Air conditioning engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an air conditioning engineer. Air conditioning engineers usually study mechanical engineering, heating and air conditioning, or engineering. 61% of air conditioning engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 87 real air conditioning engineer resumes to see exactly what air conditioning engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for air conditioning engineers are the University of the West and the University of the West.

There are also many online air conditioning engineer courses to help get the education required to be an air conditioning engineer.

What education do you need to become an air conditioning engineer?

What degree do you need to be an air conditioning engineer?

The most common degree for air conditioning engineers is bachelor's degree, with 61% of air conditioning engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 18%

Master's, 10%

High School Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an air conditioning engineer?

You should major in mechanical engineering to become an air conditioning engineer. 32% of air conditioning engineers major in mechanical engineering. Other common majors for an air conditioning engineer include heating and air conditioning and engineering.

Mechanical Engineering, 32%

Heating And Air Conditioning, 11%

Engineering, 9%

Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, 9%

Other Majors, 39%

Most common colleges for air conditioning engineers

Air conditioning engineers often get their degrees at University of the West, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Pennsylvania State University. Here are the most common colleges for air conditioning engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Air conditioning engineer common college	Percentages
University of the West	8.70%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	8.70%
Pennsylvania State University	8.70%
Cairn University	4.35%
University of Florida	4.35%

Show more common air conditioning engineer colleges

Best majors for air conditioning engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mechanical Engineering	32.1%
2	Heating And Air Conditioning	10.7%
3	Engineering	8.9%
4	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	8.9%
5	Drafting And Design	5.4%

Show more common air conditioning engineer majors

Best colleges for air conditioning engineers

The best colleges for air conditioning engineers are Northwestern University, Duke University, and California Institute of Technology.

An air conditioning engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for air conditioning engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become air conditioning engineers.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, IA • Private

In-state tuition

$8,988

Enrollment

29,248

3. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,880

Enrollment

6,590

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

20 best online courses for air conditioning engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for air conditioning engineers

The most affordable schools for air conditioning engineers are Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, brigham young university, and inter american university of puerto rico san german.

If the best universities for air conditioning engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for air conditioning engineers.

1. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German

San German, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

14,322

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo

Arecibo, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,872

Cost of attendance

13,476

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Cost of attendance

28,501

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for air conditioning engineers

The hardest universities for air conditioning engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and California Institute of Technology.

Some great schools for air conditioning engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for air conditioning engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

3. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for air conditioning engineers

The easiest schools for air conditioning engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, saint martin's university, and cleveland state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an air conditioning engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for air conditioning engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

3. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

4. University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,113

5. Montana Technological University

Butte, MT • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,199

6. University of Southern Maine

Portland, ME • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,050

7. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

8. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

9. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

10. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

Average air conditioning engineer salary by education level

According to our data, air conditioning engineers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $113,451 annually. Air conditioning engineers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $104,000.

Air conditioning engineer education level	Air conditioning engineer salary
Master's Degree	$104,000
Bachelor's Degree	$90,959
Doctorate Degree	$113,451

Air conditioning engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Air Conditioning Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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