What do most Engineering firms think of specialized (HVAC) Engineering degrees?

Question

I am interested in a Bachelors degree that specializes in my field of interest which is HVAC, and would give me more knowledge on that subject than a big ten school. The downfall is that because it is so specialized you cant get a PE license with it. Are employers looking for General PE's w/stamp or Specialized Engineers w/out?

Answer 1

If the degree is ABET Engineering accedited, you will be on track to get your PE license.  I work with a lot of Mech Engineers who do nothing but HVAC, and they are all licensed or EIT.  

What School?

A friend of mine got a BS ME and went to work for Trane.  He moved to sales and they sent him to a 6 month training  in WI.  He said it was about equivilant to a Masters in HVAC!  

You might want to get the general Mech Eng degree, intern or co-op or work part time with an MEP (Mech, Elect, Plumbing) consulting firm and then specialize in HVAC when you graduate.  You can always work in HVAC with a BS ME, but if you change you mind about your career path, the very specialized degree may work against you.

Does that school offer a Masters focused in HVAC?

Good luck.

Answer 2

Unless you are designing an HVAC system you probably wont need your license.

HVAC would fit in with Mechanical Engineering. I'm not too sure what schools support this focus, but I bet a school where tourism is strong and the temperature is very hot or cold would definitely have more weighted classes in HVAC.

If you just want to work on HVAC systems like installing and maintaining them, I'm sure you don't need a license, more then likely the company license will cover your liability. A degree in Mechanical Engineering will definitely make you more valuable then just a HVAC certification and you should pursue a degree in this field.

If you want to design HVAC systems you will need to go to school, gain work experience and depending on your degree, you will have to wait before being able to take the PE exam. 5 yrs for B.S., 2-3 yrs for M.S. and  0-1 yrs for PhD. You are much more valuable to an employer if you are a PE but if they are just looking for someone to do HVAC work you probably won't need it.