Pathology/Pathologist Assistant

Types of Degrees Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many pathology/pathologist assistant graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	187

What Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to pathology/pathologist assistant and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Majors

A major in pathology/pathologist assistant prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Majors

As you progress with your pathology/pathologist assistant degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

What Can You Do With a Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with pathology/pathologist assistant:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Surgical Technologists	11.7%	$47,300

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Pathology/Pathologist Assistant

Some degrees associated with pathology/pathologist assistant may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to pathology/pathologist assistant have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.1%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	32.0%
Some College Courses	23.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	41.6%

Online Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	12	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Pathology/Pathologist Assistant

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to pathology/pathologist assistant.

Major	Number of Grads
Medical/Clinical Assistant	52,088
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	6,707
Physical Therapy Assistant	5,993
Other Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	4,121
Occupational Therapist Assistant	3,647
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	3,195
Radiologist Assistant	1,446
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	616
Respiratory Therapy Technician/Assistant	454
Anesthesiologist Assistant	382
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant	295
Lactation Consultant	58

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.