Office, and various community hospitals. Each rotation provides ample time to familiarize students with the duties and responsibilities of a Pathologists' Assistant for that particular institution.
Academic Performance
All courses are graded as follows: A, B, C, and F.
Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (CUM GPA) for the duration of the program. In the setting that a student's CUM GPA falls below a 3.0, the student is placed on Academic Probation, will not be permitted to graduate, and face possible dismissal from the university.
Credit Requirements
The minimum credit requirement for the master's degree in the Pathologist's Assistant program is 38 semester hours. Requirements of this program are specifically tailored to the requirements of the professional. Some courses are taught in conjunction with the School of Medicine and as a result may follow a "block" schedule as opposed to the standard Fall/Spring semester schedule.
Schedule
First semester – Summer: 1 credit
PATH 789 - Special Topics (1 credit)
Second semester – Fall: 9 credits
MANA 601 - Structure and Function (9 credits)
Begin PATH 603 didactic
Third semester – Spring: 9 credits
PATH 751 - Clinical Pathology and Microbiology (3 credits)
GPLS 645 - Cell and Systems Physiology (3 credits)
MEDT 680 - Laboratory Management (3 credits)
Begin PATH 602 didactic
Fourth semester – Summer: 1 credit
PATH 789 – Special Topics (1 credit)
Clinical Rotations
Fifth semester – Fall: 9 credits
PATH 603 - General Pathology (3 credits)
PATH 608 - Autopsy Pathology (3 credits)
PATH 609 - Surgical Pathology (3 credits)
Clinical Rotations
Sixth semester – Spring: 9 credits
PATH 602 - Systemic Pathology (3 credits)
PATH 608 - Autopsy Pathology (3 credits)
PATH 609 - Surgical Pathology (3 credits)
Clinical Rotations
Total = 38 credits
Registration: The Department of Pathology Graduate Coordinator will assist the students in registering for the above courses if needed. However, it is the student's responsibility to know when and where to register for graduation. Please obtain a schedule from the Graduate School and follow it. Any questions regarding registration and/or graduation should be taken to the Program Director.
Course Descriptions
MANA 601 Structure and Development (Anatomy, Histology and Embryology)
(9 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of the human body at both the gross anatomical and microanatomical levels. The basic concepts of structure as related to function are described in lectures and small group laboratory sessions.
Laboratory facilities are provided for cadaver dissection and the examination of histological slides. The course includes instruction in embryology, which is taught in an integrated fashion.
Starting Summer 2026, this class will no longer be offered. Students in the class enrolling in Summer 2026 will be taking MSPA 470 (details below).
MSPA 470 Applied Medical Science (Anatomy and Physiology)
(7 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of the human body at the gross anatomical level. Additionally, students will be learning physiology as it pertains to each organ system.The basic concepts of structure as related to function are described in lectures and small group laboratory sessions. Laboratory facilities are provided for cadaver dissection.
Starting Summer 2026.
PATH 602 Systemic Pathology
(3 credits)
Detailed in this course, are disease entities and disease processes of the following organ systems: cardiovascular; respiratory; gastrointestinal; liver; pancreas; head and neck; renal; male and female reproductive; breast; endocrine; skin; bone; peripheral nervous system, central nervous system, and eye. Instruction is by lecture, laboratory and computer.
PATH 603 General Pathology
(3 credits)
Lectures and laboratories are used to present the major subdivisions of general pathology: cellular adaptations, tissue injury and renewal, neoplasia, environmental and nutritional pathology, and pediatric disorders.
GPLS 645 Cell and Systems Physiology
(3 credits)
This course, taught through the Graduate Program in Life Sciences, covers the fundamentals of cellular and organ physiology, the integrative function of physiological systems, and homeostasis. The first half of the class focuses on cellular/tissue physiology (sample topics include epithelial, muscle, neuron, bone, blood, and endocrine cell physiology), with the second half focusing on organs and systems (nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, digestive, immune, and endocrine systems). Weekly discussion groups focus on important techniques in physiology, integrating class lectures with experimental topics and journal articles. Students are evaluated with two exams and a class presentation on a physiological system of their choice.
The class starting in Summer 2026 will no longer be enrolling in this course.
MEDT 680 Laboratory Management
(3 credits)
This course, taught through the Department of Medical and Research Technology, focuses on the various aspects of laboratory administration. It provides an overview of laboratory management in multiple areas, including personnel, operations, regulations, and finance. Anatomic Pathology management, computerization and information services, corporate compliance, and safety regulations are included in this course. Additional emphasis is on current trends in laboratory services, laboratory accreditation and licensure, and accreditation procedures. Topics include organizing, planning, controlling, and supervisory functions of the management process; leadership styles, performance evaluation; the interview process; professional liability; teaching techniques; problem-solving; and professional responsibility and ethics.
PATH 751 Clinical Pathology and Microbiology
(3 credits)
This course provides the Pathologists' Assistant student with a working knowledge of clinical pathology, including hemodynamics and shock, genetic diseases, immunology, hematopathology, and medical microbiology.
PATH 789 Special Topics: Pathology
(2 credits)
This course comprises two summer term courses: one at the beginning of the first year and one between the first and second years. In the first year Special Topics course, the students are given an orientation to the campus and program, as well as instructed in medical terminology, embryology, medical ethics grossing, and histology. The Special Topics course between the first and second year covers medical terminology, medical ethics, embryology, medical photography, histology, molecular diagnostics, immunohistochemistry, as well as an introduction to anatomic pathology practice, including lectures on gross specimen dissection, autopsy procedure, laboratory safety and governing/regulating bodies.
PATH 608 Autopsy Pathology
(3 credits)
Autopsy rotations during the second year of study allow the student to become proficient in all phases of the human post-mortem examination, including review of consent forms and death certifications, review of medical records, decedent identification, evisceration, organ block dissection, description of findings, and preparation of postmortem reports. Students receive basic instruction in the function of the autopsy service and the hospital morgue. Practical aspects of specimen photography are also presented during the course. Students are exposed to basic concepts of the medicolegal investigation of death in a one month rotation at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland, where the students receive "hands on" instruction in forensic autopsies.
PATH 609 Surgical Pathology
(3 credits)
These rotations during the second year of study provide the student with didactic and practical experience in anatomic pathology dissection with respect to surgically excised specimens, including specimen identification, tissue triaging for ancillary studies, review and interpretation of clinical data, gross specimen description, specimen photography, and cancer staging by gross pathology.