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How Valuable are Veterinary Technician Online Degrees?

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Becoming a veterinary technician online seems like a dream come true for the busy adult who's always wanted to work in veterinary services: study at home on your own time and be working at a veterinary clinic in as little as two years. However, a number of factors determine how valuable this degree can be.

Qualifications for the Online Degree Program

You need only be a high school graduate to apply for a vet technician online program. Although space in even online programs is limited, you are more likely to find room in an online program than in a program taught in schools.

Saving Money With Online Courses?

If you hope to save money by getting your degree online, you will be disappointed. The best online degree programs are accredited by an educational institution and thus the tuition, books and fees are likely to be about equal to those you will find on a campus.

The average cost of the total two year program is somewhere around $17,000, but you may qualify for financial assistance. However, if you consider the money you will save by not commuting and continuing to work your full-time job during the day, you may save more money than the traditional campus student.

Your Study Habits

Veterinary technician online training is only valuable if you are:

A self-studier - If you're good at studying material with little to no instruction, becoming a veterinary technician online may work for you. You will still receive access to an instructor via email, message board or phone, but you will not be able to have all of your questions answered face-to-face.
Self-motivated - Some people are more likely to complete classwork if they have weekly due dates and have to face their classmates and instructors directly. If you can't commit some time every week (or even every day) to working on your online degree, you might be better served in a traditional class.

Location and Accreditation

You can find a plethora of veterinary technician online programs online, many of which are just as comprehensive and valuable as a technical college degree. Others might mislead you and con you into spending hundreds of dollars on some "get you certification quick" media kit instead of offering an actual degree and class. So how do you find the best online degree program from you? The best degree online programs are:

connected to an accredited learning institution, such as a college, university, community college or technical school
located fairly close to you. It will be easier for your online degree program to help you locate a veterinary office at which to intern in order to complete your degree if the program has local connections.
AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA)-accredited. This independent council reviews and accredits the veterinary technician educational programs that meet certain
nation-wide standards. An online degree from an AMVA CVTEA-accredited program is as valuable as a traditional school program.

Earning your veterinary technician degree online can be just as valuable as earning your degree on a campus--perhaps more so, if you consider the convenience of learning from home. However, you must decide if you are enough of a self-starter to do the research to find the best program - and stick with it - for it to be truly valuable.

also see The Path to a Veterinary Technician Degree

also see Sizing Up a Veterinary Technician College

also see Getting Veterinary Technician Certification Through the NTV Exam

also see An Overview of Veterinarian Careers