Program duration

DEVTP requires a total of 60 credit hours. Program completion time will vary greatly, depending on the number of classes you take per term and the number of terms you enroll in per year. On average, full-time students graduate in five semesters, and part-time students graduate in three years. If you wish to take a semester off, you may do so and then re-enroll when you are ready.

Three terms are offered per year, beginning in January, May, and September. Each term is 12–14 weeks long, depending on the courses. All DEVTP courses are offered each term; each class is guaranteed to have room for all enrollees.

Program pace

Students are expected to complete work according to the course schedule. It is strongly recommended that students take only one or two courses in their first semester. Contact enrollment to determine the right pace for you. 

Course assignments

Assignments will take a variety of forms, such as:

• Reading selected chapters in a text and taking a written test
• Viewing a video and completing a video-based assignment
• Practicing skills while being observed by a preceptor
• Writing assignments
• Online assignments
• Making and submitting a video of yourself performing a skill or task
• Submitting work products, such as radiographs, for evaluation

AVMA task list

AAHA and Dallas College are given a list of required and recommended tasks by the AVMA that students must complete in order for DEVTP to be an accredited program. The task list is non-negotiable and, in order to maintain accreditation, AAHA and Dallas College require that students complete the specified required tasks and didactic information. Therefore, there is no testing out of classes or granting credit for on-the-job experience. Even though some of the tasks and information in the lower-level courses may seem simplistic or repetitive, students with work experience often use the information and opportunity to brush up on their existing skills and come away with new ideas.

Preceptors

Each hospital with a student performing AVMA-required hands-on tasks is required to provide a designated preceptor who acts as an in-house mentor to assist, tutor, and provide feedback to the student. Preceptors must be veterinarians, graduates of an AVMA-accredited program of veterinary technology, or credentialed technicians designated as RVT, LVT, or CVT. Preceptors spend one to two hours per week, per course, assisting DEVTP students with coursework.

Degree and graduation requirements

In order to graduate, students must meet the following criteria:

• Complete all 16 technician courses with a grade of “C” or higher.
• Complete all 5 general education courses with a grade of “C” or higher.
• Meet the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) standards and course prerequisites.
• Transfer students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation through instruction by the college awarding the degree.

eCampus: Your DEVTP connection

DEVTP students stay connected through our innovative eCampus system, which allows students to communicate with instructors through a user-friendly website. All students are given free access to eCampus, which features:

• A private and secure webpage for each student
• The ability to check grades online
• Access to the student association

Students are required to maintain access to the following items throughout the entire semester:

• Computer (Mac or PC only; Chromebooks, tablets, and cellphones are not sufficient to do coursework on)
• Printer
• Email
• Scanner
• Respondus Lockdown Browser
• Webcam
• Video-recording device
• Video-editing software
• Internet connection that will allow you to upload and stream videos
• Video camera or cellphone that can record videos for course projects
• Other materials may be required that are specific to each class
• Intermediate and advanced courses require employment at an approved OCCI veterinary facility
• All required textbooks

Access to specific animals and work requirements for the following courses:

1. VTHT 1301: Dogs and cats (these can be your own pets)
2. VTHT 2213: Mouse, rat, rabbit, and bird for tasks performed in the clinic
3. VTHT 2325: Horses, cattle, and goats for tasks performed in the clinic
4. All other intermediate and advanced courses require access to dogs and cats to complete tasks on in the approved OCCI clinic, and employment (no volunteering or interning) at that facility at least 20 hours per week throughout each semester 
5. All basic courses require a student to volunteer, intern, or work in a shelter or veterinary facility at least 20 hours throughout each semester they are enrolled

Where are classes located?

All veterinary technology courses can be accessed through the eCampus/Blackboard site. For easy access, please bookmark ecampus.dcccd.edu (not the login page). Then:

1. Click "Access Courses"
2. Login: Use your DCCCD Online Services account (for example, e9876543@student.dcccd.edu) and password.
3. You will likely see “Not Currently Enrolled in Any Courses” until the first day of class.
4. Once your classes appear, you can access each course by clicking on the course title. Review the announcements, then follow the instructions provided.
5. To verify that you are registered for a class, click on "My Schedule” in eConnect.
6. Students are expected to access their courses on the first day of class and start working.

Missing a course or registered for the wrong course? Please contact DEVTP staff immediately for assistance: CVCVetTech@dcccd.edu.

Web browsers

Recommended browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Opera
• Safari

We do not recommend using AOL or Internet Explorer when taking tests or submitting assignments.

As a student begins their last semester of the veterinary technology program, they need to start thinking about graduation. The graduation ceremony is held once a year in May for all graduates and, as a veterinary technology student, you may also participate in the vet tech pinning ceremony that is conducted prior to graduation. Participation in both are completely optional, but should you decide to attend, the school and the program will need to be informed. The actual conferring of the degree may take four to six weeks after classes post grades for the degree to show on your transcript.

Prior to submitting the petition for graduation, you must go into econnect>Current Credit Student Menu>Click My Program of Study (in personal information and in financial aid); make sure it is set to the AAS in Veterinary Technology.

After this is completed, you must complete the degree plan for the college. Next, you need to make sure you have completed the requirements (with the exception of the courses you are taking in your last semester) by going to “My Academic Success Plan” and “My Advising Report.”

Petition for graduation and filing of degree plan

Graduation information 

More information

Upon completion of the last of the AAS courses, students will need to find out their state requirements for sitting for the national test and any state test requirements by going to the AAVSB website.

Once final grades have posted in all your courses, you will need to request a transcript through eConnect. 

Request two copies (one sent to your home and the other to the state or AAVSB, depending on your state requirements, as this will let you know approximately when the other transcript arrived at the state/AAVSB). 

Make sure when you request the transcripts that you put “hold for degree,” otherwise it will be sent out as it is, and if you request it immediately after classes end, it will not have the degree listed on it and will be rejected by the state/AAVSB. 

Remember that it can take several weeks for the degree to be conferred and posted on your transcript.

If you have an eConnect account, you may request your transcript online by doing the following:

1. Go to eConnect.
2. Select the “Current Credit Student Menu.”
3. Log in to see all of your menu options. Note: You will need your seven-digit student ID number and password to log in.
4. Select “My Personal Information.”
5. Select “Request My Transcript.”
6. Follow the prompts to complete your request.
   
   

Note: Since your transcript is a listing of all credit courses taken within the colleges of DCCCD, it is not necessary to submit a transcript request to each college that you attended.

Request a transcript

Payment for tuition is due upon registration or by the date on the fee receipt. Please check the date on the fee receipt for the due date and either pay the tuition, set up a payment plan (for fall and spring classes only), or contact the business office to protect your courses from being dropped for nonpayment.

Students who have applied for financial aid but have not yet been awarded will need to contact the business office to find out about protecting their classes.

Students dropped for nonpayment will not be able to be put back into their originally selected courses if they are full or waitlisted.

Payment plans are available through eConnect. If you set up a payment plan and change your schedule in any way, you must redo the payment plan. It will not automatically add in the new class; you must go in and add the course to the payment plan on your own or you will be dropped.

Visit Dallas College’s website for FAQs pertaining to the onsite program.

On-site FAQ