Our accredited Veterinary Technology Program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Yes, MCC has a Veterinary Assisting Certificate of Completion (CCL) We also partner with local vocational high schools for dual enrollment for a Certificate of Completion in Veterinary Assisting.

Our classes are specifically designed to meet the requirements of AVMA accreditation for Veterinary Technology. Because of this, the courses do not meet the requirements for a Veterinary School level course. However, many of the Program's general education courses do transfer to pre-veterinary programs at four-year universities.

We have had many students that plan to continue with their education to become veterinarians. While it is not a requirement, the students do report that they have an easier time understanding their courses once in a pre-veterinary program. The process to apply to veterinary school is challenging and extremely competitive. Some veterinary schools do consider the experienced Veterinary Technician as a better candidate for Veterinary School. The only disadvantage of becoming a Veterinary Technician before becoming a veterinarian is the additional time spent in school.

Each state does have its own licensing requirements. In addition to the National Boards, some states have their own Board exam. Some states don’t require the National exam and rely solely on their own state exam. You would have to check with your new state of residence to see what their requirements are and if they recognize other states' veterinary technician licenses.

You can find the State of Arizona's license requirements at https://vetboard.az.gov/licensing

This is something that your new state of residency’s licensing board would be able to answer for you. You can register for taking the National Exam (VTNE) at the American Association of Veterinary State Boards.

Yes, since the Veterinary Technology AAS at MCC is accredited by the AVMA/CVTEA, you will be eligible to sit for the required National Board (VTNE) and the required Arizona state board upon graduation.

There are advisors available at MCC that can help you complete your application to the college, as well as taking placement tests and getting enrolled in the correct courses in order to satisfy our specific first year requirements. Ask to speak with the STEM advisors.

Please view the excellent website for NAVTA (National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America), www.navta.net. This site offers information about the profession of Veterinary Technology.

The MCC Program offers a wide range of hands-on teaching experiences. We have a large assortment of resident teaching animals available. All of our instructors are either experienced Veterinarians or licensed Veterinary Technicians. Our total costs for completion of the Program are approximately one-third to one-half of the proprietary schools. Our graduates’ National and State Board passing rate is one of the highest in the state.

Most of our students get hired at one of their internship sites and are already employed when they graduate. We hold a job fair in the Spring with industry representatives from all around the state and nationally recognized corporate veterinary hospitals. MCC partners with AzPipeline to provide a web-based platform for students and employers to search for the right candidate and job.

Yes, the Program was granted its initial accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) in February 2006. The Program currently holds “Full Accreditation”, the AVMA’s highest accreditation status.

Today there are over 200 Veterinary Technology programs in the United States that educate Veterinary Technicians. In order to maintain a standard of excellence, these programs are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The course of study in these programs entails at least two academic years, leading to an Associate of Science or equivalent degree with four-year Bachelor of Science degrees available at some institutions. During high school, aspiring students are encouraged to enroll in college preparatory courses in science, math, and English.

The Program actually started in 2003 and progressed to receiving AVMA accreditation in 2006. The program has maintained full accreditation since 2006.

Some of the lecture courses are held in the Technology building (TC50) on the MCC campus. The Program also has a veterinary teaching lab located off-campus. This is a former veterinary clinic that was donated to the Program in 2005. The Program is one of only a few accredited college programs nationally that has an actual clinic building to teach in. This lab was extensively remodeled during the summer of 2011. All Vet assisting and technician lab sessions are held at this Veterinary Teaching Laboratory. In addition, our small animals are housed at the facility. The Program also has a large animal facility located at the southeast corner of the MCC campus. The Program is one of very few programs nationally that have on-campus access to large animals.

Dr. Kimberly Focht, the Program Director joined the program in 2013 to become a full-time faculty member. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Engineering and Applied Science in Agribusiness and received her DVM from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has practiced small animal medicine in the Phoenix area for over 25 years. Diana Lehigh, CVT and Tatijuana McMahon, CVT, CCRVN are the full-time CVT residential faculty members. Diana is a graduate of our program and has 12 years in the industry. Tat has specialty credentials in Canine rehabilitation and brings over 30 years of general and emergency clinical experience to our team. The program also has an all-star team of adjunct DVMs and CVTs that work in the industry, ranging from equine science, general practice, specialty practice, and emergency clinical care.

There is a block of 1st year courses that must be completed before applying to the 2nd year program cohort. You can use the Pathway Map to plan out your class schedule. There is a cap of 20 students accepted into the second year VET-prefix classes. Depending on the number of applicants, admission into the Program is by lottery. All complete and qualified applications will be placed and randomized lottery for selection into the 2nd year cohort.

For more information on the application process see the Veterinary Technology Admission Process Page

The program does not keep a waiting list for admission. Applicants that are not admitted, will need to re-apply during the next admission period. The program admits 2nd-year cohort students in the Fall semester only.

