Education experience of an animal care technician or veterinarian

For some jobs that involve caring for animals, a high school degree or equivalent is the minimum requirement. Much of the work is likely to involve practical skills that can be learned on-the-job through direct experiences. However, jobs that involve the research and care of animals in zoos or aquariums require a bachelor’s degree in a field of study related to biology, marine biology or animal science.

The work veterinarians do is much more advanced, and the education prerequisites are more demanding. To practice veterinary medicine, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a State license are required.

In the United States, there are 28 colleges in 26 states that offer four-year veterinary medicine degrees that meet the American Veterinary Medical Association’s accreditation standards. These schools are extremely competitive; about one third of all applicants to veterinary school are accepted. Candidates who want to improve their admittance chances should have a well-rounded knowledge of subjects such as:

• Organic and inorganic chemistry
• Physics
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Animal nutrition
• Genetics
• Microbiology
• Zoology

Depending on the university’s policy, applicants to veterinary school may be required to have acceptable scores on some or all of the following examinations: the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT) and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Certification and licensure are imperative in the veterinary industry. Certification is achieved at the completion of three to four year-long residencies, and every state in the country requires a license to practice veterinary medicine. To attain this license, candidates must have completed a four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and pass the national board certification test, the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination. This rigorous test is eight hours long and has 360 multiple-choice questions that cover all aspects of veterinary medicine.