Vet Tech Programs in Pennsylvania
AVMA lists 11 CVTEA-accredited veterinary technology programs in Pennsylvania.
Ten award an associate degree, and two award a bachelor's — Pennsylvania Western University lists both.
Two entries carry a status line worth reading before you apply: Community College of Beaver County and Pennsylvania Western University are both on initial accreditation, AVMA's designation for newly accredited programs.
YTI Career Institute is the one Pennsylvania program on AVMA's distance-education list, and AVMA's two lists disagree about its status.
Accredited programs
11
Offer an associate degree
10
Offer a bachelor's
2
Status to check
2
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 Pennsylvania
AVMA lists 11 accredited veterinary technology programs in Pennsylvania, 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 · Monaca, PA
- Associate of/in Applied Science
Initial accreditation: January 22, 2026 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2031
INITIAL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Nursing Program · Bryn Mawr, PA
- Associate in Science
Initial accreditation: April, 1976 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2027
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Erie, PA
- Associate in Specialized Technology
Initial accreditation: May 15, 2019 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2029
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Nursing Program · Scranton, PA
- Associate in Science
Initial accreditation: November, 1995 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2031
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Willow Street, PA
- Associate of Specialized Technology
Initial accreditation: March 14, 2018 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2028
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Bethlehem, PA
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: March, 1999 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2029
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Jenkintown, PA
- Associate in Science
Initial accreditation: April, 1992 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2026
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · California, PA
- Associate of Science
- Bachelor of Science
Initial accreditation: February 25, 2021 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2026
INITIAL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Pittsburgh, PA
- Associate in Specialized Technology
Initial accreditation: June 14, 2002 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2029
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Nursing Program · Chambersburg, PA
- Bachelor of Science
Initial accreditation: May, 1984 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2027
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · York, PA
- Associate in Specialized Technology
Initial accreditation: April 4, 2014 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2030
FULL ACCREDITATION
AVMA’s separate distance-education list gives this program a different status line: PROBATIONARY ACCREDITATION (next evaluation 2024). The two lists are maintained separately; ask the program which is current.
From AVMA’s CVTEA program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
What AVMA's status lines mean
Initial accreditation. “INITIAL (formerly called Provisional) accreditation is not punitive and is simply the terminology given to newly accredited programs for their first five years. Initial accreditation means the program is officially accredited. Initial accreditation does not mean programs are at a higher risk of losing accreditation or that they are “less” accredited. Graduates of an Initially accredited program are considered graduates of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program and would be eligible in nearly all states to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam.” — AVMA
Eleven programs, and what their names tell you
Ten of the 11 award an associate degree; two award a bachelor's, and Pennsylvania Western University holds both on one entry, listing an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science.
Three entries carry the program name Veterinary Nursing Program — Harcum College, Johnson College and Wilson College — and the other eight are named Veterinary Technology Program.
The names also show the kinds of school on the list: community colleges in Monaca and Bethlehem, the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center in Willow Street, institutes in Pittsburgh, York and Erie, colleges in Bryn Mawr, Scranton, Jenkintown and Chambersburg, and Pennsylvania Western University — 11 entries in all.
AVMA prints each program's city, degrees, dates and status line; anything the list does not show, from schedules to clinical placements, is a question for the school.
Two entries are on initial accreditation
Community College of Beaver County in Monaca and Pennsylvania Western University are the two entries AVMA lists on initial accreditation rather than full accreditation.
AVMA's own definition says initial accreditation is not punitive — it is simply the terminology for newly accredited programs in their first five years, and graduates of an initially accredited program count as graduates of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program.
AVMA gives Community College of Beaver County an initial-accreditation date of January 22, 2026, with a next evaluation of 2031, and Pennsylvania Western University an initial-accreditation date of February 25, 2021, with a next evaluation of 2026.
Neither status line names a deficiency.
The concrete question for an applicant is a simple one: ask each program where its accreditation stands today before you commit.
Two bachelor's programs, with different degree lists
Wilson College in Chambersburg lists a Bachelor of Science as its only degree line, on full accreditation, with AVMA giving a next evaluation of 2027.
Pennsylvania Western University is the state's other bachelor's entry, and its entry carries two current degrees: an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science.
Its status is the initial accreditation discussed above, and AVMA prints a next evaluation of 2026.
A student deciding between the two is comparing a bachelor's-only entry with an entry that also lists an associate degree, and AVMA's list does not say more than that; degree requirements beyond the status lines and dates are a question for each school.
