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Veterinary Medicine.

Types of Degrees Veterinary Medicine. Majors Are Earning

Those studying Veterinary Medicine. may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	74
Doctor’s Degree	3,682

What Veterinary Medicine. Majors Need to Know

Programs in Veterinary Medicine. develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Veterinary Medicine. graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Veterinary Medicine. emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Veterinary Medicine. program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Veterinary Medicine. careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Veterinary Medicine. graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Veterinary Medicine. professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
InformaVet ALIS-VET	Medical software	—
IntraVet	Medical software	—
Mobile Data Software VetInfo	Medical software	—
IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX VPM	Data base user interface and query software	—
Eklin Information Systems VIA	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Veterinary Medicine. graduates include:

• Veterinary Inspector (Vet Inspector)
• Treatment Coordinator
• Veterinary Anatomist (Vet Anatomist)
• Large Animal Veterinarian (Large Animal Vet)
• Veterinary Pharmacologist (Vet Pharmacologist)
• Veterinary Medicine Scientist (Vet Medicine Scientist)
• Veterinary Meat Inspector (Vet Meat Inspector)
• Relief Veterinarian (Relief Vet)
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
• Animal Doctor
• Veterinary Epidemiologist (Vet Epidemiologist)
• Equine Vet (Equine Veterinarian)
• Mixed Animal Veterinarian (Mixed Animal Vet)
• Small Animal Veterinarian (Small Animal Vet)
• Wildlife Veterinarian (Wildlife Vet)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Veterinary Medicine. graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	62.9%
Post-doctoral training	14.0%
Master’s degree	10.8%
First professional degree	6.4%
Bachelor’s degree	3.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Veterinary Medicine.?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.8% of Veterinary Medicine. degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,071	81.8%
Men	685	18.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Veterinary Medicine. graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,644	70.4%
Asian	188	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	416	11.1%
Black or African American	113	3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	13	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	139	3.7%
Race Unknown	202	5.4%
International Students	38	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Veterinary Medicine. Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Veterinary Medicine. graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,891
4 years	$104,815
5 years	$120,371

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $120,371 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Veterinary Medicine. Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Veterinary Medicine. graduates earn a median of $104,815 four years after completion — roughly 176% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Agriculture Ag Operations	53,204
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	9,051
Agricultural Business and Management	8,612
Animal Sciences	8,295
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	4,164
Agricultural Production Operations	3,608
Plant Sciences	3,261
Food Science and Technology	2,269
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	1,424
Agricultural Mechanization	1,378
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences	1,077
Agricultural Public Services	975

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.