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Studies & Degrees in Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology

Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning technology, usually shortened to HVAC or HVAC-R, is the trade and technical field that deals with the systems that heat, cool and ventilate buildings and keep food, medicines and industrial processes cold. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the technicians as workers who install and repair heating, ventilation, cooling and refrigeration systems in homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings.

Training is practical. Students learn how the refrigeration cycle works, then electricity and controls, heat pumps, gas heating, air distribution and ductwork, and how to diagnose faults. At Northeast Community College in Nebraska, for example, students spend 1,000 hours in the lab and work on electricity, refrigeration, sheet metal, air conditioning and heat pumps. Safe handling of refrigerants is part of every programme, because technicians must follow rules on their conservation, recovery and recycling.

Qualifications and levels

This is a vocational subject. Most qualifications sit below bachelor's level and are measured in months or in one or two years.

  • United States: certificates and associate degrees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, programmes at technical schools and community colleges generally last from six months to two years and lead to a certificate or an associate degree. North Idaho College teaches a nine-month certificate for entry-level positions. Northeast Community College awards an Associate of Applied Science degree after two years (78 credits) that includes a summer internship.
  • United States: apprenticeships and certification. Some technicians train through an apprenticeship, which usually lasts several years and combines paid work with technical instruction. Technicians who handle refrigerants must pass a test approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to earn Section 608 Technician Certification, which does not expire. Many colleges include the test: Northeast states that its students receive the Refrigerant 608 certification.
  • Spain: vocational training (FP). The official qualification is the Técnico en Instalaciones Frigoríficas y de Climatización, an intermediate-level cycle (grado medio) of 2,000 hours in the Instalación y Mantenimiento professional family. It covers commercial refrigeration, industrial refrigeration plants, and air conditioning, ventilation and extraction systems, and it includes a training period in a company. Applicants need the Spanish compulsory secondary education certificate or a higher qualification, or must pass an entrance test. At higher level (grado superior) the same family has the Técnico Superior en Mantenimiento de Instalaciones Térmicas y de Fluidos and the Técnico Superior en Desarrollo de Proyectos de Instalaciones Térmicas y de Fluidos.
  • Engineering degrees. Designing the systems of large buildings is an engineering task. Hochschule Luzern in Switzerland, for example, teaches a bachelor's degree in Building Technology | Energy on energy-efficient buildings.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 34 active schools for this subject. Thirty are in the United States, two in Spain, and one each in Switzerland and Russia. The United States schools are mostly public community and technical colleges, among them Northeast Community College in Norfolk (Nebraska), North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene, Century College in White Bear Lake (Minnesota), Lansing Community College (Michigan), Greenville Technical College (South Carolina) and Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. In Spain the list has two private training centres in Madrid, CCC Centro de Estudios and Campus Training. Campus Training offers a course for air conditioning installers. Courses of this kind are the centre's own training and are not the same as the official FP title, so ask which qualification you receive at the end.

Teaching is in the language of the country: English in the United States and Spanish in Spain. Qualifications and licences are national or regional. A US certificate, an EPA certification or a Spanish FP title does not automatically allow you to work in another country, so choose the country of study with the place of work in mind.

Careers

Graduates work as installers and maintenance technicians for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration, for installation companies, building owners, supermarkets, cold stores and industry. The Spanish ministry's FP portal lists refrigeration installer and maintainer in commercial installations and in industrial processes, and installer or repairer of air conditioning and ventilation equipment, in the commercial refrigeration, industrial refrigeration and air conditioning subsectors.

In the United States, employment of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The same source notes that new technicians normally go through a long period of on-the-job training and may need a licence or certification.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to train as an HVAC technician?

In the United States, college programmes generally last from six months to two years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Spain the official grado medio has 2,000 hours.

Do I need a university degree?

No. The usual routes are a certificate, an associate degree or an apprenticeship in the United States and an FP cycle in Spain. A degree in engineering is for those who want to design building systems.

What is the EPA Section 608 certification?

It is the certification that technicians in the United States need to maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment containing refrigerants. It is earned by passing an EPA-approved test and does not expire.

What do I need to enter the Spanish FP cycle in refrigeration and air conditioning?

The compulsory secondary education certificate (ESO) or a higher qualification, a basic FP title, or a pass in the entrance test for intermediate cycles, for which candidates must be at least 17.