Veterinary Technology major
Veterinary Technology: courses, careers, and where to study
Veterinary Technology trains the clinical support staff who assist veterinarians with animal nursing, lab work, anesthesia, and imaging, suited to people who want hands-on patient care.
Veterinary Technology prepares students to work alongside veterinarians as the clinical backbone of animal care, much the way a nurse supports a physician. Under a veterinarian's supervision, technicians restrain and handle animals, monitor vital signs, draw blood, run laboratory tests, take and develop radiographs, induce and watch over anesthesia, assist in surgery, perform dental cleanings, administer medications, and explain home care to owners. Coursework blends animal anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, nutrition, and clinical pathology with extensive practice in the skills patients actually need. This is the applied clinical-care side of the profession, distinct from veterinary medicine itself, which requires a doctoral degree to diagnose disease, prescribe drugs, and perform surgery, and distinct from animal science, which studies production, breeding, and biology of animals rather than direct patient nursing.
The credential is usually an associate's degree, though some students earn a bachelor's and use the title veterinary technologist; both paths center on supervised hands-on training. Programs pair classroom science with laboratory sections and clinical externships in working hospitals, where students log practical experience handling live patients before they graduate. In most states, working as a credentialed technician requires passing a national licensing or credentialing examination and registering with the state, and programmatic accreditation can affect exam eligibility, so prospective students should verify a program's accreditation and their state's specific requirements. Graduates work in companion-animal clinics, emergency and critical-care hospitals, specialty and surgical practices, equine and large-animal practices, research and laboratory-animal facilities, zoos and wildlife settings, and diagnostic laboratories.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of veterinary technologists and technicians, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $45,980 and projects employment to grow about 9.1% from 2024 to 2034; an associate's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Veterinary Technology maps to CIP 01.8301, Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant, within the AGRICULTURAL/ANIMAL/PLANT/VETERINARY SCIENCE AND RELATED FIELDS family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of veterinarians, laboratory animal specialists, and zoological professionals, to provide patient management, care, and clinical procedures assistance as well as owner communication. Includes instruction in animal nursing care, animal health and nutrition, animal handling, clinical pathology, radiology, anesthesiology, dental prophylaxis, surgical assisting, clinical laboratory procedures, office administration skills, patient and owner management, and applicable standards and regulations.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Veterinary Technology is awarded as
Of the 7,594 Veterinary Technology credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate39%2,988
- Associate55%4,209
- Bachelor's5%397
This is one of the fields where the answer genuinely depends on where you study: across the 30 states reporting it, certificates run from 0% of credentials in the 10th-percentile state to 68% in the 90th. Check the mix in your state before assuming which credential a program leads to. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Animal anatomy and physiology across companion, large, and exotic species
- Veterinary pharmacology and safe medication calculation and administration
- Animal handling, restraint, and low-stress patient-positioning techniques
- Clinical pathology, hematology, urinalysis, and parasitology lab procedures
- Radiographic positioning, exposure, and diagnostic-imaging safety
- Anesthesia induction, patient monitoring, and pain management
- Surgical preparation, sterile technique, and intraoperative assisting
- Dental prophylaxis, charting, and oral-health care
- Animal nursing, nutrition, fluid therapy, and owner communication
Typical careers
- Veterinary Technician
- Veterinary Technologist
- Emergency / Critical Care Veterinary Technician
- Surgical Veterinary Technician
- Laboratory Animal Technician
- Zoo / Wildlife Veterinary Technician
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 veterinary technologists and technicians median $45,980).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Veterinary Technology, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $105,620 | 27,400 | +17.3% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | $37,320 | 22,200 | +8.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | $45,980 | 14,300 | +9.1% | Associate's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 3 of these 3 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Veterinary Technology does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Veterinary Technology major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Veterinary Technology program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Veterinary Technology department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Veterinary Technology program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Veterinary Technology credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Dallas CollegeTX · 287
- San Juan CollegeNM · 220
- Platt College-Los AngelesCA · 190
- Pima Medical Institute-PhoenixAZ · 164
- Pima Medical Institute-Chula VistaCA · 156
- Pima Medical Institute-San AntonioTX · 137
- Pima Medical Institute-San MarcosCA · 124
- Pima Medical Institute-HoustonTX · 123
- Vet Tech InstitutePA · 119
- Vet Tech Institute of HoustonTX · 114
- Pima Medical Institute-Las VegasNV · 113
- Blue Ridge Community CollegeVA · 111
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Veterinary Technology credentials were awarded
17 states have a distinct enough set of Veterinary Technology colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Veterinary Technology schools by state
- Veterinary Technology in California
- Veterinary Technology in Florida
- Veterinary Technology in Georgia
- Veterinary Technology in Illinois
- Veterinary Technology in Maryland
- Veterinary Technology in Massachusetts
- Veterinary Technology in New York
- Veterinary Technology in North Carolina
- Veterinary Technology in Pennsylvania
- Veterinary Technology in Texas
Related majors
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Biology
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Health Sciences
Health Sciences is a broad pre-professional major for students preparing for medical, dental, PA, PT, or pharmacy school, combining biology, chemistry, and patient-care exposure.
Microbiology
Microbiology studies microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, suiting students aiming for lab research, biotech, public health, and clinical or pharmaceutical work.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry studies the chemistry of living systems, bridging biology and chemistry for students aiming at research, biotech, pharmaceutical, or medical and graduate pathways.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Veterinary Technology degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Healthcare careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Veterinary Technology degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Veterinary Technology path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.