The Department of Pathology offers research and study leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Pathology. Although many applicants already hold the M.D., M.B.B.S or other doctoral degree highly qualified candidates with a bachelor's degree may be admitted. Although the Department has major service responsibilities, there is a limited amount of faculty research in which students may participate in the pursuit of graduate degrees. They include major emphasis on immunopathology with active research programs in AIDS, especially regarding gene identification related to AIDS susceptibility and disease progression, transplantation immunology, in which mechanisms of rejection are actively evaluated based on antibody identification and cellular reactivity. There is also active research on acquired cystic disease and neoplasms in end stage renal disease and prostate cancer. The Department has always had a strong research interest in autoimmune diseases. There is also cooperative research on hypertension and renal disease with the Department of Physiology.

The new administration of the Department is emphasizing major involvement in research endeavors by all members of our faculty.

Ph.D. degree graduates with appropriate postdoctoral experience, are qualified to sit for the Diplomat of the American Board of Histocompatibility in Immunogenetics for Tissue Typing Laboratory Directors. This certification is recognized by the deeming agency that qualifies individuals to direct histocompatibility laboratories throughout the United States and Canada and much of the remainder of the world. Others enter the programs of research and teaching. Graduates of this program have served as professors in medical schools throughout the United States including the University of Alabama, Vanderbilt University, the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina among other distinguished medical schools.