Pathologist
Healthcare
Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.
Picture the job
Where you'd usually workA laboratory
- Mostly indoors
- Sitting for most of the day
- Rarely dealing with the public
- Regular working hours
An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.
In Malaysia
Pathologists in Malaysia run the pathology departments of MOH and university hospitals, the Institute for Medical Research and private lab chains. Forensic pathologists do post-mortems for police cases in MOH forensic departments. Their daily lab work is supported by Medical Laboratory Technologists (Juruteknologi Makmal Perubatan).
- How people get into it here
- SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → MBBS/MD → 2-year housemanship → Medical Officer → Master of Pathology (local, e.g. UM/UKM/USM, in anatomic pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, microbiology or forensic pathology) → registration on the MMC Specialist Register.
- Registration required
- Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), Specialist Register
- Government post
- Pegawai Perubatan Gred Pakar UD56 (SSM) / UD15 (SSPA) · starts at RM7,030 a month
- Demand
- 'Specialist Medical Practitioners' as a group is on MyCOL 2024/2025. Pathology is not among the specialist titles named in the report. TalentCorp MyCOL 2024/2025
Sources:moh.gov.mymmc.gov.myfreemalaysiatoday.comtalentcorp.com.my
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
Typical entry
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Matriculation
One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.
Asasi / Foundation
One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
Quick answers
How do you become a Pathologist in Malaysia?
SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → MBBS/MD → 2-year housemanship → Medical Officer → Master of Pathology (local, e.g. UM/UKM/USM, in anatomic pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, microbiology or forensic pathology) → registration on the MMC Specialist Register. Registration with Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), Specialist Register is required to practise.
What should I study to become a Pathologist?
Related fields of study: Science and Allied Health. SPM subjects that help most: Biology, Chemistry, Additional Science and English.
How much does a Pathologist earn in Malaysia?
We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Pathologist pay, so we show no figure.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Medicine and Dentistry97%
BiologyChemistry
- Biology90%
BiologyAdditional Science
- English Language85%
English
- Education and Training68%
- Customer and Personal Service68%
- Chemistry63%
Chemistry
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Time spent sittingAlmost all the time
- Time spent standingA little
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
What beginner adverts asked for
We read 28 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.
14 of 28 were internships
Allowance or pay, when stated
RM800 – RM2,000
17 of 28 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.
Minimum CGPA asked
3.00 to 3.00
Stated in 2 adverts. Others did not state one.
Languages named
Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin
An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.
Related careers
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About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Physicians, Pathologists
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org