The University of Massachusetts Amherst will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Technology in a new four-year program starting this fall. According to a press release from UMass Amherst News and Media Relations, the program will include two years of study at the Amherst campus and two years of study at the new Mount Ida Campus in Newton.

The Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education approved UMass Amherst to award the degree on January 13, 2020.

First-year applicants can choose the Veterinary Technology major on their UMass Amherst Common Application by selecting Animal Science and Pre-Veterinary Science as a primary and a secondary major. Current animal science students have the option to transfer to the Veterinary Technology major.

The Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences is offering the new program. According to the department’s website, “Students graduating from UMass Amherst’s BS-Vet Tech program will be prepared for a career as a veterinary technologist in veterinary medicine or biomedical research.”

Other majors in the department include Animal Science and Pre-Vet.