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This question is about how long does it take to become a veterinarian.
How many years of college does it take to be a veterinarian?
It takes about six to eight years of college to be a veterinarian. The first two to four years are spent in an undergraduate program obtaining your associate's or bachelor's degree, and the last four are in a veterinary school obtaining your doctorate of veterinary medicine (DVM).
It's recommended that you pursue your bachelor's degree, which usually takes about four years, but you can become a veterinarian with just an associate's degree, which takes about two years to get.
Having a bachelor's degree increases your chances of getting into a good veterinary school, and it gives you a better foundation of classes that will make vet school less of a learning curve.
This is especially true if you choose to pursue a science-based degree that requires you to take classes such as biology, anatomy, chemistry, and even zoology.
Some schools also have specific veterinary sciences programs that are designed to prepare you for veterinary school, and they may even run a veterinary school.
These undergraduate programs can be a great opportunity for you to get your foot in the door with the doctorate level faculty, making it easier to get into veterinary school once you graduate. Keep this in mind as you look into undergraduate programs if you know you want to pursue this career path.
Once you do get into veterinary school, you'll spend the majority of your first three years in a classroom and the last year doing hands-on, clinical work applying what you've learned in class to the real world.
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