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Studies & Degrees in Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary medicine is the health science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease in animals: pets, horses, farm animals, and wild and exotic species. Veterinarians also protect public health: they inspect food of animal origin and control diseases that pass between animals and people. According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), more than 60% of animal diseases are zoonotic, that is, transmissible to humans.

Students take courses on animal anatomy and physiology, and on disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Spanish order that regulates the degree groups the profession into three areas: the prevention and treatment of animal diseases, particularly zoonoses; the breeding, handling, welfare, reproduction and feeding of animals; and the hygiene, inspection and technology of food for human consumption.

Qualifications and levels

Veterinarian is a regulated profession, so the length and content of the degree are set by law or by an accrediting body.

  • Spain and the European Union. The Spanish bachelor's degree in Veterinary Medicine (Grado en Veterinaria) has 300 ECTS credits. The Universidad de Murcia explains that the European directive on regulated professions sets a minimum of 5 years, which is why the degree takes 5 academic years, unlike most Spanish bachelor's degrees. It is entered directly after secondary school. The Universidad de Murcia offers 90 first-year places and reports a cut-off mark of 11.34 for 2025-26.
  • United Kingdom. A veterinary degree at university is required. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) says that most vet schools ask for science subjects, usually biology and chemistry. The standard courses take five years; some vet schools offer four-year courses for graduates with a relevant science degree, and one-year foundation courses for students who do not meet the entry requirements.
  • United States and Canada. The degree is the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD). According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the programme generally takes 4 years, applicants typically have a bachelor's degree in a field such as biology, and the final year is spent on clinical rotations. Graduates must then pass a licensing exam.
  • Veterinary technicians. In the United States, technicians need a 2-year associate's degree and technologists usually need a 4-year bachelor's degree in veterinary technology. They work under the supervision of licensed veterinarians.

Where to study it

This directory lists 105 active schools for veterinary medicine. The largest groups are in the United States (23), Spain (14), Brazil (6), the United Kingdom (5), Colombia (5) and Australia (3).

In Spain, the Universidad de Murcia teaches the degree in Spanish at its Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UAX), a private university, teaches it in Spanish over 5 years at its campus in Villanueva de la Cañada, near Madrid. Both report an evaluation by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), an association founded in 1988 and based in Vienna that evaluates veterinary schools.

Elsewhere, the listed schools include Cornell University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States, and Ghent University in Belgium, which has a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The Atlantic Veterinary College of the University of Prince Edward Island, in Canada, has a four-year DVM with 40 weeks of clinical rotations in the final year. It states that the programme is accredited by the American and Canadian Veterinary Medical Associations and recognised by the RCVS. St. George's University, in Grenada, offers a four-year DVM that it describes as AVMA-accredited, with an optional preveterinary programme. Northeast Community College, in Nebraska, trains entry-level veterinary technicians in a programme of two or three years.

Programmes are taught in the language of the country: Spanish in Spain and most of Latin America, Portuguese in Brazil, English in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. A veterinary degree gives the right to practise where it is accredited. Students who plan to work in another country should check before enrolling how that country recognises the degree.

Careers

Most veterinarians work in clinical practice with companion animals, horses or farm animals. Others work in food safety and inspection, in public administration, in the pharmaceutical and animal feed industries, in research and in teaching.

In the United States, veterinarians held about 91,100 jobs in 2025, 83% of them in veterinary services, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It projects employment to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings each year. Veterinary technologists and technicians held 131,400 jobs in 2025, with the same projected growth of 9 percent.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a veterinarian?

In Spain the degree takes 5 years (300 ECTS credits). In the United Kingdom the standard course takes five years. In the United States the DVM generally takes 4 years, usually after a bachelor's degree.

Can I work in another country with my veterinary degree?

Only if that country recognises it. In the United States, for example, every state requires an accredited veterinary programme and a qualifying exam. Ask the school which accreditations its degree has and check with the authority of the country where you want to work.

What is the difference between a veterinarian and a veterinary technician?

A veterinarian holds the full veterinary degree and diagnoses, prescribes and operates. A veterinary technician completes a shorter programme, 2 years in the United States, and works under a veterinarian's supervision.