veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians
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Types of Degrees veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians Majors Are Earning
Students pursuing veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians may pursue degrees at several award levels.
| Award Level | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Certificate | 1,600 |
| Associate’s Degree | 4,341 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 514 |
| Master’s Degree | 2,563 |
What veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians Majors Need to Know
Studies in veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates commonly enter.
Knowledge Areas
Coursework in veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
- Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
- English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
- Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
- Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
- Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*
Skills
Skills built by a veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
- Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
- Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
- Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
- Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
- Writing — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
Abilities
Innate abilities most relevant to veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:
- Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
- Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
- Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
- Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
- Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
Common Job Activities
Day-to-day, veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates report doing:
| Activity | Frequency / Importance |
|---|---|
| Documenting/Recording Information | 4.4 / 7 |
| Getting Information | 4.3 / 7 |
| Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events | 4.3 / 7 |
| Assisting and Caring for Others | 4.2 / 7 |
| Performing General Physical Activities | 4.1 / 7 |
| Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings | 4.1 / 7 |
| Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates | 4.1 / 7 |
| Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge | 4.0 / 7 |
| Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials | 4.0 / 7 |
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems | 4.0 / 7 |
Technology Skills Used on the Job
Most frequently-cited tools used by veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians professionals:
| Tool / Software | Category | In-Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | — |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | — |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | — |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | — |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | — |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | — |
| Word processing software | Word processing software | — |
| McAllister Software Systems AVImark | Medical software | — |
| Web browser software | Internet browser software | — |
| FileMaker Pro | Data base user interface and query software | — |
| Veterinary practice management software PMS | Medical software | — |
| Animal Intelligence Software Animal Intelligence | Medical software | — |
Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*
Sample Job Titles
Real job postings for veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates include:
- Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
- Veterinary Nurse (Vet Nurse)
- Veterinary Surgery Technician (Vet Surgery Tech)
- Swine Technician (Swine Tech)
- Veterinary X-Ray Operator
- Veterinary Assistant (Vet Assistant)
- Veterinary Surgery Technologist (Vet Surgery Technologist)
- Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
- Emergency Veterinary Technician (Emergency Vet Tech)
- Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT)
- Animal Technician (Animal Tech)
- Veterinarian Lab Technician (Veterinary Lab Tech)
- Veterinary Laboratory Technician (Vet Lab Tech)
- Veterinarian Technician (Vet Tech)
- Animal Care Technician (Animal Care Tech)
Education Typically Required
Across the occupations open to veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:
| Education Level | Share of Workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or equivalent | 44.7% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 15.3% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 11.6% |
| Doctoral degree | 7.3% |
| Master’s degree | 6.1% |
| Some college courses | 5.1% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 4.8% |
| Post-doctoral training | 3.2% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 1.8% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.1% |
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Who Is Earning a Degree in veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians?
Gender Distribution
This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 89.2% of veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians degrees.
| Gender | Graduates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 8,077 | 89.2% |
| Men | 974 | 10.8% |
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates is as follows:
| Race / Ethnicity | Graduates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 4,526 | 50.0% |
| Asian | 196 | 2.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,167 | 35.0% |
| Black or African American | 384 | 4.2% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 85 | 0.9% |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 28 | 0.3% |
| Two or More Races | 403 | 4.5% |
| Race Unknown | 244 | 2.7% |
| International Students | 18 | 0.2% |
See minority definition below.
How Much Do veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians Graduates Earn?
College Scorecard reports median earnings of veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $30,096 |
| 4 years | $32,594 |
| 5 years | $36,273 |
By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $36,273 — roughly 21% above the 1-year mark.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Online veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians Programs
Online study is tracked by IPEDS for veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).
| Award Level | Distance-Ed Available | Distance-Ed Only |
|---|---|---|
| Associate’s | 3 | 12 |
| Bachelor’s | 3 | 2 |
Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.
Is a Degree in veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians Worth It?
Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, veterinary/animal health technologies/technicians graduates earn a median of $32,594 four years after completion — about 14% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.
ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.
Related Programs
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References
The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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