Cosmetology

Types of Degrees Cosmetology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many cosmetology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	57,805
Basic Certificate	48,917
Associate Degree	1,173

What Cosmetology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, cosmetology majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Cosmetology Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in cosmetology should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Cosmetology Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to cosmetology:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Cosmetology Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a cosmetology student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Cosmetology Major?

People with a cosmetology degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Barbers	13.5%	$27,960
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers	14.6%	$38,400
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists	13.0%	$24,730
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance	12.5%	$64,250
Manicurists and Pedicurists	13.2%	$24,330
Skincare Specialists	13.7%	$31,290
Spa Managers	14.6%	$38,400

How Much Do Cosmetology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Cosmetology majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $30,190 to $41,710 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Cosmetology

Some careers associated with cosmetology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for cosmetology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	12.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	15.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	45.8%
Some College Courses	7.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	10.5%
Master’s Degree	0.2%

Online Cosmetology Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,653 schools offered some type of cosmetology program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2,315	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	148	0
Associate’s Degree	174	3
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Cosmetology Worth It?

The median salary for a cosmetology grad is $33,220 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Majors Related to Cosmetology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to cosmetology.

Major	Number of Grads
Culinary Arts	19,806
Funeral & Mortuary Science	2,354
Casino Operations and Services	192
Other Personal & Culinary Services	81

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Tiffany Bumgardner under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.