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Veterinary Medicine.

Types of Degrees Veterinary Medicine. Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Veterinary Medicine. can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	74
Doctor’s Degree	3,682

What Veterinary Medicine. Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Veterinary Medicine. emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Veterinary Medicine. graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Veterinary Medicine. emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Veterinary Medicine. program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Veterinary Medicine. careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Veterinary Medicine. graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Veterinary Medicine. professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Mobile Data Software VetInfo	Medical software	—
IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX VPM	Data base user interface and query software	—
Eklin Information Systems VIA	Medical software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Complete Clinic	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Veterinary Medicine. graduates include:

• Veterinary Laboratory Diagnostician (Vet Lab Diagnostician)
• Mixed Animal Veterinarian (Mixed Animal Vet)
• Horse Doctor
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Veterinary Medicine Doctor (DVM)
• Veterinary Epidemiologist (Vet Epidemiologist)
• Equine Vet (Equine Veterinarian)
• Veterinary Livestock Inspector (Vet Livestock Inspector)
• Small Animal Veterinarian (Small Animal Vet)
• Wildlife Veterinarian (Wildlife Vet)
• Veterinary Surgical Specialist (Vet Surgical Specialist)
• Veterinary Physiologist (Vet Physiologist)
• Veterinarian Epidemiologist (Vet Epidemiologist)
• Veterinary Cardiologist
• Veterinary Surgeon (Vet Surgeon)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Veterinary Medicine. graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	62.9%
Post-doctoral training	14.0%
Master’s degree	10.8%
First professional degree	6.4%
Bachelor’s degree	3.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Veterinary Medicine.?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.8% of Veterinary Medicine. degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,071	81.8%
Men	685	18.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Veterinary Medicine. graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,644	70.4%
Asian	188	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	416	11.1%
Black or African American	113	3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	13	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	139	3.7%
Race Unknown	202	5.4%
International Students	38	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Veterinary Medicine. Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Veterinary Medicine. graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,891
4 years	$104,815
5 years	$120,371

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $120,371 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Veterinary Medicine. Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Veterinary Medicine. graduates earn a median of $104,815 four years after completion — roughly 176% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agriculture Ag Operations	01
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	01.05
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.04
Agricultural Business and Management	01.01
Agricultural Mechanization	01.02
Agricultural Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Public Services	01.08
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other	01.99
Agriculture, General	01.00
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	01.13
Animal Sciences	01.09
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	01.06

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.