Successful completion of the program, which, except for the pathologist's assistant program, requires a master's thesis as a publishable manuscript, prepares students for careers in teaching and research. The pathologist's assistant program, one of four such programs in the United States, prepares students for certification as pathologist's assistants. If the applicant has not had these or equivalent courses, part of the first year may need to be spent taking courses to correct deficiencies. Offered fall semester. Other topics include neonatal, forensic, and environmental pathology.
Instruction is by lecture, laboratory, and computer.
Offered spring semester. Beyond the principles of general pathology, this lecture and laboratory course covers medical terminology and safety. Offered fall semester. Through lectures and laboratory sessions, students gain a basic knowledge of the interaction of ionizing radiation with living matter at the molecular, cellular, systemic, and population level, and the mechanisms involved in the development of acute, chronic, and late effects. The course examines the physicochemical and pathologic bases for relative radio sensitivity of normal and tumor tissue and the factors that modify this response.