| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private occupational school; in-person courses, plus online continuing education for plumbers and gas fitters |
| Campuses | 3, all in Massachusetts: Woburn, Westwood and Worcester, plus satellite classrooms in Haverhill, Dartmouth and Norwood |
| Credentials | None awarded: courses supply state-required classroom hours and exam preparation for Massachusetts licences |
| Typical length | 6-hour seminars to 330-hour full-time programs; the full-time combo programs run 15 weeks |
| State licence | Licensed by the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Office of Private Occupational Schools |
| Accreditation | None named by the school |
| Federal aid | No; GI Bill at Woburn and Westwood only |
| Course prices | $60 to $8,800 tuition before books and fees, as listed for Fall 2026 |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
The Peterson School: Massachusetts licence courses since 1946
The Peterson School is a private occupational school that prepares people for Massachusetts trade-licence exams. The school says it has prepared facilities personnel for state licence exams since 1946. Its subjects include electrical work, refrigeration and HVAC, oil and gas heat, plumbing and gas fitting, firemen and engineers, hoisting, locksmithing and OSHA safety.
Peterson teaches courses, not degree or diploma programs. A course supplies the classroom hours the state requires before an exam, or reviews for the exam, or meets licence-renewal requirements; the licence itself comes from the state board. Several licence courses are aimed at people already working in the field. The school says “groups are intentionally kept to a minimum,” and a student who fails the state licence exam can repeat the same course at no charge within 12 months of finishing it.
Licence courses and prices
The table lists the main courses with tuition and, where the course page gives it, the separate books-and-fees charge, as listed on the school’s course pages for Fall 2026; the pages carry no effective date, and one price applies to each course.
| Course | Hours / length | Schedule | Prepares for | Tuition + books and fees where listed (Fall 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Electrician I Prep | 300 hrs; 37.5 to 40 weeks | Part-time; Fall and Spring | First 300 of the 600 classroom hours for the Massachusetts journeyman electrician licence | $3,350 + $600 |
| Journeyman Electrician II Prep | 300 hrs; 37.5 to 40 weeks | Part-time; Fall and Spring; needs Journeyman I | Completes the 600 classroom hours | $3,350 + $450 |
| Master Electrician Prep | 150 hrs; 18.75 to 20 weeks | Part-time; Fall and Spring | Massachusetts Master Electrician (A) exam | $2,100 + $550 |
| Systems Technician Class D License Prep | 300 hrs; 37.5 weeks | Part-time; Fall only | The 300 hours to sit the Massachusetts Systems Technician (Class D) exam | $3,350 + $600 |
| Electrical License Test Prep | 40 hrs; 8 weeks | Weekend; Fall and Spring | Journeyman and Master exam review | $700 + $150 |
| Basic Electricity | 90 hrs (day, 15 weeks) or 72 hrs (evening, 12 weeks) | Day, evening, Saturday or July sessions | Not a licence course; hours do not count toward the journeyman licence | $2,950 + $525 |
| Three Combo A: HVACR, Oil Heat, Gas Heat | 300 hrs; 15 weeks | Full-time, 20 hrs a week | Refrigeration licence hours, oil burner technician licence and EPA 608 exam prep | $8,250 + $1,250 |
| Three Combo B: HVACR, Oil Heat, Basic Electricity | 330 hrs; 15 weeks | Full-time, 22 hrs a week | Refrigeration licence hours, oil burner technician licence and EPA 608 exam prep; hours do not count toward the journeyman electrical licence | $8,800 + $1,600 |
| HVACR Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Prep | 120 hrs | Not published | 120 of the 450 hours for the Massachusetts Refrigeration Technician licence, plus EPA 608 prep | $5,000 |
| Oil Heat Technicians License Prep | 120 hrs | Not published | Massachusetts oil burner technician licence | $2,760 |
| Gas Heat | 60 hrs | Not published | Counts toward refrigeration licence hours | $1,800 |
| Basic Plumbing | 90 hrs | Not published | Beginner course | $1,800 |
| Plumbing and Gas Fitters Exam Prep | 30 or 12 hrs | Weekend | Plumbing and gas-fitting exam review | $560 or $360 |
| Plumbing and gas-fitter continuing education | Short courses | Online | Licence renewal | $60 to $160 |
Electrical courses are taught only in person. The only online courses are continuing education for plumbers and gas fitters.
What the main programs cover
Journeyman Electrician I and II Prep
Journeyman I is built on the National Electrical Code and aimed at people already working in the field. Journeyman I gives the first 300 code hours toward the journeyman licence, and Journeyman II, which requires Journeyman I, completes the 600 classroom hours. Each runs 300 hours over Fall and Spring; the course pages give both 37.5 and 40 weeks. Besides the three campuses, both courses run at the Haverhill, Dartmouth and Norwood satellite classrooms. The licence also requires supervised field experience.
Master Electrician Prep
This 150-hour course prepares licensed journeymen for the Massachusetts Master Electrician (A) exam, which is given by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians. To enroll, students need a journeyman licence held for at least one year, and the state requires a high-school diploma or equivalent to sit the exam. The course runs in Fall and Spring, and its page gives both 20 and 18.75 weeks. Apart from the three campuses, it is offered at the Norwood satellite classroom.
Systems Technician Class D License Prep
The Systems Technician course covers fire alarm, security and other low-voltage systems and gives the 300 classroom hours needed to sit the Massachusetts Systems Technician (Class D) exam. It runs over 37.5 weeks and starts in the Fall only. The course page notes that the licence also requires 4,000 hours of field work within two years and a high-school diploma or equivalent; the school aims it at people already working in the field. It is also taught at the Norwood satellite classroom.