Historically, in the Fall semester, we have 72 students enrolled in the first-year introduction class VET101/VET101LL. This class is the lead-in to the 2nd year program cohort and is considered a "working interview" for admission. The Program will accept 20 students into the second-year class. We have a maximum of 20 third-year students. Our third-year students will graduate together in May each year.

One hundred and five (182) students have graduated from the Program since our accreditation in 2006.

80.56%

Not reported by the State of Arizona.

There is often a waiting list to get into VET101-Introduction to Veterinary Technology. This is the lead-in course for the last 2 years of the program. Since there is a cap of 20 students into the second-year cohort class and admission is highly competitive, we do not currently have a waiting list. Students not admitted may reapply each application acceptance period.

The length of time to complete the Program varies tremendously from student to student. The telling factor is the time commitment the student makes to complete the Program. The Program is three years including the first-year block of classes and full-time enrollment.

There is a required minimum load of nine (9) units per semester for students accepted into the 2nd/3rd years of the program. It is expected that students will complete courses as a cohort group.

The maximum number of students in any of the Program courses is 20 students in the lecture, with a maximum of 12 students in non-live animal lab sections and a maximum of 8 students in live animal lab sections.

The students are required to perform the daily care for all resident teaching animals as a component of the Program courses. Our teaching population currently includes goats, dogs, cats, rabbits and rats. Animal care is required twice daily, seven days a week, divided evenly among all the students, under supervision of the Program faculty. In addition, internship courses are arranged outside of scheduled classes.

The students are required to complete a total of 280 hours of internships. These internship hours are divided between small animal practice, specialty practice, emergency practice, and large animal practice.

The Program curriculum offers rigorous courses. It is recommended that the students anticipate spending a minimum of two hours per credit unit each week. Most students spend more than 3-4 hours per each credit unit weekly.

We currently estimate the cost of completing the Program at about $12,000.00. This includes tuition, lab fees, uniforms, Rabies pre-exposure vaccinations and books.

You can find out more on tuition, fees, payment options and refund policies here: Tuition/Fees/Payment options

Some of the required courses in the general education courses are offered by the College District as online courses. However, all of the Program courses are lecture/lab courses are hands-on in person at the MCC campus. **During COVID restrictions, we have switched to a hybrid model, which includes lectures online by live virtual class meetings and in-person hands-on labs for skill acquisition.

Our Program courses follow a set order and are offered in a specific semester of the Program. Some of the classes may occur in the evening. We have tried to schedule classes on specific days and time blocks in order for students to have time for internship hours as well as to be able to schedule work hours. It is NOT possible to complete the Program as a "night program".

While veterinary assisting experience is always beneficial as an adjunct to course work, it is not a requirement for acceptance into the Program. However, formal animal experience is a required component of the competitive admission evaluation, and veterinary assisting experience is preferred. Our students come from a wide range of life experiences. There are students coming from high school, students who have been working in the veterinary field for many years, as well as students looking for a second career.

Many of your college degree classes may transfer and satisfy courses in the prerequisite block. This course transfer assessment is completed by the MCC Records Office, and not at the Program level. The Program courses are unique and must be completed at MCC. BIO181 must have been completed within 5 years of applying to the 2nd year cohort.

Only if they were taken as college courses through the Maricopa Community College District Dual Enrollment Program.

The program uses mock training devices as often as possible to reduce our teaching animal needs. Our teaching population currently includes horses, bovines, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits and rats. It is an AVMA requirement that live animals are used for instruction.

Most of the courses do have a required lab section attached to them. While book learning is an integral part of the Program, Veterinary Technology is a hands-on profession and it is imperative that students are offered the opportunity to apply what they learn in lectures to live animals. We believe that our resident animal colony offers the best and most extensive hands-on experience of any program in Arizona.

We do not have any prerequisite courses, students need to complete the first year set of classes before being eligible to apply to the 2nd year of the program. When all of these courses have been completed, the student can apply for admission into the 2nd year of the program. You can find the program curriculum on the pathway map webpage.

The Program curriculum includes many rigorous courses to prepare the student for the Board exams as well as to become a skilled Veterinary Technician. Most of the Program courses have a required laboratory class where, in addition to the lecture portion of the class, the student will learn hands-on skills using live teaching animals.

The courses are set in a particular order so the student can build on skills previously mastered in an earlier course. You can view the course schedule on the Program website. The students are also required to perform the daily care for all resident teaching animals as a required component to the Program courses.

Our teaching population currently includes horses, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits and rats. Animal care is required twice daily, seven days a week, divided evenly among all the students, under the supervision of the Program instructors. Please read through the Veterinary Technology Program Student Handbook for program policies (found on the Admissions page)