Veterinary Technology - A.A.S.

Do you love animals and want to be part of a veterinary care team? Our accredited Veterinary Technology program, offered at both the Tuscarawas and Trumbull campuses, is preparing students for careers in veterinary practices, animal hospitals and farms of all sizes.

The Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology (VTEC) program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and approved by the Ohio Board of Regents. The program is offered in its entirety at both the Tuscarawas and Trumbull campuses. 

To prepare Veterinary Technicians, our curriculum provides combined studies of college level general education courses and rigorous course work in science, animal health, management and veterinary medical concepts. Kent State University at Tuscarawas looks for highly motivated students interested in becoming Veterinary Technicians. The program also looks for individuals with animal experience, who will enjoy working with animals and who have an understanding of the field of veterinary technology and medicine.

Veterinary Technicians are involved in many different aspects of veterinary medicine and perform many of the duties vital to excellent patient and client care in a hospital setting. The term veterinary nurse has been used the help the public relate to what a veterinary technician does, but it would be more accurate to say that a veterinary technician is a nurse, dental hygienist, surgical assistant, scrub nurse, radiology technician, lab technician, microbiologist, client service specialist, communications expert, transcriptionist, pharmacology technician, manager, nutritionist, animal trainer, behavior counselor and sanitation specialist.

The Veterinary Technology program welcomes new students once yearly with 32 openings at both the Tuscarawas and Trumbull campuses.

Program Admission

Students interested in veterinary technology or becoming a Veterinary Technician should carefully review the Information Packet and Program Application. Applications and required forms are due in March each year.

• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 for college level applicants and 3.0 for high school applicants is required in order to apply to the program. Applications will not be considered for students not meeting the minimum GPA requirement.
• A minimum of 15 hours of field experience is required for all applicants applying to the program. Field experience is defined as volunteering, observing, or shadowing at a veterinary practice, preferably one in which a registered veterinary technician is employed. An applicant can gain points for program admission if they have 40 or more field experience hours. A Field Experience Form must be submitted with the Program Application in order to receive consideration.
• Program Vaccination Updates for the 2022-2023 Academic Year – In a January 2022 update to the AVMA CVTEA Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual, which is the program’s accrediting body, it is stated: “Standard 4e. Safety of students, program personnel, and animals must be of prime consideration. Students must be educated on rabies risk prior to working with animals. Prior to live animal use, students must be vaccinated against rabies or the program must implement a comprehensive rabies mitigation protocol as described in Appendix A. (Refer to Statement on Safety, Appendix A).”. Students are encouraged to receive their Rabies pre-exposure vaccination series prior to the start of the first semester of classes to ensure they do not run into any accrediting body compliance issues during their educational experience, which could affect or slow their progress towards graduation. Students who might not be able to receive this vaccination should speak with the Program Director prior to admission to the program.

Licensure

Graduates of Kent State University’s Veterinary Technology program are eligible to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). Students must successfully pass the VTNE to be eligible for licensure in the state of Ohio;  In Ohio, licensure from the OVMLB is required to legally practice as a Registered Veterinary Technician. Applicants should contact the OVMLB at http://ovmlb.ohio.gov/ for information regarding licensure in the state of Ohio. Graduates must also pass a criminal background check. Graduates register with the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board (OVMLB) to become a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) in the state of Ohio. Kent State’s graduates’ nationally competitive pass rates on the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) are a testament to the quality and rigor of this program.

Scholarships

Interested students can learn more about scholarships offered by searching Kent State Tuscarawas Scholarship Opportunities or by searching Kent State Trumbull Scholarship Opportunities. Additionally, students can find scholarship opportunities on the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in American website at www.navta.net. Students will need to create an account under the student section to be able to access the member-only sections of the website, which includes the scholarship information.

Graduation Rate

• 2025 graduation rate: 82%
• 2025 Job Placement at date of graduation: 15 of 18 students, or 83.5%, had jobs in veterinary facilities at the time of their graduation.

Learn More

Interested students are encouraged to visit the campus they'd like to attend so they can see the facilities, meet the program director and learn more about the campus and program curriculum.

• Tuscarawas Campus
  Call 330-339-3391 to schedule a Welcome Visit or visit Visit Campus to learn about other visit opportunities.
  Contact:
  Dr. Kimberly Huston, Director of Veterinary Technology | 330-339-3391 | khuston4@kent.edu
• Trumbull Campus
  Contact:
  Melissa Best, Coordinator of Veterinary Technology | 330-675-7633 | mbest4@kent.edu