Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology

Plumbing, pipefitting and fire sprinkler fitting, taught in Florida as clock-hour certificates at technical and state colleges and as the classroom half of registered apprenticeships. ⚠⚠ About 189 credentials a year at 22 public institutions: most Florida plumbers learn through apprenticeships and on-the-job hours, which these counts do not include.

The degrees this program covers

⚠⚠ Plumbing Technology (46.0503) produces 144 credentials a year at 21 institutions, all certificates: Orange Technical West 25, Fort Myers Technical 19, Sheridan Technical 13, Hillsborough 12, Daytona State 12, Pinellas Technical 12. Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting (46.0502) adds 45 at five: Lively Technical 17, Seminole State 17, Hillsborough 7. ⚠⚠⚠ The clock-hour programme is four occupational completion points named after jobs, 960 hours in all: Helper, Plumber, Pipefitter (A, 360 hours), Residential Plumber (B, 240), Commercial Plumber (C, 240) and Plumber (D, 120). It is offered at about ten public institutions. ⚠ Apprenticeship classes run as Plumbing Apprenticeship I-VIII (BCA0450-BCA0457) at six state colleges, and fire sprinkler apprenticeships at Hillsborough, Miami Dade and Seminole State. ⚠ Florida's journeyman provision (s. 489.1455, F.S.) counts a registered and state-approved apprenticeship, or at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, so ask whether a programme is registered.

Careers this program leads to

Each one sets out the courses along the way, the licence or certification at the end, and the sources behind it.

Plumber, Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter

⚠⚠ A paid-apprenticeship trade: BLS describes 4 to 5 years of apprenticeship with about 2,000 paid hours a year, on a high school diploma. ⚠⚠⚠ Florida pays well below the national figure ($52,910 median against $63,800), and the gap widens to $34,810 at the 90th percentile. Florida's journeyman licence is issued locally but recognised in every county and city, and the contractor licence is the step that changes income.

Programs similar to this one

Neighbouring fields that share much of the same coursework, and often the same employers. ⚠ Read these before you commit to a major — which doors a neighbouring degree keeps open is the part no catalog tells you, and it is far cheaper to change now than later.

Electrical Technology 41 Florida schools

⚠ The sister trade, built the same way: a clock-hour certificate of completion points, or a paid apprenticeship. The electrician helper course is at 26 public institutions against about ten for plumbing. ⚠ Florida's journeyman reciprocity provision (s. 489.1455) names plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical and HVAC, but not electrical.

HVAC/R Technology 50 Florida schools

⚠ Shares the mechanical side of a building and the same journeyman reciprocity provision (s. 489.1455), which names HVAC alongside plumbing and pipe fitting. Pipefitting skills carry across.

Construction Management 30 Florida schools

⚠ Where a plumber who wants to run jobs rather than work them goes. Florida's contractor exam can also be reached with college credit plus a year as a foreman (s. 489.111).

Florida public institutions offering this program

22 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023, at these levels: Certificate (1-2 years), Certificate (12 weeks-1 year), Certificate (2-4 years). A school appears here if it awards anything in the field, however limited its offering — a technical college teaching only practical nursing has a nursing program. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

Atlantic Technical College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Daytona State College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Erwin Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Fort Myers Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years) · Certificate (2-4 years)

Hillsborough Community College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Indian River State College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Lively Technical College

Certificate (12 weeks-1 year)

Manatee Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Miami Dade College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Orange Technical College-South Campus

Certificate (2-4 years)

Orange Technical College-West Campus

Certificate (2-4 years)

Osceola Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Pensacola State College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Pinellas Technical College-St. Petersburg

Certificate (1-2 years)

Radford M Locklin Technical College

Certificate (2-4 years)

Santa Fe College

Certificate (1-2 years) · Certificate (2-4 years)

Seminole State College of Florida

Certificate (1-2 years) · Certificate (2-4 years)

Sheridan Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years)

Suncoast Technical College

Certificate (1-2 years) · Certificate (2-4 years)

Tallahassee Community College

Certificate (2-4 years)

The College of the Florida Keys

Certificate (2-4 years)

Source: federal IPEDS completions data for 2023, first majors only — the most recent year published. ⚠ It records what was awarded, which is strong evidence of what is offered, but a program launched since 2023 will not appear here. Check the institution’s own catalog before applying.

Updated 23 September 2026. ⚠ Program pages describe a field of study, not one school’s degree — always read the catalog of the institution you are applying to.