Plumbing, Heating, and Pipefitting - Certificate

The Instructional Program

The one-year certificate in Plumbing, Heating, and Pipefitting consists of one semester of plumbing and one semester of heating.  The certificate is primarily for those individuals who, after completion of their first year in an Associate of Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) degree program, decide they can only spend one year in college.  Generally, the courses taken for the certificate will transfer with no loss of credit for a student who continues on to take one of the A.O.S. degree programs listed below.

To obtain this certificate, students must apply to and be accepted into one of three A.O.S. degree programs by advisement from the Admissions Office at SUNY Delhi:

• Plumbing and Electrical Construction
• Plumbing and Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning
• Plumbing and Controls

Career Options

Job opportunities available to students who earn the certificate in Plumbing, Heating, and Pipefitting are:

• Plumber Helper
• Plumber Apprentice
• Heating Apprentice

There are career opportunities with plumbing unions, plumbing and heating contractors, and oil and gas distributors. Students who continue on for the associate degree increase their options for employment in the field of plumbing, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning if the Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning Certificate is chosen for the second academic year.  Employment options are similarly increased in the related fields if the Electrical Construction program or the Controls program is chosen as the second year program.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must meet admissions requirements for and be enrolled in one of the following A.O.S. degree programs by advisement from the Admissions Office at SUNY Delhi:

• Plumbing and Electrical Construction
• Plumbing and Refrigeration/Air-Conditioning
• Plumbing and Controls

CURRICULUM

Technical Standards:  In addition to academic requirements, all applicants must also be able to meet the minimum Technical Standards for the program, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Academic Requirements:

Minimum Total Credit Hours = 31

Major Courses Required - 25 credit hours

General Education/Liberal Arts Courses Required - 6 credit hours

Restricted Elective by Advisement - 3 credit hours

*Note: Mathematics is by placement according to competency.  MATH 102 Mathematics for Applied Technology is the minimum exit-level requirement for this program.

A student who earns the Plumbing, Heating, and Pipefitting Certificate should be able to:

1. Understand and apply the International Plumbing Code and New York State Code.
2. Demonstrate basic knowledge of plumbing materials, tools, and equipment.
3. Display the ability to measure, cut, and join steel pipe, copper tubing, plastic and cast-iron soil pipe; demonstrate knowledge of fittings as well as basic fabrication of sheet-metal principles and layout techniques.
4. Exhibit basic drafting techniques as they relate to the plumbing, heating, and pipefitting field through the completion of various drawings, such as: piping isometrics, plumbing floor plans, and riser diagrams.
5. Install residential hydronic and steam heating systems, and indirect and direct domestic water heaters.
6. Design and install warm-air heating systems and the various types of hot-water heating systems for residential and light commercial buildings.
7. Design and install potable water, sanitary waste, and vent systems in residential and light commercial buildings.
8. Correctly and safely wire oil and gas boilers and warm-air heating systems.
9. Display an understanding of building energy requirements, and demonstrate the ability to perform residential heat-loss calculations.