YTI Career Institute and AVMA's two disagreeing lists
YTI Career Institute in York is the one Pennsylvania entry AVMA's distance-education list names; that national list carries 13 programs in all, each under its home state, and they are listed lower on this page.
The two AVMA lists disagree about this program: the by-state list prints FULL ACCREDITATION with a next evaluation of 2030, while the distance list prints PROBATIONARY ACCREDITATION with a next evaluation of 2024.
AVMA maintains the lists separately, and this page shows both lines rather than choosing one.
Ask the program itself which status applies today.
For any distance program, a Pennsylvania resident also needs two answers from the school: whether it admits students living in Pennsylvania, and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours every accredited program requires at a practice near the student.
What Pennsylvania's CVT credential asks of a program
Pennsylvania's credential is the Certified Veterinary Technician, certified by the PA State Board of Veterinary Medicine under the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, with the board-side rules collected in 49 Pa.
Code Chapter 31.
The credential is mandatory: the act bars practicing veterinary technology or using the title or the CVT letters without certification, and performing technician duties without the certificate is a misdemeanor of the third degree.
The education clause has two locks — the program must be board-approved, and it must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education — so confirm both with any program on this list before enrolling.
The exam that follows is the VTNE, and the board's rules let an applicant for the exam be a student in the final year of an approved program who has finished at least half the program's credit hours.
No experience-based route appears in the sources read.
PA State Board of Veterinary Medicine
A Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) — certified by the PA State Board of Veterinary Medicine under the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, with the board-side rules collected in 49 Pa. Code Chapter 31.
Successful completion of a board-approved post-high-school veterinary-technology program accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education; no on-the-job or experience route was found in the sources read.
The VTNE, required by the board's certification rules; the application rule at 49 Pa. Code §31.33(a) has the applicant file for the exam and its fee directly with the testing organization. No separate Pennsylvania jurisprudence exam was found in the sources read.
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 Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania?
AVMA's CVTEA list, retrieved September 23, 2026, names 11 accredited veterinary technology programs in Pennsylvania.
Ten award an associate degree and two award a bachelor's — Pennsylvania Western University lists an Associate of Science and a Bachelor of Science on one entry, so the degree lines outnumber the entries.
Accreditation status changes, so check AVMA's own list for the current entry before you apply to any of them.
Is there a bachelor's degree vet tech program in Pennsylvania?
Yes, two.
Pennsylvania Western University lists a Bachelor of Science alongside an Associate of Science on its entry, and Wilson College in Chambersburg lists a Bachelor of Science as its only degree line.
Wilson College shows full accreditation with a next evaluation of 2027; Pennsylvania Western University shows initial accreditation — AVMA's designation for newly accredited programs — with a next evaluation of 2026.
Both entries are printed on the program cards above.
Is YTI Career Institute's vet tech program still accredited?
AVMA's two lists disagree about this program.
The by-state list prints FULL ACCREDITATION for YTI Career Institute with a next evaluation of 2030, and AVMA's separate distance-education list prints PROBATIONARY ACCREDITATION with a next evaluation of 2024.
AVMA defines a probationary program as still officially accredited, so either line describes an accredited program.
This page shows both lines rather than choosing one — ask YTI Career Institute directly which status applies before you enroll.
Is there an online distance-education vet tech program based in Pennsylvania?
YTI Career Institute in York is the only Pennsylvania-based program on AVMA's distance-education list, which names 13 programs in all, each listed under its home state lower on this page.
For any of them, a Pennsylvania resident should ask the school two questions before enrolling: whether it admits students living in Pennsylvania, and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours every accredited program requires at a practice near the student.
Can I become a vet tech in Pennsylvania without completing an accredited program?
Not through any route in the sources read.
Pennsylvania's credential asks for successful completion of a board-approved post-high-school veterinary technology program accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, plus the VTNE, and the sources read for the requirements page found no on-the-job or experience-based alternative.
Because the statute names board approval and accreditation by a USDE-recognized agency rather than one specific accreditor, ask the PA State Board of Veterinary Medicine about any program that is not on AVMA's list before you enroll in it.
More Pennsylvania Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- AVMA CVTEA — Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (Pennsylvania 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)
- 49 Pa. Code Chapter 31 — State Board of Veterinary Medicine, as summarised on the Pennsylvania requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Program list: AVMA CVTEA, retrieved 2026-09-23. Page last updated 2026-09-23.