Pathology is a branch of medical science that deals with the causes and effects of diseases and injuries. When speaking in the context of modern medicine, the term is used in a narrow sense to denote the examination of tissues and organs, bodily fluids and using autopsies in order to study and diagnose the cause and effects of various diseases which falls under the purview of General Pathology. Pathology can be divided mainly into eight areas. They are general pathology (which deals with a number of inter-related medical specialities which study mechanisms behind cell and tissue injury and diagnose them through haematology and clinical chemistry), anatomical pathology (the study and diagnosis of illness through microscopic analysis of samples from bodily fluids, tissues organs and sometimes the entire body or autopsy), clinical Pathology (also called laboratory medicine, uses the analysis of blood, urine and tissue samples to examine and diagnose disease), chemical pathology or biochemistry(identifying changes in various different substances found in the blood and bodily fluids such as proteins, hormones and electrolytes), genetics(performing tests on chromosomes, biochemical markers and DNA taken from bodily fluids and tissues in order to detect genetic illnesses), haematology (disease aspects that affect the blood), immunology (perform immune function tests) and Microbiology(concerned with diseases caused by pathogenic agents such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi).

M. Sc. in pathology focuses on the science of how hosts, pathogens and other organisms interact to cause diseases in living beings and also on how to control such diseases. Medical pathology is mainly divided into 2 parts, Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology. Anatomic pathology is the study of disease at a cellular level. Clinical pathology comprises courses in hematology, immunology, clinical chemistry, and hematology. Pathologists care their everyday patients by providing the necessary information to the doctors for ensuring proper care. Pathologists are a valuable resource for other Doctors 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A pathologist is a person who studies samples taken from our body and helps your doctor make a diagnosis about your health or any medical problems you have, and uses laboratory testing of those samples to monitor the health of chronically ill patients. They may also recommend steps to prevent illness and maintain good health. Generally, when your blood is drawn as part of your annual check-up, a pathologist may supervise testing or perform tests to help assess your health. Subjects taught in pathology are general pathology, systemic pathology, cytopathology, haematology, immunopathology, histopathology, clinical pathology, anatomical pathology, forensic pathology, veterinary pathology, plant pathology, molecular pathology, surgical pathology. 

M. Sc. in pathology is a 3-year post-graduate program. The basic eligibility criteria to pursue M.Sc. in pathology is that the candidate must have a bachelor's degree in pathology with a minimum of 55% mark in aggregate or an MBBS degree from a recognized university. Various institutes offer admission through different entrance exams. Candidates need to check the eligibility criteria concerning institutes before applying. Some institutes conduct group discussion and personal interview along with the entrance examination scores. Job prospectus of a candidate after completion of M.Sc. in pathology is that of a medical pathologist, medical examiner/ forensic pathologist, veterinary clinical pathologist, and pathology professor.