Vet Tech Schools in Texas

How to Become A Vet Tech in Texas

According to the Texas Board of Veterinary Examiners, licensure is not required to practice as a veterinary technician in the state, but it is an option available to those joining the profession. As of 2024, only those who have successfully completed the licensed veterinary technician (LVT) admissions process can refer to themselves as LVTs.

It may be advisable to seek licensure for several reasons. First, veterinary medical boards in some states offer reciprocal licensure, certification, or registration process in case a person relocates to another region of the country. Only licensed candidates who have passed the national Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) can qualify.

Also, employers typically prefer candidates who have the highest credentials and proven competencies for a position. Becoming an LVT can be an indicator of one’s professional achievement. Finally, being an LVT may qualify a candidate for higher pay than unlicensed professionals.

Here is one possible path to becoming a licensed vet tech in TX:

• Graduate from high school (four years). To thrive in this scientific occupation, students generally must have high grades in biology, chemistry, and anatomy (if available) to gain admittance to a competitive vet tech program. To prepare for this work, it may be wise to seek volunteer opportunities at animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and other environments.
• Graduate from a vet tech program in Texas accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (two to four years). This process normally takes two to four years, depending on a student’s educational goals. Some students choose to enroll in a two-year associate degree program featuring coursework in veterinary nursing care, animal radiology, and surgical assisting techniques, to name a few. Other students choose to pursue a lengthier, more in-depth bachelor’s degree program which may be recommended for people interested in taking on more specialized work, responsibilities, and leadership opportunities.
• Pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE). This exam tests students’ knowledge across 11 domains, such as pharmacy & pharmacology, dentistry, and diagnostic imaging. This test is a prerequisite to becoming an LVT in Texas.
• Apply for licensure through the Texas Board of Veterinary Examiners and pass the Texas state exam: the Licensed Technician Veterinary Examination (LVTE). To qualify for licensure as an LVT in Texas, a person must apply, provide proof of graduation from an AVMA-accredited vet tech program, and pass the VTNE (first) and Texas’s special state exam, the LVTE.
• Renew license annually. This process involves completing 10 hours of continued education (CE).

Accredited Vet Tech Programs in Texas

To become a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) in Texas, it is imperative to graduate from a program accredited by the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), a branch of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). As of November 2024, there are 14 AVMA-approved programs in Texas.

As mentioned above, while licensure is not essential for practice as a veterinary technician in this state, it may be advisable since it can enhance one’s job prospects after graduation. All accredited programs require hands-on training through labs, externships, or preceptorships to demonstrate learned skills.

School Website	main address	online program	Avma Accredited
Austin Community College	1501 West U.S. Hwy. 290, Elgin, Texas, 78621	No	Yes
Blinn College	301 Post Office Street, Bryan, Texas, 77801	No	Yes
Collin College	3452 Spur 399 - McKinney, Texas, 75069	No	Yes
Dallas College (Formerly Cedar Valley College)	3030 North Dallas Ave, Lancaster, Texas, 75134-3799	Yes	Yes
Lone Star College	30555 Tomball Pkwy, The Woodlands, Texas, 77375	No	Yes
McLennan Community College	1400 College Drive, Waco, Texas, 76708	No	Yes
Palo Alto College	1400 W Villaret Blvd, San Antonio, Texas, 78224-2499	No	Yes
Pima Medical Institute - El Paso	6926 Gateway Boulevard E, El Paso, Texas, 79915	No	Yes
Pima Medical Institute-Houston	10201 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas, 77024	No	Yes
Pima Medical Institute-San Antonio	6550 First Park Ten Blvd, San Antonio, Texas, 78213	No	Yes
Texas A&M University-Kingsville	700 UNIVERSITY BLVD., Kingsville, Texas, 78363	No	Yes
Tyler Junior College	1237 South Baxter Avenue, Tyler, Texas, 75701	No	Yes
Vet Tech Institute of Houston	4669 Southwest Fwy Ste 100, Houston, Texas, 77027	No	Yes
Weatherford College	225 College Park Drive Weatherford, Texas, 76086	No	Yes

 

Here is a synopsis of the AVMA-accredited vet tech programs in Texas:

Austin Community College

Austin Community College offers a 60-credit CVTEA-accredited program in Elgin, Texas. Courses include canine and feline clinical management; veterinary radiology; veterinary office management; large animal assisting techniques; anesthesia and surgical assistance; and more. Between 2020 and 2023, Austin Community College graduates had a first-time VTNE pass rate of 84 percent.

• Location: Elgin, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Blinn College

Blinn College in Bryan, Texas, offers a two-year AAS degree program beginning each fall only with a competitive admissions process. This program is offered in collaboration with Texas A&M University, where students receive much of their schooling in the second year. Courses include veterinary jurisprudence and ethics; pharmacological calculations; veterinary nutrition; anesthesia and surgical assistance; and more.

Blinn College graduates had a 58.82 percent first-time pass rate on the VTNE between 2021 and 2024. Unlike traditional AAS, Blinn College allows students to complete this program in a blended three-year format.

