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The Master of Veterinary Clinical Care-Small Animal (MVCC-Small Animal) program at the Lincoln Memorial University-Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine is designed for credentialed veterinary technicians who already hold a bachelor’s degree and are ready to advance their careers.
This is the first master’s program in the United States created to meet the educational requirements for the Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) role.
Graduates of the MVCC-Small Animal program develop master-level expertise in:
Evidence-based medicine
Courses are co-instructed by veterinarians, veterinary specialists, and Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS) to strengthen advanced clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and cultural awareness and background when caring for clients and patients. Graduates gain advanced technical skills and find new opportunities for leadership in an emerging field.
The MVCC-Small Animal program is hybrid, combining online and in-person learning. The first half of the program features fully online coursework, while the second half includes in-person laboratories, lectures, and clinical rotations.
Students can enroll full-time or part-time.
Full-time enrollment: Students enrolled full-time take at least 9 credit hours per semester and can complete the full 68-credit program in as little as five semesters.
While the MVCC-Small Animal does not currently lead to additional licensure, graduates gain advanced clinical training that enhances their value across a range of growing veterinary industries.
MVCC-Small Animal graduates are leaders and advocates within their field and are equipped to promote fuller utilization of technician skills and improve standards of patient care.
All students must be credentialed veterinary technicians before entering the program and must remain in compliance with state licensure requirements after graduation.
Students are advised to reference the Graduate Program Catalog for a full list of core requirements and electives, and they bear the ultimate responsibility to ensure completion of all required courses for graduation. Please note, schedules and course offerings are subject to change.
The MVCC-Small Animal program only accepts new students to begin in the Fall semester. Applications for Fall 2026 matriculation open October 15, 2025 and close June 21, 2026. The admissions committee will review applications completed and verified in that window in late June 2026. Decision notifications will be delivered late June through early July 2026.
Only complete and verified applications will be reviewed.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to monitor the status of their PostbacCAS application and ensure delivery of all application materials by the deadline for their desired start date. Applications that are incomplete or unverified will not be evaluated for admission.
A complete application has all letters of recommendation, transcripts, and essays received through PostbacCAS.
All materials should be submitted through PostbacCAS. The Office of Graduate Programs is not responsible for transcripts, letters, or essays that were submitted outside the PostbacCAS system. Sending materials outside of PostbacCAS may delay or prevent the evaluation of an application.
Click here for the PostbacCAS application cycle due dates. Any applications that are not verified by the end of the cycle will be required to re-submit. The admissions committee will not consider unverified applications.
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100+ level Biology* |
6 Credits |
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100+ level Chemistry** |
6 Credits |
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100+ level English |
6 Credits |
GPA for each prerequisite course must be 2.8 (B-) or higher.
*Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology are acceptable substitutions for 100+ level Biology
**Pharmacology can be substituted for 100+ level Chemistry
Tuition and fees are subject to change and are determined by LMU main campus. For information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Student Financial Services webpage using the link below.
Please note that some fees may not be specifically listed. Any questions about tuition rates, fees, or financial aid should be directed to the Student Financial Services team.
Full-time status of an MVCC student is a minimum of nine (9) graduate credits in a Fall or Spring semester. Part-time status is anything fewer than 9 hours.
To secure a seat in the MVCC-Small Animal program, accepted applicants must submit a non-refundable $250 seat deposit. Deposits may be paid via the accepted applicant's MyLMU account. The seat deposit will be applied towards the cost of tuition.
Applicants to the MVCC-Small Animal program who have completed coursework at an institution external to the United States must complete the standard application procedure outlined above. All data included in the application (essays, demographic information, reference letters, CVs, etc.) must be written in English.
Any transcripts from institutions located outside of the United States must be evaluated by either the World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silney & Associates, Inc. Transcripts and evaluations should be submitted as normal through PostbacCAS.
If English is not the applicant's native language, the applicant must submit one of the following test scores via an official report sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to PostbacCAS.
- iBT (Internet-based TOEFL): minimum score of 61.
- CBT (Computer-based TOEFL): minimum score of 173.
- PBT (Paper-based TOEFL): minimum score of 500.
TOEFL scores older than 2 years will not be accepted.
*Applicants who earned a baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) from an American or English-speaking institution are not required to take the TOEFL.
