Air Conditioning and HVAC
Program Description
AAS in Air Conditioning STEM Emphasis degree is no longer available to new students. Students considering a transfer pathway can choose the traditional AAS degree and complete an AGEC-A certificate to prepare to enter a university.
The Air Conditioning and HVAC program provides the student with the essential skills required to enter this fast-growing field which includes both heating and cooling. The student attains the technical knowledge associated with each type of refrigeration system, their uses, and their controlling devices. This program includes troubleshooting, maintenance, motors, as well as study of related electrical controlling devices and safety related to the use of refrigerants.
Graduates of the air conditioning and HVAC programs and certificates will gain knowledge of and experience in a wide range of electrical skills and gain industry-specific experience with:
- refrigerants
- HVAC electrical controls
- the installation and servicing of air supply systems
- the operation of a natural gas furnace
- heat pump system.
- estimating heating/cooling loads.
- light commercial refrigeration systems.
- electricity, control circuits, and programmable logic controllers (PLC) architecture and programming.
- the selection, installation, operation, and maintenance of generators, including how to isolate and repair minor generator problems.
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Schedule NowDegree(s) / Certificates(s)
Career Outlook
Successful completion of one or more of the programs and or certificates may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations and annual median wages*.
| Heating, Air Conditioning, or Refrigeration Mechanic / Installers A heating, air conditioning, or refrigeration mechanic/installer works with various climate control and ventilation systems in residential, commercial, or industrial settings. Frequently this job is known as an HVAC (for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) technician. |
$35,712 |
| Warehouse Associate A warehouse associate performs a variety of jobs in a company’s warehouse that require manual labor. Some tasks can include handling and boxing products, labeling them correctly, and doing basic packing work. They may also do picking, or finding a good or goods that correspond with a customer’s order and preparing it for shipping |
$26,822 |
| Air Conditioning (AC) Technician An air conditioning (AC) technician is a person typically employed by a company that specializes in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) processes. This technician works to install, maintain, and repair air conditioning equipment in commercial and residential buildings. This can involve machine work on air conditioning units themselves, as well as structural work to place ducts and vents. |
$35,116 |
Classroom/Lab Tour
Contact Information
Department Contact(s)
Faculty/Staff Contact(s)
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Altman | Professor of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning | (928) 344-7749 | lee.altman@azwestern.edu |
| Teresa Livingston | Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director & Dean CTE Programs | (928) 344-7752 | Teresa.Livingston@azwestern.edu |