Accredited Online HVACR Technology Classes & Degrees
The construction industry drives the jobs for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration professionals. The berth of know-how required for the job has created a wide range of certificate and degree programs, most developed through construction technology departments at the community college level. This technical field offers profitable careers with long-range opportunities. Job vacancies in HVAC have been noted around the country and the shortage drives salaries skyward. It’s a good time for a HVAC degree.
Degrees
Candidates for an HVAC program have numerous strategies from which to choose. Certificate programs divide the field into heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration and package them into intensive one-year programs. Associates degrees do the same in some cases, or roll them all together.
State licensure requirements differ, but may predicate a particular degree level to satisfy requirements for apprentices and journeymen.
Certificate
One year short courses in heating or air conditioning or refrigeration technologies boil-down imperative technical information for easy digestion by industry professionals, construction technology students and self-starters. Programs often emphasize residential systems and some are designed as apprenticeships—students learn by working side by side with highly qualified professionals. Typical coursework includes system design, electrical and gas components, computerization, and local construction codes.
Associates Degree
Two-year degrees in HVAC are a popular choice for students that seek a solid leg up in the industry. Like the certificates, students may opt to specialize in one of the Associates in Refrigeration, Residential Air Conditioning, or Residential Heating. Otherwise there is the Associates in Applied Science in Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. Outside the degree requirements that include interdisciplinary coursework, students are introduced to general construction curriculum in preparation for the core curriculum: local construction codes, heating systems, air conditioning systems, refrigeration principles and design, properties of electricity and gas powered systems, and job safety.
Bachelors Degree
Specialists in large-scale HVAC systems at the corporate and industrial level must collate an immense array of know-how. Advanced technologies and engineering continue to challenge self-taught technicians and makes many inexperienced in the realm of cutting-edge HVAC. Students that take up a four-year program to earn a Bachelor of Science in HVAC do so to compete at the top in a sophisticated and technical construction industry.
Traditional undergraduate curriculum requires students to take a cross-section of interdisciplinary courses such as math, science, English, and social science. Target coursework includes: system design, computer monitoring, testing and adjusting, materials management, and industrial design. College industrial labs are fitted with state-of-the-art HVAC equipment and systems on which students learn. Practical experience-- almost a necessity for technical students—is available during internships. Many schools even support paid internships.
Graduates from a four-year degree program are prepared for immediate work in all types of construction fields and contracting companies. In fact graduates are often qualified for management and supervisory jobs.
Career Outlook
Jobs in the field of HVACR are somewhat dependent on the construction business, but the trend in trades has turned upward to satisfy job demands. Graduates from a degree program might choose to pursue jobs in industry where critical systems must be monitored and maintained on a 24/7 basis. But outside the box opportunities exist throughout a wide range of construction-related businesses.
