HVAC

Types of Degrees HVAC Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many heating, ventilation, air conditioning & refrigeration engineering technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	3,777
Basic Certificate	3,082
Associate Degree	600
Bachelor’s Degree	8

What HVAC Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to hvac were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for HVAC Majors

Hvac 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.
• 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

hvac majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
• 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

As a hvac major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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 HVAC Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with hvac:

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 a Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC?

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	7
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to HVAC

Some careers associated with hvac 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 hvac have obtained the following education levels.

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 HVAC Programs

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)	129	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	72	0
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

Majors Related to HVAC

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	820
Environmental Engineering Technology/Environmental Technology	263
Hazardous Materials Management & Waste Technology	121
Other Environmental Control Technologies	110

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.