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Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling

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

Students pursuing Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4,212
Associate’s Degree	679
Bachelor’s Degree	18
Master’s Degree	4,473

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

Studies in Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling emphasize 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:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate 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 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
IBM Notes	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

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

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Surgical Laser Technician (Surgical Laser Tech)
• Laser Scanners Technician (Laser Scanners Tech)
• Optical Manufacturing Technician (Optical Manufacturing Tech)
• Fiber Optics Splicer
• Laser Assembly Technician (Laser Assembly Tech)
• Splicing Technician (Splicing Tech)
• Fiber Technician (Fiber Tech)
• Photonics Engineering Technologist
• Medical Laser Technician (Medical Laser Tech)
• Optics Test Technician (Optics Test Tech)
• Photonics Laboratory Technician (Photonics Lab Tech)
• Fiber Optics Cabling Specialist
• Fiber Optics Instructor

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
High school diploma or equivalent	36.5%
Postsecondary certificate	21.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.6%
Bachelor’s degree	7.0%
Some college courses	6.8%
Less than a high school diploma	4.9%
Master’s degree	1.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%

^{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 96.9% of Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	289	3.1%
Men	9,108	96.9%

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	2,499	26.6%
Asian	189	2.0%
Hispanic or Latino	4,698	50.0%
Black or African American	1,454	15.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	46	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	26	0.3%
Two or More Races	222	2.4%
Race Unknown	216	2.3%
International Students	47	0.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

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

Federal data tracks median earnings of Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,113
4 years	$40,833
5 years	$45,594

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $45,594 — roughly 26% above the 1-year mark.

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

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

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling graduates earn a median of $40,833 four years after completion — roughly 7% 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	CIP Code
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	15.05
Energy Management and Systems Technology/Technician	15.0503
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.0599
Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0507
Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician	15.0508
Solar Energy Technology/Technician	15.0505
Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician	15.0506
Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0001
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0101
Audio Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0307
Biomedical Technology/Technician	15.0401
Chemical Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0615

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.