Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Certified veterinary technician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a certified veterinary technician. Certified veterinary technicians usually study medical assisting services, veterinary science, or animal science. 77% of certified veterinary technicians hold a associate degree, and 18% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,913 real certified veterinary technician resumes to see exactly what certified veterinary technician education sections show.
The most common colleges for certified veterinary technicians are the Argosy University and the Argosy University.
There are also many online certified veterinary technician courses to help get the education required to be a certified veterinary technician.
There are certain certified veterinary technician certifications that you should consider. These certified veterinary technician certifications include Certified Video Technician (CVT) and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
What education do you need to become a certified veterinary technician?
What degree do you need to be a certified veterinary technician?
- Associate, 77%
- Bachelor's, 18%
- Diploma, 2%
- High School Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a certified veterinary technician?
- Animal Science, 5%
- Biology, 4%
- Other Majors, 19%
Most common colleges for certified veterinary technicians
| Certified veterinary technician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Argosy University | 22.00% |
| St. Petersburg College | 12.40% |
| Madison Area Technical College | 8.40% |
| Bridgewater College | 6.80% |
| Wilson College | 4.80% |
Best majors for certified veterinary technicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Assisting Services | 64.4% |
| 2 | Veterinary Science | 7.7% |
| 3 | Animal Science | 5.2% |
| 4 | Biology | 3.6% |
| 5 | Business | 2.5% |
Best colleges for certified veterinary technicians
The best colleges for certified veterinary technicians are Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, and Purdue University.
A certified veterinary technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for certified veterinary technicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become certified veterinary technicians.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
3. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,306
Enrollment
6,975
4. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$49,042
Enrollment
5,131
5. Kettering College
Kettering, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$12,960
Enrollment
610
6. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$15,730
Enrollment
18,830
9. Clarkson College
Omaha, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$13,392
Enrollment
646
10. Maria College of Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$15,140
Enrollment
876
20 best online courses for certified veterinary technicians
Advertising disclosure
1. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
2. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
3. Become a Pharmacy Technician
A Video Study Guide for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam...
4. Become a Microbiology Laboratory Technician
Microbiology...
5. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...
6. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
7. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
8. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
9. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
10. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
11. Medical Coding CPC (Certified Professional Coder) Training
ICD 10, CPT, HCPCS, Rules and Regulations...
12. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience
Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...
13. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...
14. Prepare for the EMT Certification Test
Welcome to your final course in Become and EMT! Prepare for the National Registry exam. The title for this course is a little bit misleading. We do hope that at the completion of this course that you feel more prepared to take the skills portion as well as the written portion of the national registry exam. More than anything else, however, our greatest hope is that we have given you the knowledge and tools to provide high quality patient care once you are certified as an EMT or once you achieve...
15. Introduction to Medical Imaging
Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...
16. How to Read Chest X-Ray - From Zero to Hero
Master reading CXR entirely from the very basics until professionality with tens of examples & quizzes...
17. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
18. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
19. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
20. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
Top 10 most affordable universities for certified veterinary technicians
The most affordable schools for certified veterinary technicians are Brigham Young University - Idaho, purdue university, and tarleton state university.
If the best universities for certified veterinary technicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for certified veterinary technicians.
1. Brigham Young University - Idaho
Rexburg, ID • Private
In-state tuition
$4,118
Cost of attendance
12,223
2. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
3. Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$7,292
Cost of attendance
20,387
4. University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO • Private
In-state tuition
$9,283
Cost of attendance
22,243
5. Trident University International
Cypress, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,240
Cost of attendance
17,912
6. Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,668
Cost of attendance
14,488
7. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tifton, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$3,503
Cost of attendance
12,843
8. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$9,233
Cost of attendance
18,110
9. Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,922
Cost of attendance
20,612
10. University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,633
Cost of attendance
19,235
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for certified veterinary technicians
The hardest universities for certified veterinary technicians to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, and Purdue University.
Some great schools for certified veterinary technicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for certified veterinary technicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
59%
SAT average
1,367
3. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,309
4. Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
1,261
5. University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO • Private
Admissions rate
64%
SAT average
1,132
6. Kettering College
Kettering, OH • Private
Admissions rate
27%
SAT average
1,125
7. Clarkson College
Omaha, NE • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,035
8. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
60%
SAT average
1,303
9. Saint Joseph's College, New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
1,109
10. Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL • Private
Admissions rate
79%
SAT average
1,196
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for certified veterinary technicians
The easiest schools for certified veterinary technicians to get into are AdventHealth University, clarkson college, and saint joseph's college, new york.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a certified veterinary technician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for certified veterinary technicians.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. Clarkson College
Omaha, NE • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,035
3. Saint Joseph's College, New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
1,109
4. Louisiana College
Pineville, LA • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,084
5. Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
55%
SAT average
1,056
6. Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, LA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,102
7. St. Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN • Private
Admissions rate
73%
SAT average
1,124
8. University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO • Private
Admissions rate
64%
SAT average
1,132
9. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average certified veterinary technician salary by education level
| Certified veterinary technician education level | Certified veterinary technician salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $39,533 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $41,505 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $41,995 |
Certified veterinary technician education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
Search for certified veterinary technician jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025