Following your undergraduate work in the realm of veterinary medicine, take your next step forward toward your career with the Master of Veterinary Clinical Care (MVCC) degree program from Lincoln Memorial University! Our program is 100% online, asynchronous and flexible. That means you can earn your veterinary master's degree from home, on your time and at your convenience.
Achieving full-time enrollment within the program requires only 10 credit hours per semester, which means you can complete your degree in just three semesters (30 total credit hours)! Once accepted into the program, you can choose to enroll part-time at a recommended minimum of 6 credit hours per semester and you will have the option to alternate between full- and part-time enrollment in accordance with your own personal circumstances.
LMU's MVCC program was designed for credentialed veterinary technicians interested in advancing knowledge in fields like:
- Patient case management
- Evidence-based medicine and clinical practice
- Critical thinking
- Practice management
- Clinical skills
- Professional skills
Our MVCC program is the first in the country to be designed strategically to assist technicians in developing further knowledge and skills originally learned in AVMA CVTEA-accredited programs. You will gradually build master-level expertise in patient case management, clinical and professional skills, and evidence-based medicine. The program's curriculum features courses instructed by both DVMs and Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS) to articulately provide you with advanced critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills.
Why the MVCC at LMU
The LMU-CVM Master of Veterinary Clinical Care program is the first and only master's degree in the country designed for credentialed veterinary technicians to further develop the skills and knowledge acquired in AVMA CVTEA-accredited technician programs. The LMU-CVM deeply values credentialed veterinary technicians on veterinary healthcare teams. We have intentionally curated this program to extend your knowledge and skills beyond the currently available education levels.
At LMU, we designed the MVCC program specifically for credentialed veterinary technicians interested in further advancing their careers in veterinary technology. If you are interested in obtaining a DVM, review the Master of Science in Veterinary Biomedical Science (VBMS) program.
The MVCC acts as a streamlined educational pathway for credentialed veterinary technicians to develop advanced level skills and knowledge through a semi-customizable* curriculum. The majority of our courses will be team-taught by a Veterinary Technician Specialist from one of 16 NAVTA CVTS-approved specialty academies alongside an LMU-CVM faculty veterinarian. Our unique course design allows you to develop high-level skillsets within veterinary technology and nursing, ultimately bridging the divide between veterinary technician and veterinarian as a means of improving:
- Healthcare team communication
- Patient case management
- Care coordination
*In order to customize the MVCC program to meet your own professional needs, you can select electives to complement your core coursework.
Admission Requirements
Please also review the other requirements detailed below to ensure your eligibility for the Master of Veterinary Clinical Care program. To qualify, you must:
- Be a credentialed veterinary technician (LVT, CVT, LVMT, RVT)*
- Hold a bachelor's degree (in any field) with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.8**
- Fulfill all prerequisites
*If you live or work in Puerto Rico, it is required that you have graduated from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program.
**A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended for your success in the MVCC program.
How to Apply
LMU's MVCC program only accepts applications for those starting the program in the fall semester. For consideration, you must submit your application between November 1 and June 21. If your application is completed and verified within that time frame, our admissions committee will review it in late June. We will notify you between late June and early July.
To be considered for admission into the MVCC program, you must submit the following materials; all materials must be submitted through the PostbacCAS application:
Complete PostbacCAS Application
- Official transcripts for all institutions attended
- Proof of veterinary technician credentials*
- Two letters of recommendation
- Full CV
- Two written essay responses to the prompts below with a maximum of 500 words each
- Essay 1 Prompt: Why do you feel that the MVCC program is the next step in your career and what do you hope to contribute to your field after graduating? Please include specific examples from your career and/or education to support your response.
- Essay 2 Prompt: What do you consider to be the primary barriers to technician utilization and technician retention in the veterinary profession? How do you feel technicians could be better utilized within the current scope of practice?
*If you meet all other requirements for admission but work in a state that does NOT provide veterinary credentials, please contact CVMgradprograms@LMUnet.edu for program eligibility.
Your application will only be reviewed by our committee if it is completed and verified. It is your responsibility to track the status of your PostbacCAS application and to ensure that all application materials are delivered by the deadline of your desired start date. If your application is incomplete or unverified, it will not be evaluated for admission.
For your application to be considered complete, all letters of recommendation, transcripts, and essays must be submitted through PostbacCAS. The Office of Graduate Programs is NOT responsible for any transcripts, letters or essays submitted outside of the PostbacCAS system. If you submit your materials outside of the PostbacCAS system, the evaluation of your application may be delayed or prevented.
Program Outcomes
The end goal of Lincoln Memorial University's Master of Veterinary Clinical Care (MVCC) degree program is to provide you with an advanced level of academic learning in veterinary technology through graduate coursework to ready you for an advanced veterinary nursing career. As one of our graduates, you will be equipped to work with and alongside diverse populations and communities while providing the height of veterinary care with sensitivity to various cultural contexts and experiences of patient owners.
In its current state, the MVCC does not lead to additional licensure qualifications. However, you will receive high-level training to support the variety of industries using veterinary professionals at this time of unprecedented growth and demand within those industries.
As a result of associate degrees, veterinary technicians are qualified to perform a number of duties within a clinical setting. The MVCC program will supply you with a more specialized understanding of those duties and help you apply your learned expertise further within the current practice. Within the MVCC program, you will learn to be a leader in your field and support the move for a fuller utilization of technician skills in clinical settings.
You must be credentialed in your field before beginning the program and maintain compliance with state laws after graduation.
Contact Us
Looking for more information about Lincoln Memorial University's Master of Veterinary Clinical Care degree program? Contact us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible!
Kathleen Thomas
Department Director of Graduate Programs, LMU-CVM
Email: CVMGradPrograms@LMUnet.edu
Melissa Loy, LVMT, LVT
Department Recruiter and Success Coordinator, LMU-CVM
Email: CVMGradPrograms@LMUnet.edu