Quality Work that Matters: Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Tech

Most career paths can’t ensure you’ll stay relevant or that your role won’t be replaced by new trends, new technologies, or people with new skills.

That makes careers in skilled trades exceptional. Our makers, fixers, and problem solvers have never been in higher demand, and the men and women in these fields have never been more valued.

Careers in HVAC/R (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration), along with other professional trades like plumbing and welding are booming. These professionals do more than fix your furnace or air conditioner, they troubleshoot, problem solve, and provide critical service to people in their homes and businesses. They keep learning in the field and on-the-job, so that they stay just as essential over time. They are smart and they keep things running.

HVAC techs are unique in the variety of skills that they can practice, depending on where they want to work and what they want their focus to be.

HVAC is a Field with Options

How you work and what you do is within your control. Wherever you want to live, there are HVAC jobs. In fact, the profession grows in demand and earnings yearly. And, if you want a change, there will be opportunities wherever you decide to call home.

As a trained HVAC professional, you can choose how to focus your efforts, and there is a wide range of possibilities:

Good HVAC Professionals are Sharp

The HVAC pros who rise to the top are those who can think on their feet to assess a situation, form a plan to address it, and get the job done. They are independently-minded, but they understand how to connect the dots and bring in others to work together on large scale problems. They don’t quit when things are hard, because they know that hard work is the backbone of anything that really matters. They are lifelong learners, dedicated to staying on top of the industry and excited by the ways it’s constantly evolving.

Why Kirtland?

Like you, Kirtland is remaking itself so that it rises to the top. Our HVAC/R program is in the process of a total overhaul to ensure that our students have the best experience possible. That transformation is underway now, and over the next couple of years, our HVAC/R labs and equipment at the Gaylord Campus will be completely renovated and upgraded. There’s never been a better time for the new you to meet the new us.

Our program challenges students to get to work applying concepts that they’ve learned in real-world settings and in our lab. Faculty create a learning environment that is as dynamic and hands-on as the field itself. Students work both together and on their own in order to master the trade.

Meet Us

Lead Faculty, Eric Fradette, is an HVAC Journeyman who brings over 25 years of direct experience working in the profession. He holds three degrees and a number of industry credentials, and he has dedicated his life to both working in the field and teaching others. Eric joined Kirtland in 2021 after an extensive career teaching HVAC at Ferris State University.

Degrees with Flexibility

Night and Online Courses for Every Learner

Build your path with us. Kirtland’s HVAC/R degree offerings allow enough flexibility for anyone to complete. 

Stackable options allow you to pursue your goals as far as you want

Our one-year HVAC/R certificate program can lead you directly into our two-year associate degree or allow you to take a break to get some direct practice in the field. If you decide to continue on to our two-year HVAC/R Associate Degree, your Kirtland courses will get you halfway to that goal.

If you fall in love with the field, our associate degree aligns with four-year degrees to allow you to keep pursuing your passion at a university. Kirtland HVAC graduates can easily transfer two years of courses directly into Ferris State University’s HVAC Engineering Technology Bachelor Degree–one of only two programs of its type in the United States.