2025 Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular associate degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 264 associate degrees in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration School for Your Associate Degree

The hvacr associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality hvacr program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration in the Southwest Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration.

Top Southwest Region Schools for an Associate in HVACR

1

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
Okmulgee, OK

36 Annual Graduates

$58,336 Median Starting Salary

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is a good option for students interested in an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. OSU Institute of Technology is a small public university located in the town of Okmulgee.

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration associate degree recipients from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology receive an earnings boost of about $17,757 above the average earnings of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration majors.

More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

2

Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX

35 Annual Graduates

Lone Star College System is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Located in the midsize city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Lone Star College System

3

Del Mar College
Corpus Christi, TX

11 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration needs to take a look at Del Mar College. Located in the large city of Corpus Christi, DMC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Del Mar College

4

El Centro College
Dallas, TX

28 Annual Graduates

El Centro College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from El Centro College

5

South Texas College
McAllen, TX

22 Annual Graduates

$22,822 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, hvacr associate recipients generally earn around $22,822 in their early careers.

More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from South Texas College

6

Central New Mexico Community College
Albuquerque, NM

14 Annual Graduates

CNM is a large public college located in the city of Albuquerque.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Central New Mexico Community College

7

Tyler Junior College
Tyler, TX

11 Annual Graduates

Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Tyler.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Tyler Junior College

Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Colleges by State

Explore the best heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Texas	200	172
Arizona	169	5
New Mexico	140	16
Oklahoma	136	38

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Rankings in Majors Related to HVACR

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration is one of 7 different types of Mechanic & Repair Technologies programs to choose from.

HVACR Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician	264

Majors Similar to HVACR

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair	4,318
Precision Systems Maintenance	839
Electronics Maintenance & Repair	85
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance	75
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other)	13
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies.	4

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.