• Location: Bryan, TX
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Collin College

Collin College in Wylie, Texas, offers a two-year associate of an applied science degree program in veterinary technology, providing students with an opportunity to develop and advance their skills in the administration of medications, client education, surgical assisting, laboratory diagnostics, anesthetic monitoring, problem-solving, and dental cleanings.

The program’s 60-credit curriculum includes coursework in veterinary medical terminology; veterinary parasitology; veterinary anatomy and physiology; canine and feline clinical management; veterinary pharmacology; veterinary radiology; and anesthesia and surgical assistance, among others. The college currently has a 100 percent pass rate for the VTNE exam.

• Location: Wylie, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Dallas College

Dallas College (formerly Cedar Valley College) in Lancaster offers two vet tech associate degree programs: a traditional on-campus option and a distance education veterinary technology program (DEVTP). The latter web-based program is open to students employed at least ten hours per week in an approved facility such as a veterinary clinic.

Between 2021 and 2024, 70.7 percent of the students passed the VTNE on the first try. Finally, Cedar Valley also offers certificate opportunities to enhance specialized skills such as small animal assisting and large animal assisting.

The curriculum includes courses such as veterinary pharmacology; introduction to veterinary technology; canine and feline clinical management; veterinary office management; veterinary clinical pathology; veterinary parasitology; and equine clinical management.

• Location: Lancaster, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Lone Star College

Lone Star College–Tomball also offers a veterinary technology AAS degree that takes two years to complete. Courses include veterinary medical terminology; exotic animal clinical management; food animal clinical management; veterinary pharmacology; veterinary radiology; and more. Credits earned in the 30-credit veterinary assistant certificate program can be applied to the 60-credit AAS degree. Lone Star graduates have a first-time pass rate on the VTNE of 84 percent (2021-2024).

• Location: Tomball, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

McLennan Community College

McLennan Community College in Waco provides an associate of applied science (AAS) degree in veterinary technology which typically takes six semesters to complete. This 60-credit-hour program is designed to prepare students for the Texas LVT process, and features courses such as veterinary anatomy & physiology; veterinary medical terminology; veterinary pharmacology; veterinary parasitology; canine and feline clinical management; anesthesia & surgical assistance; equine clinical management; large animal assisting techniques; and veterinary office management. McLennan graduates had a first-time VTNE pass rate of 43 percent between 2020 and 2023.

• Location: Waco, TX
• Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: Six semesters

Palo Alto College

Palo Alto College in San Antonio offers an AAS vet tech program that combines rigorous hands-on experience in its state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot facility. Palo Alto hosts a broad-based 60-credit curriculum with unique classes such as veterinary nutrition; canine and feline clinical management; exotic animal clinical management; veterinary radiology; veterinary clinical pathology; food animal clinical management; and veterinary medical terminology.

Finally, this school boasted a 100 percent first-time passing rate on the VTNE among its graduates between 2021 and 2024.

• Location: San Antonio, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 to 36 months

Pima Medical Institute (Three Campuses)

Pima Medical Institute (three locations) offers an 18-month AAS degree in veterinary technology at their El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio locations. Courses include food and fiber animal; diagnostic imaging for vet techs; laboratory animal science; dentistry techniques; surgical nursing for vet techs; and more.

The first-time pass rate for Pima graduates on the VTNE was 60 percent at the Houston location (2021-2024), and 65 percent at the El Paso location in the same time period. Pima Medical Institute-San Antonio received accreditation in March of 2021, and the VTNE first-time pass rate score from 2021 to 2024 was 36 percent.

• Location: El Paso, TX; Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
• Expected Time to Completion: 18 months

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University in Kingsville offers another option for future vet techs studying in the Lone Star State. What sets this program apart is the emphasis on wildlife, large animals, and lab animals. The program offers a four-year BS degree in veterinary technology, and only 30 students are admitted annually.

The institution boasts a 10,000-sq.-ft. teaching facility with animal housing areas, classrooms, lab spaces, surgical rooms, radiology rooms, and more. There is also a university farm, on-campus vivarium, and wildlife center where students gain hands-on practice with animals.

In addition to general education courses, students take vet diagnostic imaging; vet nursing technology; vet health management; advanced nursing techniques; and vet clinical pathology. The school also offers membership in a veterinary technologists club. First-time pass rates on the VTNE for Texas A&M graduates between 2021 and 2024 were 66.67 percent.

• Location: Kingsville, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 48 months

Tyler Junior College

Tyler Junior College offers an AAS degree in veterinary technology that takes two years to complete. Courses are similar to other programs and include veterinary anatomy and physiology; radiology; clinical pathology; veterinary office management; lab animal clinical management; large animal assisting techniques; and more for 60 credits. Tyler Junior College received accreditation in March of 2018 and their VTNE pass rate statistics are 75.86 percent from 2020 to 2023.

