Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling

Types of Degrees Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration engineering technology/technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	3,667
Basic Certificate	2,781
Associate Degree	563
Bachelor’s Degree	6

What Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, HVAC majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for HVAC Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for HVAC Majors

When studying HVAC, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for HVAC Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a HVAC student include the following:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Major?

People with a HVAC degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Electromechanical Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Electronics Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Heating and Air Conditioning Mechanics and Installers	14.7%	$47,610
Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	14.7%	$47,610

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling?

This major attracts more men than women. About 97% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of HVAC majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	21
Black or African American	49
Hispanic or Latino	194
White	253
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	37

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in HVAC. About 1.6% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $50,160 to $65,720 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to HVAC. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling

Some degrees associated with HVAC may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for HVAC careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	41.2%
Some College Courses	8.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	23.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	17.0%

Online Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Programs

In 2020-2021, 187 schools offered a HVAC program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	122	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	75	1
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Worth It?

The median salary for a HVAC grad is $50,160 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 26% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $205,200 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to HVAC.

Major	Number of Grads
Water Quality & Wastewater Treatment Management & Recycling Technology	1,038
Environmental Engineering Technology/Environmental Technology	347
Hazardous Materials Management & Waste Technology	104
Other Environmental Control Technologies	95

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.