Pathology/Pathologist Assistant Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Pathology/Pathologist Assistant — headline outcomes are in the stats below. Median in-state published tuition is about $4,718.
Key Statistics
Pathology/Pathologist Assistant: what the data shows
Common questions about pathology/pathologist assistant degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a pathology/pathologist assistant degree?
A Pathology/Pathologist Assistant program is classified under NCES CIP 51.0811 in the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services field family (51.08).
A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of pathologists, to assist in the performance of autopsies, obtaining and preparing surgical specimens, preparing autopsy reports, and interacting with other clinicians, officials, and individuals. Includes instruction in anatomy; physiology; medical terminology; general, systemic, forensic, and pediatric pathology; autopsy procedures; surgical technique; medical photography; tissue preparation; record keeping and laboratory administration; interpersonal skills; and applicable standards and regulations
Types of pathology/pathologist assistant degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.08 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Anesthesiologist Assistant (CIP 51.0809)
- Chiropractic Technician/Assistant (CIP 51.0813)
- Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant (CIP 51.0802)
- Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance) (CIP 51.0810)
- Lactation Consultant (CIP 51.0815)
- Medical/Clinical Assistant (CIP 51.0801)
- Occupational Therapist Assistant (CIP 51.0803)
- Pharmacy Technician/Assistant (CIP 51.0805)
- Physical Therapy Assistant (CIP 51.0806)
- Radiologist Assistant (CIP 51.0814)
- Respiratory Therapy Technician/Assistant (CIP 51.0812)
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (CIP 51.0816)
How long does it take to get a pathology/pathologist assistant degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0811 in our file:
- 153 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
Is a pathology/pathologist assistant degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services bachelor's program family: median debt $32,031, median earnings $68,559 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.97.
About 4.5% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,718 and median net price is $11,972.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,718 Median In-State Public
$16,346 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant majors are, on average, $4,718 for in-state public colleges, and $16,346 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 85,991 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 5 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Pathology/Pathologist Assistant programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Lake Tahoe Community College | CA | $1,131 |
| 5 | Lake Tahoe Community College | CA | $1,131 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 3 | Infinity College | LA | $230 |
| 4 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 5 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.08 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Anesthesiologist Assistant CIP 51.0809
- Chiropractic Technician/Assistant CIP 51.0813
- Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant CIP 51.0802
- Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance) CIP 51.0810
- Lactation Consultant CIP 51.0815
- Medical/Clinical Assistant CIP 51.0801
- Occupational Therapist Assistant CIP 51.0803
- Pharmacy Technician/Assistant CIP 51.0805
- Physical Therapy Assistant CIP 51.0806
- Radiologist Assistant CIP 51.0814
- Respiratory Therapy Technician/Assistant CIP 51.0812
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistant CIP 51.0816
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.0811 in the survey year used in our extract (153 total across levels below).
- 153 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services CIP family (6 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Pathology/Pathologist Assistant graduate.
- $32,031 median federal loan debt among completers
- $68,559 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.97 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.5% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$N/A Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant majors is $N/A.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant majors.
Occupations by Share
N/A 2023 Workforce
The number of Pathology/Pathologist Assistant graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant.
Age distribution for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
153 Total Degrees Awarded
22 Male (14.38%)
131 Female (85.62%)
Gender distribution of Pathology/Pathologist Assistant degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
105 White (68.63%)
17 Asian (11.11%)
16 Hispanic or Latino (10.46%)
6 Two or More Races (3.92%)
3 Black or African American (1.96%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Pathology/Pathologist Assistant degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Pathology/Pathologist Assistant field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Pathology/Pathologist Assistant majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Pathology/Pathologist Assistant majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of pathologists, to assist in the performance of autopsies, obtaining and preparing surgical specimens, preparing autopsy reports, and interacting with other clinicians, officials, and individuals. Includes instruction in anatomy; physiology; medical terminology; general, systemic, forensic, and pediatric pathology; autopsy procedures; surgical technique; medical photography; tissue preparation; record keeping and laboratory administration; interpersonal skills; and applicable standards and regulations
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Pathology/Pathologist Assistant.
CIP Code
51.0811 - Pathology/Pathologist Assistant
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $32,031 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $68,559, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.97. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Pathology/Pathologist Assistant graduate.
Women earned 85.6% of 153 Pathology/Pathologist Assistant completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,718 in-state at public colleges and $16,346 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.