• Location: Tyler, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: 24 months

Vet Tech Institute of Houston

The Vet Tech Institute of Houston provides an 18-month associate of applied science (AAS) degree program in veterinary technology. Students take courses such as animal behavior; veterinary radiology; equine clinical management; veterinary office management; anesthesia and surgical assistance; exotic animal clinical management; clinical–large animal veterinary technician; and veterinary pharmacology to garner the essential job skills recommended by AVMA’s Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA).

Between 2021 and 2024, the three-year, first-time pass rate on the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) was 44.06 percent.

• Location: Houston, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA
• Expected Time to Completion: 18 months

Weatherford College

Weatherford College in Weatherford, TX, offers an associate degree in veterinary technology, providing students with the practical hands-on experiential learning and educational background to be successful in veterinary practices in Texas and the United States.

Combining classroom education with valuable clinical and practical opportunities, this 60-credit program includes courses such as introduction to veterinary technology; veterinary anatomy and physiology; veterinary parasitology; veterinary pharmacology; veterinary office management; equine clinical management; clinical veterinary assisting; and veterinary nursing care. Weatherford College received accreditation in February of 2022. The VTNE pass from 2021 through 2024 is 60 percent.

• Location: Weatherford, TX
• Accreditation: AVMA-CVTEA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• Expected Time to Completion: Five semesters

For information on CVTEA-accredited, distance-based vet tech programs, visit our online vet tech programs page.

Program Accreditation and Licensing for Vet Techs in Texas

To qualify for licensure as a vet tech in Texas, it’s essential to graduate from a program accredited by the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), a branch of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). As mentioned above, while licensure isn’t currently necessary to practice this profession in TX, enhancing one’s candidacy for jobs and opportunities for reciprocal licensure, certification, or registration in other states may be advisable.

There are currently 14 AVMA-approved programs in Texas. These schools have met the accreditation standards of the AVMA, which include an inspection of program facilities and an examination of program curricula, college finance management, and student outcomes, among other measures.

Finally, to become a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) in Texas, a candidate must fulfill several prerequisites:

• Submit an application
• Send official transcripts from an AVMA-accredited program
• Pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) offered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) and send official scores
• Pass the state-specific Licensed Veterinary Technician Examination (LTVE) provided by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association

These licenses are valid for one year and must be renewed annually after completing 10 hours of continuing education (CE).

Strong Job Outlook for Aspiring Vet Techs in Texas

Texas offers an outstanding employment climate for current and aspiring veterinary technicians. For illustration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2024) projected that opportunities nationwide for vet techs will increase 19 percent between 2023 and 2033. This figure is much higher than the average growth anticipated across all occupations during that period (4 percent).

In Texas, these prospects look even more bright. Projections Central (2024) found that openings for veterinary technicians and technologists are expected to increase 36.8 percent between 2022 and 2032 in Texas—faster than anticipated nationally.

Further evidence shows that the employment climate for veterinary technologists and technicians in Texas is thriving. In fact, common job posting sites are filled with opportunities. For example, Indeed (Nov. 2024) posted 300+ job opportunities with employers such as Cox Ranch, Woodlands Animal Cancer and Referral Center, Emergency Pet Care of Texas, and Lindner Animal Hospital. Monster (Nov. 2024) has postings at Banfield Pet Hospital, Southeast Animal Hospital, Jobot, and Ethnos Veterinary Health. In sum, there are ample opportunities in this field across the state.

Vet techs in Texas are employed in various working environments, including veterinary clinics, hospitals, laboratories, ranches, farms, amusement parks, zoos, animal shelters, and rescue facilities. In addition to the strong employment outlook for vet techs, Texas is also home to many professional associations and networking opportunities. A popular agency in Texas for the advancement and education of vet techs, assistants, and veterinary hospital staff is the Veterinary Team Association of Texas (VTAT).

Additional resources and career-related support can be found at the Southwest Veterinary Symposium held every September in Texas. This annual conference provides CE, product exhibitions, and networking opportunities for industry professionals.

Some veterinary technicians in Texas work regular business hours, whereas others may be called to work holidays, evenings, or weekends to monitor the health of their animal patients. Additionally, some vet techs in Texas may find it advantageous to specialize and become veterinary technician specialists (VTS). This process not only enhances a person’s skills in one particular field but also can enhance one’s resume and salary prospects.

To learn more about how to become a VTS, visit the veterinary technician careers page.

Texas Vet Tech Salaries

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS May 2023) reported an annual average salary of $44,040 among the 122,000 vet techs nationwide. In more detailed terms, here is how vet tech salaries in Texas compare to national averages:

When looking at the comparison between averages for national salaries, and averages for Texas vet tech salaries, it’s clear that Texas vet techs are earning less than the national average. Luckily for the vet tech practicing in Texas, the cost of living in Texas is also on the lower side. According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC 2024), Texas is the 16th least expensive state in the union, boasting a less-than-average cost of living for everything except utilities.

It’s important to note that these figures also varied based on the data source. For illustration, Indeed (Nov. 2024) found an average annual salary of $32,280 among Texas veterinary technicians, while PayScale (October 2024), found the following percentiles nationally:

• 10th percentile: $30,000
• 50th percentile (median): $41,027
• 90th percentile: $58,000