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Surgical pathologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a surgical pathologist. Surgical pathologists usually study physiology and anatomy, biology, or medicine. 47% of surgical pathologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 36 real surgical pathologist resumes to see exactly what surgical pathologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for surgical pathologists are the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

There are also many online surgical pathologist courses to help get the education required to be a surgical pathologist.

There are certain surgical pathologist certifications that you should consider. These surgical pathologist certifications include Anatomic Pathology and Pathology.

What education do you need to become a surgical pathologist?

What degree do you need to be a surgical pathologist?

The most common degree for surgical pathologists is bachelor's degree, with 47% of surgical pathologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 24% and doctoral degree degree at 18%.
  • Bachelor's, 47%
  • Doctorate, 24%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a surgical pathologist?

You should major in physiology and anatomy to become a surgical pathologist. 33% of surgical pathologists major in physiology and anatomy. Other common majors for a surgical pathologist include biology and medicine.

Most common colleges for surgical pathologists

Surgical pathologists often get their degrees at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, Santa Clara University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Here are the most common colleges for surgical pathologists in the US based on their resumes.
Surgical pathologist common collegePercentages
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences18.18%
Santa Clara University18.18%
Virginia Commonwealth University9.09%
Bowie State University9.09%
University of Rochester9.09%

Best majors for surgical pathologists

RankMajorPercentages
1Physiology And Anatomy33.3%
2Biology27.8%
3Medicine16.7%
4Nursing5.6%
5Information Sciences5.6%

Best colleges for surgical pathologists

The best colleges for surgical pathologists are Stanford University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Harvard University.

A surgical pathologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for surgical pathologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become surgical pathologists.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for surgical pathologists

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1. Introduction to Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders

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Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty that specializes in management and treatment of conditions relating to the head and neck. Developed at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and led by top-ranked otorhinolaryngology faculty and experts, this specialization on ear, nose and throat disorders focuses on the basics of the anatomy and pathophysiology of these regions.\n\nThis specialization starts with an outline of what patients and professionals need to know about voice disorders...

2. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation

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4. Learn Computer Vision and Image Processing in LabVIEW

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5. Computer Vision for Engineering and Science

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Cameras are an integral component in many new technologies. Autonomous systems use cameras to navigate their environment, while doctors use small cameras to help guide minimally invasive surgical techniques. It is essential that engineers use computer vision techniques to extract information from these types of images and videos.\n\nIn this specialization, you’ll gain the computer vision skills underpinning many of today’s top jobs. Specifically, you’ll:\n\nPerform object detection Train image...

6. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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9. Introduction to Dental Medicine

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The mouth is the window into human health. This course provides an overview of dental medicine to engage, educate, excite and assist you in improving the oral health of your patients and members of your community. We will review topics in dental medicine including scope of the field, what to expect in function, and some of the many ways that dysfunction may present for different patients. This will include discussions of mouth, jaw, and tooth anatomy, pathology, and treatment. We will talk...

10. Clinical Natural Language Processing

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This course teaches you the fundamentals of clinical natural language processing (NLP). In this course you will learn the basic linguistic principals underlying NLP, as well as how to write regular expressions and handle text data in R. You will also learn practical techniques for text processing to be able to extract information from clinical notes. Finally, you will have a chance to put your skills to the test with a real-world practical application where you develop text processing...

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Learn and practice how to combine data science and process mapping techniques to visualize processes with real data...

13. Cancer Biology

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The healthcare system is a rapidly evolving field with new research leading to advancements in medicine. Developed at Johns Hopkins University and led by top-ranked Hopkins faculty and cancer experts, this specialization on Cancer Biology focuses on the basics of cancer biology, how cancer metastasis occurs, and specifically, screening guidelines for prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men.\n\nThis specialization starts with an Introduction to the Biology of Cancer, introduces...

14. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...

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17. Teaching with Peer Review Using Eduflow

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19. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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20. Program Gate Reviews with ClickUp

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Top 10 most affordable universities for surgical pathologists

The most affordable schools for surgical pathologists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for surgical pathologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for surgical pathologists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for surgical pathologists

The hardest universities for surgical pathologists to get into are Stanford University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for surgical pathologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for surgical pathologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for surgical pathologists

The easiest schools for surgical pathologists to get into are Barry University, adventhealth university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a surgical pathologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for surgical pathologists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average surgical pathologist salary by education level

Surgical pathologist education levelSurgical pathologist salary
Doctorate Degree$55,592

Surgical pathologist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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