HVAC Associates Degree Tuckahoe NY

How to Select the Right HVAC Program near Tuckahoe New York

air conditioner condensers in Tuckahoe NY Now that you have decided on a career as a heating and cooling professional, the next action is to look for an HVAC vocational school near Tuckahoe NY. But with so many to choose from, how do you choose the best one to get the training that you require? Many future students will make their decision based solely on the cost of tuition or how close the school is to their home. While these are significant considerations, they are not the only ones to investigate. Just some of the other things that you need to research are the graduation completion rates of the HVAC schools, their reputations, and if they are accredited by professional trade organizations. These and additional benchmarks will be discussed in more detail later within this article. But before we examine how to pick an HVAC technical school, let’s look at what a heating and a/c contractor does to become a licensed professional tradesman.

Becoming an HVAC Tech

Tuckahoe NY HVAC Tech installing water heater HVAC is an acronym that is widely used in the business that stands for “Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”. HVAC techs specialize in the installation, maintenance and repair of central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, water heaters and heating systems. As professional tradesmen, they are typically required to be licensed, though each state and local municipality has its own requirements. Earning professional certification is not mandatory, but an alternative way for Tuckahoe NY HVAC specialists to establish that they are exceptionally qualified and accomplished in their area of expertise. There are multiple recognized certifications within the industry that are available. Below are some of the important ones.

North American Technician Excellence (NATE). NATE is a nationally acknowledged certification for HVAC technicians. The certification is earned by passing a competency examination and can be received in one or more specialties.
HVAC Excellence. This certification offers both a professional and a master specialist credential. 2 years of professional experience together with passing a comprehensive exam are required for the professional level certification. Master specialists need to have 3 years of experience as well as a passing result on the professional level examination. As with NATE, certifications are provided in various specialties.
EPA Section 608. This certification is required for technicians that handle refrigerants. There are 3 types of certification offered, one for small appliances, and the additional two for low and high pressure refrigerants.

Since licensing might be required in your location, and you may also intend to acquire certification, it’s important that you choose an HVAC technical school that will prepare you for both. And since you will most likely be handling refrigerants, make certain that the school you decide on readies you for passing the EPA Section 608 exams.

HVAC Certificate and Degree Courses

radiator heater in Tuckahoe NY home There are several alternatives available for HVAC training in a technical or vocational school. You can attain a certificate, an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. Acquiring a certificate will take the minimum period of time, often achieved in just 6 months, though some courses are longer. A certificate will qualify you for the majority of HVAC positions, especially if you are licensed and have certification relevant to the position. The degree training programs might provide a competitive edge for securing employment and will furnish more extensive training than the certificate programs. Below is a short explanation of each option offered near Tuckahoe NY.

Certificate. Normally requiring a high school diploma, certificate programs are very popular among beginning commercial or residential HVAC technicians. They provide a solid foundation of skills for job opportunities within the trade.
Associate Degree. The Associate Degree in HVAC program supplies a more extensive background of heating and a/c systems than the certificate program. Normally taking 2 years to complete, many degrees incorporate an internship or work-study program.
Bachelor’s Degree. The Bachelor’s Degree in HVAC is suited more for a career in management or even business ownership. Some programs require an Associate Degree, while others are a traditional four year program. In addition to being taught how to service and maintain heating and air conditioning systems, you will also learn how to design them.

Picking the right credential program will be based on what your future career aspirations are, as well as the time and money that you have to invest. One possibility is to begin with a certificate or even an Associate Degree program, and after getting some experience in the field in Tuckahoe NY, eventually returning to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. If this is your approach, be sure to ask the HVAC tech school you are looking at about how their returning student program works.

HVAC Online Training

Tuckahoe NY student attending HVAC school online Attending an HVAC school online is one option in getting your training and earning a degree or certificate. Nearly all schools will call for some attendance on campus to participate in hands on training. Many also offer internship or work-study programs in addition to or in place of practical lab work. But since the rest of the classes may be attended via the internet, this approach may be a more convenient solution for some Tuckahoe NY students that are short on time. And a number of online degree programs are less costly than other on campus alternatives. Even travelling expenses from Tuckahoe and study materials can be minimized, helping to make education more economical. And numerous online schools are fully accredited (more on this later). So if your work or family responsibilities have left you with limited time to attend classes, perhaps an online HVAC degree program will make it less complicated to fit school into your busy schedule.

