Kansas·Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations·SOC 49-9021

Best Heating programs in Kansas, ranked by enrollment

Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, HVAC, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating.

13 schools in Kansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 514 people a year. The job pays a median of $60,460 in Kansas across about 3,770 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledRefrigeration MechanicService Technician (Service Tech)Refrigeration Technician (Refrigeration Tech)HVAC Mechanic (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Mechanic)MechanicInstallerDuct CleanerGas Adjuster
Graduates / yr
514
in Kansas
Median pay · Kansas
$60,460
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
3,770
people employed
Schools
13
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
50%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,276
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Kansas that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in Kansas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Kansas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Kansas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 47.0201In Kansas
383
74.5%
12$35,970$10,649
2
CIP 15.0501In Kansas
131
25.5%
1$36,407$10,250

Top 13 schools in Kansas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 13 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Wichita Technical Institute
Wichita, KS Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
131Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician$37,89555%$20,276
2Kansas City Kansas Community College
Kansas City, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
81Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician$43,01042%
3Neosho County Community College
Chanute, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
61Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician34%
4Wichita State University - Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
Wichita, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
58Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician43%
5Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
46Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician31%
6Fort Hays Tech North Central
Beloit, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
35Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician78%
7Manhattan Area Technical College
Manhattan, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
29Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician$39,13174%
8Dodge City Community College
Dodge City, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
19Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician35%
9Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
16Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician35%
10Seward County Community College
Liberal, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
15Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician50%
11Washburn Institute of Technology
Topeka, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
12Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician68%
12Salina Area Technical College
Salina, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
6Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician68%
13Highland Community College
Highland, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
5Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician39%

All 13 schools in Kansas

Every school in Kansas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Kansas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Wichita Technical InstituteWichitaPrivate for-profit1311
Kansas City Kansas Community CollegeKansas CityPublic811
Neosho County Community CollegeChanutePublic611
Wichita State University - Campus of Applied Sciences and TechnologyWichitaPublic581
Johnson County Community CollegeOverland ParkPublic461
Fort Hays Tech North CentralBeloitPublic351
Manhattan Area Technical CollegeManhattanPublic291
Dodge City Community CollegeDodge CityPublic191
Fort Scott Community CollegeFort ScottPublic161
Seward County Community CollegeLiberalPublic151
Washburn Institute of TechnologyTopekaPublic121
Salina Area Technical CollegeSalinaPublic61
Highland Community CollegeHighlandPublic51

What heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn in Kansas

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Kansas
$60,460
Mean annual
$61,470
Jobs in state
3,770
What the range looks like
10th pct$43,660Median$60,46090th pct$83,500
Versus the national median
-0.9%

U.S. median $61,010. Kansas pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.99×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Kansas

Topeka, KS
$64,480median
220 jobs
Wichita, KS
$59,520median
880 jobs
Lawrence, KS
$59,390median
130 jobs
Manhattan, KS
$58,000median
150 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+8.1%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
40,100
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
34,500
425,200 → 459,700
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Plus long-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers page.

How to become a Heating

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningActive LearningMonitoringSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Kansas

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 2 majors mapped to Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0501Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 47.0201Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers programs in Kansas.

What degree do you need to become a Heating?+

Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician, which awarded 383 degrees in Kansas in 2024-25, 74.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Heating?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Heating, Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 514 people a year in Kansas.

How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn in Kansas?+

The median is $60,460 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.9% below the U.S. median of $61,010. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers growing?+

BLS projects a +8.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 40,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Kansas?+

13 institutions in Kansas reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Refrigeration Mechanic, Service Technician (Service Tech), Refrigeration Technician (Refrigeration Tech), HVAC Mechanic (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Mechanic) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-9021.

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in other statesCaliforniaTexasFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisNorth CarolinaPennsylvaniaMichigan

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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