Barbering

Types of Degrees Barbering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many barbering/barber graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	8,906
Basic Certificate	981
Associate Degree	6

What Barbering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to barbering and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Barbering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in barbering 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.
• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Barbering Majors

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

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Barbering Majors

A major in barbering will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

What Can You Do With a Barbering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with barbering:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Barbers	13.5%	$27,960

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Barbering?

The major attracts more women than men. About 67% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of barbering majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	4
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	1
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

How Much Do Barbering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Barbering majors often go into careers with median salaries of $33,220. This median refers to 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 Barbering

Some degrees associated with barbering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 barbering careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	21.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	25.4%
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)	29.7%
Some College Courses	12.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	11.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	1.7%
Master’s Degree	1.3%

Online Barbering Programs

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)	486	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	20	0
Associate’s Degree	7	0
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 Barbering Worth It?

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

Trades Related to Barbering

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Cosmetology/Cosmetologist	50,210
Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist	40,040
Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist	13,960
Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist	2,907
Other Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts	2,184
Master Aesthetician/Esthetician	1,729
Hair Styling/Stylist & Hair Design	1,238
Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, & Nail Instructor	1,230
Make-Up Artist/Specialist	440
Electrolysis/Electrology & Electrolysis Technician	354
Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager	336
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup & Tattooing	90

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.