Career Path: Graduates enter the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) field in entry level positions. With more experience, workers can advance to jobs such as estimator, sales engineer, electrical appliance service technician, building maintenance person, boiler repair person, mechanic, installer, and HVACR service technician. In larger companies, workers often receive ongoing training supplied by their employers, which helps them advance to higher level positions.

Nature of the Work: Much of the work in HVACR is technical and mechanical. Positions include repair of consumer appliances, repair and maintenance of industrial equipment used to heat, ventilate, and air condition buildings, managing energy utilization, and maintenance of aircraft cooling systems. Many positions require hands-on mechanical repairs. Other positions, such as working in controls or energy management, require working with computerized systems. The work may also require knowledge of plumbing, electrical, and construction work. Some workers trained in HVACR are also hired into sales and estimating positions.

Work Environment: Work environments are varied. HVACR consumer repair technicians do repairs in homes, working from a truck or van that contains the required tools. Building maintenance workers commonly work outside on roofs, in basements, and in other building equipment rooms where heating and cooling equipment (such as chillers and boilers) is maintained. Aircraft technicians work at airports. Some positions are located in retail showrooms or at a computer in an office environment.

Specific Jobs Available to Graduates: Graduates with an A.S. degree enter the HVACR industry in entry level jobs in sales, refrigeration service, air conditioning service, counter sales, energy management, control programming, and controls technician.

Graduates of a certificate program can expect to find entry-level work as a maintenance engineer or filter changer. The higher the certification or degree, the higher the starting salary.

Industries Employing Graduates of this Program: Graduates of HVACR programs can find work in a wide variety of industries, including state, local, and federal governments, schools, airports, hospitals, airlines, retail sales, and corporations.

El Camino College works directly with many companies, through an HVACR advisory board and the Women in Industry and Technology (WIT) advisory board. The HVACR board advises El Camino on industry requirements. Involved companies include C & L, ACCO, Northrup Grumman, Carrier, Trane, Honeywell, Source Refrigeration, ABM Engineering, and Emcor, among others.

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Career FAQs

Course Description: The Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (HVACR) program provides both an A.S. degree and multiple certificate programs in specific niche areas.

Upon completion of the degree or certificate requirements, graduates gain proficiency in service, troubleshooting, and installation of residential, commercial, and industrial heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems.

Courses include:

Prerequisites: There are no specific prerequisites for this program, although basic computer skills are recommended.

Hours Offered: Courses are offered during both daytime and evening hours. Class schedules vary by semester.

Length of Program: The A.S. Degree program in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration takes 2 to 2-1/2 years to complete. The program requires 38 units in HVACR courses, plus general education requirements to total 60 units. Some students spread their coursework over a longer period if family or work obligations prevent them from attending school full-time.

There are several certificate programs of varying lengths in HVACR. The full Certificate of Achievement requires 38 units and can be completed in 1-1/2 years. Other certificates directed toward specific specialty areas such as Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Electric Controls require from 13 to 17 units, and can be completed in two semesters.

Academic FAQs

A little preparation will help make your days in the classroom go more smoothly. Visit the CalWomenTech Learning Library to find software and other tools to advance your math, spatial reasoning skills and much more. Learn about El Camino College's Tutoring Resources to find out how tutoring can help.