A shortage of qualified veterinarians has prompted several colleges to add programs that cater to animal health practices.

The Cache Valley Daily reports that there is currently one veterinarian for every 6,500 animals in Utah. To keep up with the projected population growth, the state would need at least 10 more professionals in this field per year.

In response to this increased demand, a Utah college recently announced that it will offer a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine beginning in the summer of 2012. The school has partnered with a veterinary program in Washington State, an agreement that will save the Utah institution more than $13 million on the launch of the doctorate degree.

An official with the school's animal, dairy and sciences department told the news provider that the new program will allow 20 Utah residents and 10 non-residents to become trained as veterinarians per year. Currently, the college only has room to train six students from Utah in this field.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that prospective veterinarians must graduate with a doctorate degree from a four-year school. Prerequisites for admission into these programs vary by school, the bureau reports, but most of the students who are accepted have a bachelor's degree.

The BLS says that admission into veterinary school is competitive because the number of accredited veterinary colleges has remained roughly the same for the last three decades. The rate of acceptance, however, has significantly increased over the years. The bureau reports that about one in three applicants were accepted in 2007.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) projects that the national demand for food supply veterinarians, who treat animals such cows, pigs and chickens, is expected to increase by 12 to 13 percent over the next six years, according to The Minnesota Daily. In one Minnesota county populated by 550,000 food supply animals, there is only one practicing veterinarian.

A spokesman for the AVMA said that many graduates from veterinary schools are saddled with an average of $130,000 in debt. The news provider reports that a school in the North Star State has offered a program called VetFAST, which allows students to complete their pre-vet credits in three years, thus ushering them into the doctorate degree program a year earlier. The accelerated pre-vet program aims to reduce costs for individuals.

Pre-vet courses typically emphasize the sciences, including chemistry, physics, biology, animal nutrition and zoology, according to the BLS.