Vet Tech Programs in Minnesota
AVMA lists 4 CVTEA-accredited veterinary technology programs in Minnesota, and all 4 award associate degrees — two an Associate of Science, two an Associate of Applied Science.
Every entry's status line reads plain full accreditation, and none of the 4 appears on AVMA's distance-education list.
Minnesota's Licensed Veterinary Technician license, new as of July 1, 2026, asks for graduation from an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program, so this list is the traditional route into the credential.
Accredited programs
4
Offer an associate degree
4
Offer a bachelor's
0
Status to check
0
Source: AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), “Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA” and “Distance education programs in veterinary technology accredited by the AVMA CVTEA”, retrieved 2026-09-23. “Status to check” counts programs whose AVMA status line reads anything other than plain full accreditation.
Check the list and the board before you enroll
AVMA-accredited programs in Minnesota
AVMA lists 4 accredited veterinary technology programs in Minnesota, alphabetically below, with each degree, date and status line exactly as AVMA prints it. A struck-through degree is one AVMA marks as discontinued.
Veterinary Technology Program · Rosemount, MN
- Associate of Science
Initial accreditation: September 14, 2018: Next Evaluation: 2028 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2028
FULL ACCREDITATION
- Associate of Science
Initial accreditation: September 5, 2019 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2029
FULL ACCREDITATION
Willmar, MN
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: November, 1993 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2030
FULL ACCREDITATION
Animal Health Technology Program · Rochester, MN
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: January 28, 2005 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2027
FULL ACCREDITATION
From AVMA’s CVTEA program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
Four programs, two kinds of associate degree
Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount and Minnesota North College in Ely award an Associate of Science; Ridgewater College in Willmar and Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester award an Associate of Applied Science.
AVMA lists Minnesota North College under its current name with its former name, Vermilion Community College, printed alongside, which helps if an older transcript or reference uses it.
Every entry's status line reads full accreditation, with next evaluations from 2027 through 2030.
The list gives each program's degree, dates and status line.
It says nothing about schedules or outcomes, so ask each school, and ask to see the program's published first-time VTNE pass rate, which accredited programs are required to post.
None of the 4 is on AVMA's distance-education list
No Minnesota-based program appears on AVMA's separate distance-education list, which names 13 programs nationwide, each under the state where it is based; the full list is printed lower on this page.
For a Minnesota resident considering any of them, two questions matter before enrolling: whether the program admits students living in Minnesota, and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours every accredited program requires at a practice near the student.
The accreditation bar is the same one Minnesota's education route names, so the questions are logistical, not about the credential.
What Minnesota's LVT license asks of a program
The Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine issues the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) credential under Minnesota statute, in force July 1, 2026, and the Board states that the former MVMA certification does not convert directly to it.
The traditional pathway asks an applicant to be at least 18 years old and a graduate of a veterinary technology program accredited by the AVMA or the CVMA — the requirement is accreditation, not location, and every program on the list above meets the AVMA half.
One dated alternative exists: the Temporary Alternative pathway qualifies non-credentialed staff on 4,160 hours of technician work in the last five years, with no accredited degree and no VTNE, through July 1, 2031 only.
After graduation, the exams are the VTNE, with scores sent to the Board through the AAVSB/VIVA portal, and the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Exam.
From July 1, 2026, the title itself is reserved to licensees.
Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine
A Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), issued by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine under Minnesota Statutes §156.077 — a new state license as of July 1, 2026; the former private certification of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) does not convert directly to it.
Two routes. The traditional pathway: at least 18 years old and a graduate of an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited veterinary technology program. A Temporary Alternative for non-credentialed staff — at least 4,160 hours in a technician role in the last five years, no degree or VTNE — is available only through July 1, 2031.
The VTNE, with scores sent directly to the Board through the AAVSB/VIVA portal (the Board cannot accept applicant-submitted scores), plus the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Exam — fully open resource, untimed, up to five attempts with a fee per attempt.
AVMA’s distance-education list
AVMA names 13 programs on a separate distance-education list. Each is listed under the state where it is based. Whether a program admits students living in Minnesota, and how it arranges clinical placements there, is a question for the program.
From AVMA’s distance-education program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited vet tech programs are in Minnesota?
AVMA's CVTEA list, retrieved September 23, 2026, names 4 accredited veterinary technology programs in Minnesota: Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota North College in Ely, Ridgewater College in Willmar, and Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester.
All 4 award associate degrees, every status line reads full accreditation, and none is on AVMA's distance-education list.
Accreditation records change, so check AVMA's own list for each program's current entry before you apply.
Is there a bachelor's degree vet tech program in Minnesota?
No. None of the 4 programs on AVMA's Minnesota list awards a bachelor's — two award an Associate of Science and two an Associate of Applied Science.
Minnesota's LVT education step does not name a degree level either: it asks for graduation from a program accredited by the AVMA or the CVMA.
If you specifically want a bachelor's degree, AVMA's national list is the place to look; Minnesota has no entry to offer.
Can I become a vet tech in Minnesota without an accredited program?
Only through July 1, 2031.
Minnesota's Temporary Alternative pathway lets non-credentialed staff qualify with at least 4,160 hours in a technician role in the last five years — no accredited degree and no VTNE.
It is that July 1, 2031 sunset which makes the pathway a dated transition window rather than a standing route.
Separately, the LVT title has been reserved to licensees since July 1, 2026.
After the pathway closes, the accredited-program route is the only one the sources describe.
Confirm your own situation with the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Are there online or distance-education vet tech programs for Minnesota residents?
None based in Minnesota.
AVMA's separate distance-education list names 13 programs, each under its home state, and no Minnesota program is one of them.
Any of them would still hold the same AVMA accreditation Minnesota's education route asks for, so the practical questions are logistical: does the program admit students living in Minnesota, and how does it arrange the supervised clinical hours every accredited program requires near where you live?
Ask each program both before you enroll.
More Minnesota Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- AVMA CVTEA — Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (Minnesota section and status definitions) (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- AVMA CVTEA — Distance education programs in veterinary technology accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine — Veterinary Technicians: LVT Program 2026 Transition Guide, as summarised on the Minnesota requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Program list: AVMA CVTEA, retrieved 2026-09-23. Page last updated 2026-09-23.