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Pet/Animal Grooming

Types of Degrees Pet/Animal Grooming Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Pet/Animal Grooming can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	356
Associate’s Degree	7
Master’s Degree	156

What Pet/Animal Grooming Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Pet/Animal Grooming build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Pet/Animal Grooming graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Pet/Animal Grooming emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Pet/Animal Grooming program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Pet/Animal Grooming careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Pet/Animal Grooming graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Pet/Animal Grooming professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Edmodo	Desktop communications software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
GroupMe	Instant messaging software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pet/Animal Grooming graduates include:

• Weaving Teacher
• Cosmetology Instructor
• Television Repair Teacher
• Apparel Manufacture Instructor
• Modeling Teacher
• In-Service Education Teacher
• Costume Design Teacher
• Building Trades Instructor
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Vocational School Teacher
• Manual Training Teacher
• CPR Instructor (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Instructor)
• Vocational Rehabilitation Teacher
• Driver Retraining Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Pet/Animal Grooming graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	31.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	25.5%
Bachelor’s degree	17.6%
Postsecondary certificate	10.1%
Master’s degree	4.7%
Some college courses	4.3%
Less than a high school diploma	3.6%
Doctoral degree	2.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pet/Animal Grooming?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80.9% of Pet/Animal Grooming degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	420	80.9%
Men	99	19.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Pet/Animal Grooming graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	48	9.2%
Hispanic or Latino	466	89.8%
Black or African American	2	0.4%
Two or More Races	1	0.2%
International Students	2	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pet/Animal Grooming Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Pet/Animal Grooming graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$25,658
4 years	$29,442
5 years	$34,298

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $34,298 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Pet/Animal Grooming Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Pet/Animal Grooming graduates earn a median of $29,442 four years after completion — about 23% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	01.05
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Other	01.0599
Animal Training	01.0505
Equestrian/Equine Studies	01.0507
Farrier Science	01.0509
Taxidermy/Taxidermist	01.0508
Irrigation Management Technology/Technician	01.0207

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.