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Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling

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

Students pursuing Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11,842
Associate’s Degree	2,256
Master’s Degree	8,836

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

Coursework for Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mechanical — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Building and Construction — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Troubleshooting — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Installation — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Finger Dexterity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Visual Color Discrimination — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	4.1 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment	3.7 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Building automation software	Industrial control software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Alerton Ascent Compass	Industrial control software	—
Siemens APOGEE Building Automation Software	Industrial control software	—
ManagerPlus	Facilities management software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
IBM Notes	Electronic mail software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Atlas Construction Business Forms	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates include:

• HVAC Mechanic (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Mechanic)
• Blower Installer
• Service Technician (Service Tech)
• Refrigeration Mechanic
• Refrigeration Service Technician (Refrigeration Service Tech)
• Environmental Control System Servicer
• Refrigeration Engineer
• Oil Furnace Installer
• Attic Fans Mechanic
• HVAC Service Tech (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Service Technician)
• Heating Servicer
• Blower Mechanic
• Mechanic
• Heater Mechanic
• Stoker Mechanic

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	68.1%
Less than a high school diploma	20.2%
Some college courses	6.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 96.3% of Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	855	3.7%
Men	22,398	96.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,450	40.6%
Asian	596	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	5,883	25.3%
Black or African American	4,202	18.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	349	1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	70	0.3%
Two or More Races	599	2.6%
Race Unknown	2,015	8.7%
International Students	89	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,403
4 years	$40,200
5 years	$44,951

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,951 — roughly 35% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	7

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

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

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates earn a median of $40,200 four years after completion — roughly 6% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Mechanical Repair Technologies	121,176
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technology/Technician, General	74,567
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians	9,559
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians	8,925
Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians	2,926
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other	1,335
Mechanics and Repairers, General	433
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians	178

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.