The Master’s Degree in Veterinary Pathology was established as an initiative by a group of veterinary pathologists to create a national postgraduate specialist training program in this discipline. To achieve this goal, the initiative aims to fully leverage the wealth of experience and expertise available throughout the country and to strongly align the program with the structure of the training pathway designed for the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (ECVP) examination.
The objective of the Master’s program is therefore to train professionals with methodological expertise in veterinary pathology that meets high international standards (i.e., international boards such as ECVP and ACVP), with particular reference to general pathology, gross and microscopic pathological anatomy—including forensic pathology—and laboratory techniques, applied to the main domestic animal species and, to a lesser extent, to non-domestic/non-mammalian species.
The Master’s program, lasting two years, aims to develop and deepen knowledge related to the application of veterinary pathology in the diagnostic field and, to a lesser extent, in research, with reference to general pathology, pathological anatomy (gross and microscopic), including forensic pathology, as well as diagnostic and research techniques in the main domestic animal species and, to a lesser extent, in wildlife/exotic, aquatic, avian, and laboratory species.
All subject areas will be explored in accordance with the most recent updates available in the international scientific literature (https://www.ecvpath.org/literature-list-2024/). Teaching and internship activities for each topic included in the training program will be carried out primarily by certified professionals (e.g., ECVP/ACVP/ECVCP) or graduate professionals with proven expertise in the specific subject areas.
Activities will mainly take place online via the Zoom platform, on Friday afternoons from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Lessons will primarily consist of practical exercises using digital materials (histological slides and gross pathology images). In addition, in-person weekend sessions will be scheduled for practical activities and examinations.
Attendance of at least 70% of the overall program will be mandatory. Assessments will be conducted for each course module, along with a final examination and a project consisting of the preparation of a short scientific paper intended for publication in an international peer-reviewed journal.
The Master’s program is intended exclusively for graduates in Veterinary Medicine holding either an Italian or a foreign degree (teaching activities will be conducted in Italian). No specific prior experience is required, only a strong interest in deepening knowledge in the field of Veterinary Pathology.
Upon completion of the program, participants will have the opportunity to competently manage, according to high professional standards, cases involving veterinary necropsy and histo/cytopathological diagnostics, as well as research activities related to veterinary pathology.
This qualification may lead to career opportunities in both the public and private sectors, for example in pharmaceutical companies, research institutes, and veterinary diagnostic laboratories—both public and private—including international multinational companies, as well as private companies involved in animal anatomical pathology inspection and nutrition.
Significant opportunities will also be available in the field of veterinary public health (e.g., local health authorities and zooprophylactic institutes), zoological parks, and university research settings.
Module 1: General and Molecular Veterinary Pathology
Understanding of the four main aspects of general pathology: etiology, pathogenetic mechanisms, general structural alterations in cells and tissues (morphological damage), and the main functional consequences. Approximately 50 hours of online teaching are planned.
Module 2: Special Veterinary Pathological Anatomy
Understanding of organ-specific diseases with reference to causes, pathogenesis, and related morphological lesions. This module includes approximately 50 hours of online teaching and will be directly integrated in the schedule with Module 4. In addition, two in-person residential weekends are planned for practical activities focused on gross lesions.
Module 3: Forensic Pathology and Necropsy Diagnostics
Critical approach to forensic cases and application of forensic methodologies to judicial cases. In particular, the module will address topics such as thanatology and taphonomy, crime scene investigation and evidence collection, forensic necropsy diagnostic techniques and post-mortem examinations, national and international regulations concerning animal welfare and animal abuse, specific terminology, pathophysiology of death, accidental and non-accidental pathological lesions, and poisoning cases.
This module includes approximately 40 hours of online teaching and two in-person residential weekends dedicated to practical activities on forensic cases.
Module 4: Veterinary Histopathology and Cytopathology
Histological recognition of tissue morphological lesions through the formulation of morphological diagnoses, including possible causes and pathogenesis. This module includes approximately 40 hours of online teaching, mainly conducted through practical exercises on digitized histological and cytological slides. Activities will be scheduled in parallel with the topics covered in Module 2. In addition, two in-person residential weekends are planned for practical training on histological lesions, including histological descriptive techniques according to ECVP examination guidelines.
Module 5: Gross Veterinary Pathology
Macroscopic recognition of morphological lesions affecting tissues, organs, and organ systems through the formulation of morphological diagnoses, including the identification of possible causes and pathogenetic processes, in accordance with ECVP examination guidelines.
This module includes approximately 30 hours of online teaching, mainly based on images of gross lesions organized by domestic animal species and, to a lesser extent, non-domestic/non-mammalian species.
Module 6: Applied Laboratory Techniques
Understanding and application of both basic and innovative diagnostic and research methodologies applied to veterinary pathology, with brief references to toxicologic pathology, research study design, and applied statistics.
This module includes approximately 30 hours of online teaching. In addition, two in-person residential weekends are planned for laboratory practical activities on the main techniques.
The teaching staff of this Master’s program will consist of certified professionals (e.g., ECVP/ACVP/ECVCP) or graduate professionals with proven expertise in various fields. Many of the lecturers are already involved in postgraduate training programs aimed at preparing candidates for the ECVP examination and, in some cases, also for the ECVCP examination.
The educational structure of the two-year Master’s program is intended to provide a methodological contribution to the diagnostic approach in veterinary pathology, in accordance with the methodological framework established by the ECVP.
The in-person residential weekends included in the Master’s program may take place either from Thursday to Saturday or from Friday to Sunday.
The University of Padua (Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science – BCA, Agripolis Campus, Legnaro, Padua) and the University of Naples Federico II (Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production – MVPA, Naples) will certainly host these activities, together with the Universities of Milan and Turin. However, other Italian institutions may also make their facilities available for practical training activities.
These activities will be conducted in small groups, potentially on a rotational basis.
Information
FAQ
Mandatory attendance is at least 70% of the Master’s hours.
No, the Master’s program in Veterinary Pathology does not include internship placements at external institutions. Credits may instead be earned through a project work assignment consisting of the preparation of a short descriptive scientific article (e.g., a case report) intended for publication in an indexed international peer-reviewed journal.
An examination is for each course module, consisting of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, as well as a final oral examination. In addition, students will complete a project consisting of the presentation of a diagnostic case or a short scientific paper, which may also be presented at a conference either as a poster or as an oral communication.
Students must have obtained their degrees before the beginning of the lessons (November 2026).
NO, for the official training/residency, follow the official indications on the ECVP website (https://www.ecvpath.org/residency-training/) which entail a registration as trainee in a registered training centre, and a supervisor, after one year of post-graduate internship.