Air Conditioning and Refrigeration - Environmental Controls

Cypress College Career EducationDepartmentsAir Conditioning & Refrigeration

Build Your Future in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

Air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and automation/environmental controls industries provide essential technology services for the control of environments ranging from the comfort of people to the storage of essential products to the process of manufacturing goods used in everyday life. Government labor statistics and industry leaders project sustained growth of jobs in this industry for many years to come due to expanding technologies and an aging work force. Job growth is so strong that a shortage exists for qualified, knowledgeable people.

The Cypress College Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Department has partnered with University of California, Irvine’s SMART Industrial Assessment Center on a Department of Energy grant. Our program will collaborate with UCI and CSUN to provide free energy assessments for buildings in low income areas under a five-year plan called Building Energy Assessment for Optimizing toward Net Zero (Beacon). There are two ways to get involved:

Students interested in joining the BEACON project team may apply at https://smartiac.calit2.uci.edu/?page_id=37
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) such as businesses and K-12 facilities may request a free assessment at https://smartiac.calit2.uci.edu/?page_id=31

Location

Tech Ed 3, Room 110

Frequently Asked Questions

Program options include certificate programs and an associate in science degree.

Depending on the program and the number of units taken each semester, completing a certificate program can take as little as one to two semesters and completing the associate of science degree program can take about two years.

The program cost is $46 per unit for California residents, not including books, fees, and supplies. Units vary by course, but the average is three units per course. Unit fees for the 12-unit certificate would be $552, ranging up to the 60-unit associate degree, which would be $2,760. Most students also qualify for some form of financial aid.

Students who earn an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Associate in Science or enter the field as an air conditioning and refrigeration professional can expect a median annual salary (two years after program) of $51,986, with starting pay at $23-25 per hour, not including benefits or overtime.

Carlos Urquidi

Doug Sallade

You will find this career to be both rewarding and challenging. I have been in this industry since I was a child, my dad was an HVAC contractor, therefore, I was in the AC/R industry.

Program Mapper: View course options for these programs.

There are no additional requirements to enroll in this program; however, some courses may have prerequisites that can be viewed in the Cypress College Catalog and the Schedule of Classes.