Objective To apply an integrative framework of pathology curriculum and ideological and political education in undergraduate nursing programs, and to evaluate its impact on students‘ learning autonomy. Methods A random sample of 4 homogeneous undergraduate classes from Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine‘s nursing major(n=186) was selected as the research subjects, divided into a teaching reform group (n=95) and a non-teaching reform group (n=91), with comparable balance between the groups. The teaching reform group used the integrative framework of pathology curriculum and ideological and political education for organizing teaching, while the non-teaching reform group used traditional teaching methods. A self-designed "Curriculum Ideological and Political Acceptance Questionnaire" and "Self-Directed Learning Scale" were administered to survey the students 3 days before the course began and 1 day after it ended; both groups were tested with 5 closed-book quizzes at the same time, in the same manner, and with the same test papers to complete formative evaluation. Results (1) Compared before and after the course for the teaching reform group, the scores for curriculum ideological and political acceptance and the total score and dimension scores of the self-directed learning scale increased, and the post-course scores of the teaching reform group were all higher than those of the non-teaching reform group; (2) The average scores of the teaching reform group students from the 2nd to the 5th quiz were all higher than those of the non-teaching reform group students. The differences in all indicators were statistically significant(P<0.05 or <0.01). Conclusion The integration of pathology curriculum and ideological and political education is not only widely welcomed by undergraduate nursing students but also can improve their learning autonomy and learning outcomes.