Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling
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Types of Degrees Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration maintenance technology/technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Undergraduate Certificate | 11,135 |
Basic Certificate | 6,566 |
Associate Degree | 1,893 |
What Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, HVACR 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 HVACR Majors
HVACR majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- 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.
- Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Skills for HVACR Majors
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to HVACR:

- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
Abilities for HVACR Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a HVACR 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).
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
What Can You Do With a Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Major?
People with a HVACR degree often go into the following careers:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
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?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of HVACR majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 51 |
Black or African American | 166 |
Hispanic or Latino | 282 |
White | 1,254 |
International Students | 12 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 128 |
Geographic Diversity
HVACR appeals to people across the globe. About 0.6% of those with this major are international students.
How Much Do Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Majors Make?
Salaries According to BLS
HVACR majors often go into careers with median salaries of $50,160. This median refers to 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 careers associated with HVACR require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to HVACR have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 6.4% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 9.9% |
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) | 54.0% |
Some College Courses | 10.6% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 14.2% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 5.0% |
Online Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Programs
In the 2020-2021 academic year, 666 schools offered some type of heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration maintenance technology/technician program. 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) | 499 | 1 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 39 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 249 | 2 |
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 HVACR 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!

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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.
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