Associate’s Degrees in Cosmetology
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Education Levels of Cosmetology Majors
In 2018-2019, 940 earned their associate's degree in cosmetology. This makes it the 28th most popular associate's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in cosmetology at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Undergraduate Certificate | 61,023 |
Basic Certificate | 41,711 |
Associate’s Degree | 940 |
Earnings of Cosmetology Majors With Associate’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding an associate's degree in cosmetology is $15,200. However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years experience you have.
To get a better picture, earnings for this category of people can range from a low of $14,000 to a high of $18,300.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding an associate's degree in cosmetology is $12,000. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary.
The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $17,083 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $11,850.

The median monthly payment of a cosmetology graduate with a 10-year repayment plan is $125.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their associate's degree in cosmetology. About 95.7% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 40 |
Women | 900 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of cosmetology associate’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 35 |
Black or African American | 140 |
Hispanic or Latino | 216 |
White | 477 |
International Students | 9 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 63 |

Most Popular Cosmetology Programs for Associate’s Degrees
There are 148 colleges that offer an associate’s degree in cosmetology. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for cosmetology students seekingan associate's degree is Douglas Education Center. Roughly 200 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 66 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at Douglas Education Center. About 85% of this group were women, and 14% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Clover Park Technical College comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in cosmetology. Each year, around 3,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 43 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at CPTC. Of these students, 98% were women and 49% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 3rd most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is San Jacinto Community College. Roughly 32,100 attend the school each year. The cosmetology program at San Jacinto Community College awarded 31 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 71% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 97% were women.
Gadsden State Community College is the 4th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in cosmetology. Roughly 4,700 attend the school each year. The cosmetology program at Gadsden State Community College awarded 26 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 96% of this group were women, and 27% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Palo Alto College is the 5th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in cosmetology. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 25 people received their associate's degree in cosmetology from Palo Alto College. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
Houston Community College is the 6th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in cosmetology. The cosmetology program at Houston Community College awarded 24 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 100% were women and 92% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 6th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Central New Mexico Community College. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 24 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at CNM. Around 71% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
The 8th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Bevill State Community College. Roughly 3,700 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 22 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at Bevill State Community College. About 95% of this group were women, and 5% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 9th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Honolulu Community College. Each year, around 3,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 18 people received their associate's degree in cosmetology from Honolulu CC. About 89% of this group were women, and 94% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 10th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Gaston College. The cosmetology program at Gaston College awarded 17 associate's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 35% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
The 10th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is College of DuPage. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 17 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at COD. About 100% of this group were women, and 47% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 10th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Fayetteville Technical Community College. Each year, around 11,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 17 people received their associate's degree in cosmetology from FTCC. Of these students, 94% were women and 65% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Citrus College comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in cosmetology. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 17 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at Citrus College. Around 76% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
Northwest-Shoals Community College is the 14th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in cosmetology. Each year, around 3,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 16 people received their associate's degree in cosmetology from NW-SCC. Around 25% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 94% were women.
The 14th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Central Piedmont Community College. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 16 people received their associate's degree in cosmetology from Central Piedmont Community College. Of these students, 100% were women and 88% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Walla Walla Community College is the 16th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in cosmetology. Roughly 3,800 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 15 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at Walla Walla Community College. About 93% of this group were women, and 27% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in cosmetology. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 15 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at A-B Tech. About 100% of this group were women, and 7% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Mt. Hood Community College comes in at #18 on our list of the most popular colleges offering associate's degrees in cosmetology. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 14 people received their associate's degree in cosmetology from MHCC. Around 14% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
Cerritos College is the 18th most popular school in the nation for students seeking an associate's degree in cosmetology. Roughly 21,700 attend the school each year. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 14 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at Cerritos College. About 86% of this group were women, and 100% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 18th most popular school in the country for cosmetology majors who are seeking their associate's degree is Eastern Wyoming College. For the 2018-2019 academic year, 14 associate's degrees were handed out to cosmetology majors at Eastern Wyoming College. Around 14% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
Cosmetology Concentrations
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
General Cosmetology | 712 |
Salon Management | 126 |
Make-Up Artist | 69 |
Esthetician, Skin Care Specialist | 20 |
Cosmetology, Hair & Nail Instructor | 9 |
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to cosmetology that offer associate’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Culinary Arts | 9,185 |
Funeral & Mortuary Science | 1,286 |
Other Personal & Culinary Services | 2 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student 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 percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Image Credit: By Tiffany Bumgardner under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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