Degree to Occupation Map
Occupations related to a HVAC technology degree
NCES and BLS publish a crosswalk relating instructional programs to occupations. This page lists every occupation that crosswalk relates to HVAC technology, with the BLS typical entry education, 2025 median wage and projected growth for each, and links to the RoleSprint page covering the role where one exists.
What occupations does the official crosswalk relate to a HVAC technology degree?
The CIP 2020-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk published by NCES and BLS relates 5 CIP 2020 programs in HVAC technology to 6 occupations. That maps a field of study to lines of work; it is not a statement that a HVAC technology degree qualifies someone for any of them, and the crosswalk carries no figure for how many graduates enter each. Across the 6 with a published 2025 BLS wage the median is $59,970, ranging from $49,450 for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers to $78,350 for Non-Destructive Testing Specialists. BLS typical entry-level education splits 2 at high school diploma or equivalent, 1 at postsecondary nondegree award, 3 at associate's degree: 6 at or below a bachelor's degree and 0 above it. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers is projected to grow fastest at +10.9% over 2025-35. The highest-paid are Non-Destructive Testing Specialists ($78,350), Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers ($61,010) and Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators ($60,020).
- Related occupations
- 6, from 5 CIP 2020 programs in HVAC technology
- What the mapping means
- NCES states only that it "crosswalks 2020 CIP Codes to 2018 SOC Codes". It relates a program to an occupation. It does not establish qualification, hiring, or how many graduates take that path.
- BLS typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent: 2; Postsecondary nondegree award: 1; Associate's degree: 3
- Median wage across these occupations
- $59,970 (2025); 6 of 6 have a published BLS wage
- Next step
- 2 of the 6 occupations have a dedicated RoleSprint page covering what the role requires and how the work is performed.
Source and method
2020 CIP / 2018 SOC Crosswalk, National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics, and BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Verified 2026-09-06. Program-to-occupation relationships are reproduced from the NCES/BLS crosswalk exactly as published; RoleSprint groups CIP programs into the field of study a person would search for and lists the union of their related occupations, showing every member CIP code. Wage, typical entry education and outlook are reproduced from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 for the matching SOC code. Working-condition figures are O*NET 30.3 means. No relationship strength, employment share or qualification judgement is published, because no source supplies one.
What this list is, and what it is not
The crosswalk's own description of itself is one sentence: “This file crosswalks 2020 CIP Codes to 2018 SOC Codes in ascending order by CIP Code.” It relates a field of study to lines of work.
It does not say a HVAC technology degree qualifies anyone for these occupations, that graduates usually enter them, or what share do: the crosswalk publishes no such figure. The wage and education columns come from a separate source, BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, and describe the occupation rather than the degree. Typical entry education is what BLS observes most often among people already doing the work; it is not a rule about who may be hired.
The 6 related occupations
Ordered by BLS median wage, highest first. 6 of 6 have a published wage.
| Occupation | BLS typical entry-level education | Median wage | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
Non-Destructive Testing Specialists SOC 17-3029 Contact with others 4.0 · Time pressure 4.3 · Sitting 2.7 · Outdoors, all weather 3.9 of 5 | Associate's degree At or below bachelor's | $78,350 2025 median | +2.8% 2025-35 · 5.4 openings/yr |
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers SOC 49-9021 Contact with others 4.6 · Time pressure 3.8 · Sitting 2.0 · Outdoors, all weather 4.0 of 5 | Postsecondary nondegree award At or below bachelor's | $61,010 2025 median | +10.9% 2025-35 · 40.6 openings/yr |
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators SOC 51-8031 Contact with others 4.0 · Time pressure 4.0 · Sitting 2.5 · Outdoors, all weather 4.7 of 5 | High school diploma or equivalent At or below bachelor's | $60,020 2025 median | -5.7% 2025-35 · 10 openings/yr |
Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians SOC 17-3025 Contact with others 4.4 · Time pressure 3.5 · Sitting 3.3 · Outdoors, all weather 3.7 of 5 | Associate's degree At or below bachelor's | $59,920 2025 median | +3.1% 2025-35 · 1.1 openings/yr |
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health SOC 19-4042 Contact with others 3.9 · Time pressure 4.3 · Sitting 3.2 · Outdoors, all weather 3.6 of 5 | Associate's degree At or below bachelor's | $55,090 2025 median | +6.9% 2025-35 · 5.3 openings/yr |
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers SOC 47-4041 Contact with others 4.0 · Time pressure 3.9 · Sitting 2.3 · Outdoors, all weather 3.6 of 5 | High school diploma or equivalent At or below bachelor's | $49,450 2025 median | +1.5% 2025-35 · 4.3 openings/yr |
BLS typical entry-level education for these occupations
6 of the 6 have a BLS typical entry-level education at or below a bachelor's degree; 0 are above it. "Typical" is BLS's word: it describes the workers already in the occupation.
- High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- 1
- Associate's degree
- 3
This is BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2's description of the education most workers in each occupation typically hold when they enter it. It is not a list of requirements, and it says nothing about licences, certifications or experience, which BLS records separately and this page does not show.
Which programs this covers
“HVAC technology” groups 5 CIP 2020 instructional programs. The occupation list above is the union of everything the crosswalk relates to them.
- 15.0501 Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician
- 15.0506 Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician
- 15.0507 Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician
- 15.0508 Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician
- 15.0599 Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other
Grouping is RoleSprint's, and it is printed here so it can be checked. CIP's own grain is finer than the phrase anyone searches; the alternative is one page per code, which would put near-identical lists in front of the same question. How this map is built.
Working out which of these is realistic
A related occupation is a starting point, not a verdict. Three different questions decide whether one is worth pursuing, and each has its own page.
Program-to-occupation relationships from the 2020 CIP / 2018 SOC Crosswalk, National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage, typical entry education and outlook from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Working-condition figures from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA and RoleSprint has modified some of this information.
What to do next
A crosswalk relates a field of study to lines of work. Whether one specific opening is worth your time depends on what you can actually show, which is a different question and the one RoleSprint answers.