Best Marine Veterinary Programs

Marine veterinarians are responsible for the healthcare of marine animals. This includes fish, sea-dwelling mammals, and essentially any animal that spends its life in the water. Marine veterinarians can work in the fishing industry, zoos, and aquariums, carrying out aquatic animal research, or just as general vets (although those positions are much more limited). Marine veterinarians’ work is incredibly varied, not just in terms of the animals they treat but also the job options. They can be responsible for pharmaceutical products, diagnosis, treatment, surgery, nutrition, and more.

This is a highly specialized position, but like all veterinarian positions, it starts in the same way at an education level. This means starting with a bachelor’s degree, getting into veterinary school to gain a doctorate, working in a residency program that specializes in marine veterinarian tutoring, and, finally, passing the licensing exam. It is a multi-year process.

Those who become marine veterinarians can enjoy an average salary of $103,000 per year. However, there is a potential for a major increase in the next decade as the demand for marine veterinarians is said to rise by about 20% in that time.

On this page, we will discuss the best marine veterinary programs and highlight the basic process for becoming a marine veterinarian.

How to Become a Marine Veterinarian

As we said, the process to become a marine veterinarian is long, and it all begins with your bachelor’s degree. Well, technically, it will begin with your High School grades. Still, you can’t really focus too much on marine veterinary work there, so just focus on getting the best grades that you can, particularly in science and other core subjects:

1. Bachelor’s Degree: You’ll begin your journey by getting a bachelor’s degree. The most relevant bachelor’s degrees to become a marine veterinarian include marine science, biomedical science, animal science, and biology. Basically, anything that could assist with marine work or medical work.
2. Get Experience: while you are studying for your bachelor’s degree, you should try to get a bit of experience in marine veterinary work. This is essential when applying for veterinary school. To be honest, in some areas, it could be hard to find marine veterinary work. So, any experience working with animals can be important here. Just do something to gain experience and demonstrate you’re committed to the role. Plus, working with other animals can still prepare you with some of the knowledge you need to succeed with marine animals.
3. Veterinary School: once you’ve graduated, you’ll need to look for veterinary schools. This is the most important step in your marine veterinarian journey, and you may need to consider the various vet schools years in advance. This is why we’ve included a list of the best marine veterinary programs on this list. You’ll be gaining your doctorate here, and the whole process takes about four years. Aim for programs focusing on marine vet work. Some marine veterinarians did do a general veterinary course, but you’re just making life harder for the next step of the process. You should constantly work to gain more experience here. Your selected veterinary school should help with this.
4. Residency Program: once you’ve graduated from veterinary school, you’ll need to look for a residency program that specializes in marine veterinary work. This is where you’ll learn the core skills to become a marine veterinarian. You may wish to choose what area you wish to specialize in here (the type of animal, type of practice, etc.) to ensure that you get the right course.
5. Get Licensed: the final step, once you’ve graduated, is to get your license to practice. This involves completing the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE). You’ll need to renew your license every so often.

Top Marine Veterinary Programs

There are a few marine veterinary programs in the US but bear in mind that this is a very specialist subject. There are a lot of applicants and not a lot of places to go around at these schools. Still, if you commit to studying, you can obtain a place at one of the top marine veterinary programs in the US. These are the current 7 top programs. If you can’t get into one of these, don’t fret. There are other courses which, if you perform well, can still lead to gainful employment in the sector.

Certification and License Requirements

To become a marine veterinarian, you must have completed:

1. A bachelor’s degree.
2. Your DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
3. Complete a residency for marine veterinary work.
4. Get licensed as a marine veterinarian by completing the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination.
5. Continue to renew the license every few years. This means undergoing further training and examinations.

It is a long process, sometimes upwards of a decade, to become fully qualified, from starting with a degree to gaining a relevant license.

Prospective marine veterinarians must specialize their education as much as possible while working in the field to gain the knowledge they need to continue their studies. This often means unpaid volunteer work with other marine veterinarians.

Salary and Career Outlook

Marine veterinarian work is varied. Some people will work in zoos, others with vets, and others will work with fisheries, and others with private fish collectors or breeders. There are a lot of career opportunities here. The demand for marine veterinarians is rising, too. There is a 20% increase in demand over the next decade, meaning it should become easier to find work.

At the time of writing (December 2024), the salary outlook for a marine veterinarian is good. Marine veterinarians can expect to earn an average in excess of $100,000 per year. It is on the lower end for vet work pay, but this is a job that can often lead to you living in some of the best places, and, of course, you can’t really put value on something you’ve always dreamed of, right?