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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 139 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$138,507 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−116%Estimated return after 10 years
$43,115Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$43,115 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$43,115Typical earnings four years after completion
$39,171Average earnings five years after completion
$18,255Typical federal student debt
34thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
137College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians

How much do Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $43,115 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $18,255. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $38,379 to $46,358 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$34,788
Federal debt
$8,227
Programs in the comparison
60
56 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$43,115
Federal debt
$18,255
Programs in the comparison
139
137 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$41,690
Federal debt
$26,323
Programs in the comparison
13
12 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$38,379National median$43,11575th percentile$46,358
137 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$46,35875th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$18,255Median federal debt across programs that report it
9Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

CUNY LaGuardia Community College

$66,272 four years after completionLong Island City, NY · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City

$7,934 among completer borrowersKansas City, MO · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Fox College

100 reported awards in 2024–25Tinley Park, IL · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$55,233Observed year-4 earnings$46,606
$1,672Annual college-wide average net price$21,084
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1CUNY LaGuardia Community College$66,2722Los Angeles Pierce College$55,7633Manor College$55,2334San Diego Mesa College$53,9125Northern Virginia Community College$53,8906Suffolk County Community College$52,9767Bergen Community College$52,7558Stanbridge University$52,6519Community College of Denver$52,20910Truckee Meadows Community College$51,320

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians$47,380 median wage129,140 jobs nationwide+9.4% projected growth through 2035 · 13,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$35,710–$63,180 typical wage rangeVeterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers$38,150 median wage126,580 jobs nationwide+9.1% projected growth through 2035 · 23,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$30,120–$49,150 typical wage rangeHealth Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$107,310 median wage221,270 jobs nationwide+17.9% projected growth through 2035 · 24,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$59,270–$322,020 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Associate's Degree

Agricultural Business and Management

Year-4 earnings
$48,565
Federal debt
$12,000
21 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Agricultural Production Operations

Year-4 earnings
$41,868
Federal debt
$11,629
18 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services

Year-4 earnings
$48,534
Federal debt
$12,000
13 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Animal Sciences

Year-4 earnings
$42,663
Federal debt
$12,000
13 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA17 programs$44,343 average earningsOH10 programs$38,633 average earningsNY7 programs$46,992 average earningsTX6 programs$44,067 average earningsPA6 programs$43,557 average earningsIA5 programs$38,683 average earningsCO5 programs$45,731 average earningsAZ5 programs$43,496 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.