What to Ask HVAC Schools

Questions to ask Tuckahoe NY HVAC training schools When you have selected the type of degree or certificate that you want to acquire, either on campus or online, you can start to narrow down your list of schools. As you are probably aware, there are many HVAC vocational schools in the Tuckahoe NY area and throughout the USA to choose from. That’s why it is essential to have a list of relevant qualifiers when making school evaluations. As previously mentioned in our opening paragraph, location and tuition will probably be the initial two factors you will look at. Following are several additional ones that you need to research before enrolling in your school of choice.

Accreditation. Numerous HVAC technical schools in the Tuckahoe NY area have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for example HVAC technology. Make certain that the program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you acquire a superior education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, a number of states require that the HVAC training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.

High Completion Rates. Ask the Heating and Air Conditioning schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A low completion rate could signify that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It could also suggest that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Tuckahoe NY HVAC employers to assist students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many HVAC trade programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of HVAC companies or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with local Tuckahoe NY HVAC specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional HVAC professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the HVAC specialist you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Tuckahoe NY HVAC contracting company if they can provide some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Tuckahoe NY home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Speak with some of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Tuckahoe NY, verify that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.

Considering an HVAC School near Tuckahoe NY?

Perhaps you are considering enrolling in an HVAC training program in the Tuckahoe New York area. If so, you may find the following background information about the location of your new school campus both interesting and informative.

Tuckahoe (village), New York

Tuckahoe is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. One-and-a-half miles long and three-fourths of a mile wide, with the Bronx River serving as its western boundary, the Village of Tuckahoe is approximately sixteen miles north of midtown Manhattan in Southern Westchester County.[2] As of the 2010 census, the village's population was 6,486.[3]

The name “Tuckahoe," meaning “it is globular," was a general term used by the Native Americans of the region when describing various bulbous roots which were used as food. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, Tuckahoe was a rural, minor community which was part of the larger town of East Chester. It wasn't until the early nineteenth century that Tuckahoe first became a semi-prominent part of the New York Metropolitan Area upon the discovery of vast, high-quality, white marble deposits near the Bronx River by Scottish businessman Alexander Masterson.[4] Through the use of his financial wealth and influence, Masterson jump-started Tuckahoe's marble industry, its first quarry in 1812. The extremely high quality of "Tuckahoe Marble" was in great demand, quickly transforming the once quiet village into the "marble capital of the world".[5] In the 1840s, to serve quarry owners who transported marble to the city, the New York and Harlem Railroad opened two train depots in Tuckahoe. The booming industry drew succeeding waves of German, Irish and Italian immigrant workers, and, after the Civil War, African-Americans who migrated from the South.[6] The Tuckahoe quarries produced heavily for almost a century before supplies dwindled and the industry shut down.[7] The village's Church of the Immaculate Conception was constructed for the predominantly Catholic population using Tuckahoe Marble.[8]

In the 1920s Burroughs Wellcome (now part of GlaxoSmithKline) established research and manufacturing facilities on Scarsdale Road on land acquired from the Hodgman Rubber Company,[9]:18[10][11] and for many years was a leading industry in Tuckahoe[9] until the company moved to Research Triangle Park in North Carolina in 1971.[12] The Nobel Prize winning scientists Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings worked there and invented drugs still used many years later, such as the cancer and autoimmune disease suppressant mercaptopurine.[13]

Picking the right HVAC training course is a crucial beginning toward a fulfilling career in the heating and air conditioning industry. You originally came to this website because you wanted more information regarding HVAC Associates Degree. However, as we have discussed in this post, you need to choose an HVAC training program and a degree or certificate program that are both accredited and have outstanding reputations within the HVAC field. Other factors to look for are lots of practical training and modern facilities. You need to check out each of the schools in person that you are most interested in to explore the campus and speak with both the faculty and current students. Attempt to get a feel for the quality of the teaching and the interaction between them. Also, inquire about scheduling choices and if evening or weekend classes are offered if needed. And don’t forget to inquire about financial assistance and student loan options also. If you ask the right questions as we have outlined in our guidelines for evaluating schools, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices so that you can make an educated decision. With the appropriate training, hard work and dedication, you can ultimately become a licensed HVAC contractor in Tuckahoe NY.