Full-time Three Combo programs
The two combo programs are Peterson’s only full-time options, each 15 weeks long. Combo A (300 hours, 20 a week) joins refrigeration, oil heat and gas heat; day blocks run 8 AM to 4 PM, and Gas Heat is an evening block. Combo B (330 hours, 22 a week) swaps Gas Heat for Basic Electricity, which meets 8 AM to 2 PM. Both prepare students for the EPA 608 refrigerant exam and the oil burner technician licence, and the refrigeration block gives 120 of the 450 hours for the Massachusetts Refrigeration Technician licence.
Basic Electricity
Basic Electricity is a beginner course with a lab, covering electrical components, troubleshooting, Ohm’s Law, load calculations, and wiring outlets and switches. It runs as a 90-hour day section over 15 weeks, a 72-hour evening section over 12 weeks, a 15-week Saturday section or a nine-week July session. The course page says plainly, “This is not a license course”: its hours do not count toward the journeyman licence. Students aiming for that licence need Journeyman I and II instead.
Paying for courses: no federal aid
Peterson does not take part in federal financial aid and does not issue a 1098-T tuition statement. Instead it offers interest-free payment plans: the down payment and the books-and-fees charge are due at registration, and weekly payments start the week after the course begins. Journeyman I, for example, is $1,350 down and then $100 a week, and Basic Electricity is $1,950 down and $125 a week. Test Prep is paid in full at registration. At the Fall 2026 prices, Journeyman I and II together come to $7,750 including books and fees.
GI Bill benefits are accepted at the Woburn and Westwood campuses, approved by the Massachusetts State Approving Agency; the school notes that not every course is approved, and Worcester is not named. The school lists several scholarships, but it publishes no amounts, eligibility rules or deadlines.
Who can enroll and when classes run
The school does not require a high-school diploma or equivalent to enroll, but some state exams do, including the Master Electrician and Systems Technician exams, so students should check the exam’s rules first. Some courses have prerequisites: Journeyman II follows Journeyman I, and Master Electrician Prep requires a year as a licensed journeyman.
Courses run in Spring, Summer and Fall terms. Formats include day and evening sections of Basic Electricity, the full-time day combos, weekend exam-prep and renewal courses, and online continuing education for plumbing and gas fitting. Start dates and the days and times of the part-time licence courses are posted only in the school’s online registration system.
State licensing and approvals
Peterson is licensed by the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Office of Private Occupational Schools, and says its instructors are approved by the Division. The state’s Board of State Examiners of Electricians lists it as an approved provider of initial education for Journeyman, Master, Systems Technician and Systems Contractor licences, on a list revised in June 2024. A 2022 state list also shows it approved by the Department of Fire Services for engineer and fireman licence-renewal education at all three campuses.
The school names no accrediting agency. We found no published licence-exam pass rates, completion rates or job-placement figures.
Before you enroll
- Peterson awards no degree, diploma or certificate. Its courses provide classroom hours and exam preparation; the licence comes from the state board after the exam and, for electricians, after field experience.
- Basic Electricity and the full-time Three Combo B do not count toward the journeyman electrician licence. Students who want that licence need Journeyman I and II.
- No federal grants or loans can be used, and GI Bill benefits apply only at Woburn and Westwood, and not to every course.
- No electrical, HVAC or licence-prep course is online; online study is limited to plumbing and gas-fitter continuing education.
- The school publishes no pass rates for the licence exams its courses prepare for, so ask how recent classes performed before enrolling.
Three campuses and three satellite classrooms
| Campus | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Woburn | 25 Montvale Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801 | Electrical, HVACR, oil and gas heat, both combos; GI Bill approved |
| Westwood | 350 University Avenue, Westwood, MA 02090 | Same courses as Woburn; GI Bill approved |
| Worcester | 705 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 | Same core courses; no GI Bill approval named |
The school also lists satellite classrooms in Haverhill (100 Elliott Street), Dartmouth (973 Reed Road) and Norwood (130 Kerry Place). They are classroom-only sites with varying hours; the journeyman courses run at all three, and Master and Systems Technician prep at Norwood.
Job board and employer training
Peterson runs an online job board where employers post openings and job seekers search listings. It publishes no placement figures. The school says many of its courses may be offered on site at an employer’s location.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Electrical
- Journeyman Electrician I Prep (300 hours)
- Journeyman Electrician II Prep (300 hours)
- Master Electrician Prep (150 hours)
- Systems Technician Class D License Prep (300 hours, Fall only)
- Electrical License Test Prep (40 hours, weekend)
- Basic Electricity (not a licence course)
- Electrician License Renewal and Seminar (continuing education)
HVAC, Refrigeration and Heating
- Three Combo Program A: HVACR, Oil Heat and Gas Heat (full-time)
- Three Combo Program B: HVACR, Oil Heat and Basic Electricity (full-time)
- HVACR Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Prep (120 hours)
- Oil Heat Technicians License Prep (120 hours)
- Gas Heat (60 hours)
Plumbing and Gas Fitting
- Basic Plumbing (90 hours)
- Plumbing and Gas Fitters Exam Prep (weekend)
- Plumbing and Gas Fitter Continuing Education (online)
Other Licence and Safety Courses
- Second Firemen License Prep
- Facilities Technician
- Hoisting 2A/1C and 1B
- Locksmith
- OSHA-10 Construction
Campus Locations
Boston (Woburn), MA 25 Montvale Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801
Boston (Westwood), MA 350 University Avenue, Westwood, MA 02090
Worcester, MA 705 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605