Best degree programs for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 264 schools train Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $47,380 median wage, 129,140 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 264 schools train veterinary technologists and technicians, graduating 8,916 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant. The job pays a median of $47,380 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About veterinary technologists and technicians
Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 01.8301 | 8,874 | 99.5% | 263 | $33,581 | $14,171 |
| 2 | CIP 01.8399 | 42 | 0.5% | 3 | $33,581 | $14,171 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What veterinary technologists and technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $60,630 | 11,310 | 0.75× | 32 | 1,640 |
| Texas | $39,410 | 16,730 | 1.43× | 16 | 824 |
| Arizona | $46,300 | 3,970 | 1.48× | 8 | 529 |
| Florida | $46,380 | 11,380 | 1.38× | 11 | 436 |
| Colorado | $49,650 | 3,720 | 1.56× | 12 | 375 |
| New York | $59,010 | 5,350 | 0.66× | 12 | 309 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,430 | 6,620 | 1.31× | 11 | 307 |
| Virginiamoderate | $52,090 | 2,790 | 0.82× | 3 | 302 |
| Washington | $59,740 | 2,290 | 0.78× | 6 | 275 |
| Ohio | $47,990 | 4,790 | 1.04× | 11 | 268 |
| Illinois | $46,440 | 5,040 | 0.99× | 6 | 224 |
| Wisconsin | $47,020 | 2,590 | 1.06× | 6 | 219 |
| Indianamoderate | $48,720 | 1,820 | 0.68× | 4 | 199 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $44,790 | 890 | 1.23× | 3 | 192 |
| Nevadamoderate | $50,250 | 1,120 | 0.87× | 3 | 177 |
| Michigan | $49,710 | 2,550 | 0.70× | 7 | 173 |
| North Carolina | $47,620 | 2,580 | 0.63× | 5 | 156 |
| Oklahoma | $39,100 | 1,060 | 0.74× | 8 | 141 |
| Georgia | $43,060 | 2,410 | 0.59× | 6 | 109 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $57,270 | 3,560 | 1.45× | 4 | 109 |
| Missouri | $43,520 | 2,040 | 0.84× | 6 | 104 |
| Iowa | $45,560 | 1,220 | 0.94× | 7 | 87 |
| Massachusetts | $49,540 | 3,990 | 1.32× | 6 | 79 |
| Oregonmoderate | $55,810 | 1,120 | 0.69× | 3 | 68 |
| Tennessee | $42,810 | 1,640 | 0.60× | 5 | 65 |
| South Carolinamoderate | $39,020 | 2,540 | 1.33× | 4 | 62 |
| Hawaiilimited | $48,550 | 270 | 0.52× | 1 | 56 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $39,590 | 1,670 | 1.01× | 4 | 53 |
| Louisianamoderate | $35,530 | 2,220 | 1.38× | 4 | 52 |
| Mississippimoderate | $36,380 | 650 | 0.67× | 3 | 50 |
| Utahlimited | $40,560 | 1,550 | 1.08× | 1 | 50 |
| West Virginia | $37,700 | 400 | 0.69× | 5 | 47 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $48,780 | 870 | 1.53× | 3 | 45 |
| New Jerseymoderate | $49,050 | 2,910 | 0.82× | 3 | 45 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $43,680 | 690 | 0.81× | 3 | 43 |
| Kansaslimited | $45,810 | 1,270 | 1.06× | 2 | 32 |
| Connecticutlimited | $50,950 | 1,690 | 1.20× | 1 | 31 |
| Alabamamoderate | $36,590 | 1,880 | 1.07× | 3 | 30 |
| Alaskalimited | $46,480 | 380 | 1.42× | 2 | 27 |
| South Dakotalimited | $45,300 | 300 | 0.79× | 1 | 23 |
| Mainelimited | $50,810 | 910 | 1.71× | 2 | 22 |
| North Dakotalimited | $48,790 | 340 | 0.97× | 2 | 22 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $45,310 | 530 | 1.27× | 1 | 21 |
| Wyominglimited | $38,650 | 310 | 1.33× | 2 | 18 |
| Idaholimited | $42,120 | 790 | 1.12× | 1 | 16 |
| Delawarelimited | $48,370 | 530 | 1.30× | 1 | 15 |
| Marylandlimited | $47,350 | 2,540 | 1.11× | 1 | 11 |
| Vermontlimited | $49,490 | 390 | 1.53× | 1 | 10 |
| Montanalimited | $41,170 | 480 | 1.12× | 1 | 5 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
- Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
- Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books.
- Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
- Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
- Restrain animals during exams or procedures.
- Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures.
- Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.
Skills
- Active Listening3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Speaking3.6
- Writing3.3
- Monitoring3.3
- Active Learning3.1
- Learning Strategies3.0
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry4.1
- Customer and Personal Service4.1
- Biology4.0
- English Language4.0
- Mathematics3.5
- Chemistry3.3
Abilities
- Oral Expression3.9
- Near Vision3.9
- Inductive Reasoning3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Information Ordering3.8
Core activities
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.5
- Documenting/Recording Information4.4
- Getting Information4.3
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.3
- Performing General Physical Activities4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Veterinary Technologist
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Veterinary Technologists and Technicians2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.8301Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant
- 01.8399Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Veterinary Technologist?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant, which awarded 8,874 degrees in 2024-25, 99.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Veterinary Technologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 8,916 people a year.
How much do veterinary technologists and technicians earn?+
The median is $47,380 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $35,710 at the 10th percentile to $63,180 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for veterinary technologists and technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +9.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 14,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
264 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do veterinary technologists and technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Veterinary Technician (Vet Tech), Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT), Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-2056.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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