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Bartending

Types of Degrees Bartending Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Bartending can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	183
Master’s Degree	51

What Bartending Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Bartending emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 2.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Bartending program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Persuasion — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Bartending graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information	3.8 / 7
Getting Information	3.7 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.7 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	3.6 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.6 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.6 / 7
Monitoring and Controlling Resources	3.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Bartending professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series	Point of sale POS software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
NCR NeighborhoodPOS	Point of sale POS software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale	Point of sale POS software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Focus point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
The General Store	Point of sale POS software	—
AZZ CardFile	Data base user interface and query software	—
NCR Advanced Checkout Solution	Point of sale POS software	—
Compris software	Point of sale POS software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Bartending graduates include:

• Bar Attendant
• Mixologist
• Event Bartender
• Catering Bartender
• Bar Captain
• Barkeep
• Bartender
• Restaurant Bartender
• Taproom Attendant
• Service Bartender
• Barman
• Barkeeper
• Bar Tender
• Drink Mixer
• Banquet Bartender

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	43.0%
Less than a high school diploma	37.0%
Some college courses	16.4%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Bachelor’s degree	1.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Bartending?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 51.5% women and 48.5% men among Bartending graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	122	51.5%
Men	115	48.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Bartending graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	18	7.6%
Asian	2	0.8%
Hispanic or Latino	207	87.3%
Black or African American	9	3.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Bartending Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Bartending graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$24,617
4 years	$29,033
5 years	$32,264

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,264 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Bartending Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Bartending graduates earn a median of $29,033 four years after completion — about 24% 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
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.05
Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef	12.0501
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other	12.0599
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.0500
Culinary Arts/Chef Training	12.0503
Culinary Science/Culinology	12.0509
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	12.0505
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	12.0507
Institutional Food Workers	12.0508
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter	12.0506
Reserved	12.0580
Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager	12.0504

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.