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Studies & Degrees in Histology and Pathological Anatomy

Histology is the study of the normal microscopic structure of tissues and organs. Pathological anatomy, called anatomical pathology or histopathology in English-speaking countries, studies how disease changes that structure and uses those changes to reach a diagnosis. The two belong together: a student must know what healthy tissue looks like under the microscope before recognising inflammation, a tumour or another lesion.

Students learn to prepare tissue (fixing, cutting and staining it), to describe what they see with the naked eye and under the microscope, and to relate it to the patient's illness. Pathologists examine biopsies, organs and tissue removed in surgery, cell samples (cytology) and autopsies, and increasingly use molecular techniques alongside the microscope.

Qualifications and levels

Histology is a subject inside degrees in medicine, biology, biomedical science, dentistry or veterinary medicine rather than a degree of its own. Pathological anatomy is studied at three levels.

  • Within the medical degree. In Spain the bachelor's degree (grado) in Medicine has 360 ECTS credits, which is six years, and all students must learn the normal structure of the body at molecular, cellular, tissue and organ level, and how disease alters it.
  • Medical specialty. In Spain, medical graduates sit the national selection exam for specialist training places run by the Ministerio de Sanidad. The official specialty is Anatomía Patológica and its training programme lasts four years. Its main purpose is the correct diagnosis of autopsies, biopsies, surgical specimens and cytology samples. In the United Kingdom, doctors complete a two-year foundation programme and then five years of specialty training in histopathology, according to NHS Health Careers. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics describes anatomical pathology as a specialisation of pathologists, who train like other physicians: a medical degree followed by 3 to 9 years of internship and residency, depending on the specialty.
  • Technicians and laboratory scientists. In Spain the higher vocational training (FP) qualification Técnico Superior en Anatomía Patológica y Citodiagnóstico lasts 2,000 hours and includes modules on autopsies, tissue and cytology processing, and gynaecological and general cytology. In the United States, clinical laboratory technologists typically need a bachelor's degree; those who specialise in tissue are called histotechnologists. In the United Kingdom, healthcare scientists in histopathology work in the laboratory with chemical stains, immunological procedures and molecular techniques.

Short courses in histological technique also exist. Ask the school what recognition the certificate has before you enrol.

Where to study it

The directory lists eight schools for this subject: two in Spain, two in Ukraine, and one each in Ireland, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. All are universities with medical teaching. Examples are the Universidad de Cádiz, whose Facultad de Medicina teaches the degree in Medicine, Bukovinian State Medical University and Sumy State University in Ukraine, Rostov State Medical University in Russia, and Trinity College Dublin. At Trinity College Dublin, the Discipline of Histopathology and Morbid Anatomy teaches medical students and states that it is accredited by the Royal College of Pathologists for training in histopathology.

Medical degrees and specialist training are taught in the language of the country and its hospitals, although some medical universities offer programmes in English for international students; Bukovinian State Medical University, for example, states that it teaches foreigners in English. Doctors who qualified abroad normally need their degree recognised before they can apply for specialist training.

Careers

Pathologists work mainly in hospital laboratories, as part of teams with laboratory scientists and doctors from other specialties. Their reports guide the treatment of cancer and many other diseases. The Royal College of Pathologists states that around 20 million histopathology slides are examined in the United Kingdom each year. NHS Health Careers counts approximately 1,253 histopathologists working in the NHS in England, and names neuropathology, forensic histopathology, and paediatric and perinatal pathology as related specialties that trainees can move into.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of physicians and surgeons to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, and employment of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians to grow 3 percent. Both figures cover the whole occupation. In Spain, holders of the FP qualification work as pathology and cytology technicians, cytotechnicians or forensic assistants, according to TodoFP.

Frequently asked questions

Is histology a degree on its own?

Usually not. It is a subject taught within degrees such as medicine, biology or biomedical science. Pathological anatomy is a specialty for doctors or a vocational qualification for laboratory technicians.

How long does it take to become a pathologist in Spain?

The degree in Medicine has 360 ECTS credits (six years) and the specialist training in Anatomía Patológica lasts four years, so the minimum is ten years, plus the time needed to obtain a training place.

Can I work in a pathology laboratory without being a doctor?

Yes. Technicians and laboratory scientists prepare and analyse the samples. In Spain the route is the 2,000-hour FP qualification Técnico Superior en Anatomía Patológica y Citodiagnóstico.

What is the difference between histology and histopathology?

Histology studies normal tissue. Histopathology, or pathological anatomy, studies diseased tissue in order to make a diagnosis.